Making Boot Stripes and waterlines .

I think that’s what tankerbuilder was getting at in his reference to “hull shape”.

The only way to get that right is to use short pieces of thin flexible tape. On my models, it’s a good thing that it’s difficult to see under the stern counter.

Now if you really want to go nuts, I have a picture of the stern of Borodino in drydock.

The draft marks are “Roman”, you know like XXI, and the sign painter followed the same rules. All of the numbers have the same true vertical height.

I think you don't understand what boot topping is ... Boot topping is not an even stripe ... it is constant in depth as related to the waterline, as it wraps under the stern, it frequently becomes wider in absolute dimension.  In addition, marking the waterline and boot topping is best done with a surface gauge ... and there are inexpensive ones available.

Paul

GMorrison

Thats a good description. I was afraid you were gonna say fill the bathtub with black paint.

....

 

Anyone remember making microfilm by pouring lacquer on a tub of still water?  This was a covering material for indoor flying rubber models.  One put a frame bent from a metal coat hanger in the water before pouring the clear lacquer on the water.  After a short time you raised the frame up through the film, capturing it on the frame.  One then moved the wing or tail up through the frame, transferring the film to the model part.  The fuselage on those models was just a stick, so no need to cover that part.  The film was too light to even measure with any scale a modeler had.

For smaller craft...or in smaller scales...I've found that strips of black or dirty-bronze colored decal stock make boot-topping much less traumatic, much easier sometimes than trying to mask. A good light and a 'weather eye,' and it's pretty easy to get razor-straight sight lines down the hull sides, onvce you've marked your waterline.

Thats a good description. I was afraid you were gonna say fill the bathtub with black paint.

Sometimes I'll make a whole series of little "tick" marks with the pencil and connect them when I apply the tape by holding it tight in both hands and placing it on a couple of ticks.