USS Chesapeake - Primer coat

Old ships were painted by hand, so I agree, brush paint. As far as a base primer to cover the black, I too use aerosol primer. Depends on the situation, but I like the Krylon automotive primers because these sand well. However, they do go on thick so maybe would not be too good for small detail work. If you have really small details, then use the Testors primer, it goes on much thinner, and for best coverage, use an airbrush.

My approach to this sort of problem probably is different to some other people's, so take the following for what little it's worth.

You probably could get a fine result with virtually any kind of modern hobby paint by using an airbrush. It might take a couple of coats, but modern paints are remarkably good at covering up even strongly contrasting base colors. I personally, though, have always thought the finish created by an airbrush is out of place on a sailing ship. (Stand by for arguments.) I've got an airbrush, but I rarely if ever use it for that type of model.

My guess is that, with my own favorite brand, Polly-Scale, you probably could get a nice brushed finish with some patience. I think my approach, though, would be to start out by shooting the parts with a flat, light grey enamel out of an aerosal can (e.g., Testor's) as a primer, letting it dry thoroughly, and then using Polly-Scale for the brushed finish coat. That approach gives you the best of two worlds.

For the actual brushing job I'd use a flat, synthetic-hair brush, of the greatest possible width. I found out long ago that the best place to buy brushes for ship modeling is not a hobby shop but an art supply store. Companies like Grumbacher and Windsor and Newton make superb brushes in a tremendous variety of shapes and sizes, generally at lower prices than the ones in the hobby shops. I particularly like the synthetic ones - either the white or gold type.

Hope this helps.

Tilley?
Can you help me out with this one?
Thanks