Imai 1/50 Catalan Ship Completed

Steve,

Actually I would love to have a building session with all of you in one place! It would be so cool to actually watch and learn from all the talent here in this forum and just shoot the breeze at the same time.

I know Dave did an incredible YouTube video on ratlines which really helped me to tie off those buggers. If I ever get the bug, I might just do a video of my technique with oils, but then Dave would have to do his and Bakster too.

I’m glad to see you keeping on with your Victory and it sounds like Gene is getting ready to start one too. Would that make the ships forum here kinda like Pete Coleman’s?

Anyway, thanks as always for following along and commenting as well, I really appreciate it bud,

Steve

Hey, Steve!

Man, THAT LOOKS COOL! There is something about your painting that inspires me. It makes me want to build a ship, every...time.

That's quite a process there Steve compared to the few acrylics I use, your results are outstanding though!!

Michael D.

I would love to sit beside you and watch this process steve , you and davidk . 

The next installment starts wih my palette and how it gets interesting as colors are mixed. Hopefully, this gives an indication of how the my process progresses. Unfortunately, I also stopped taking pictures during the application and wiping process because my hands get really messy whether I use gloves or not. So, if anyone has questions, please ask.

Steve 

As you can see, the oils are still messy and will go through additional applications and removals. So now she is ready to start the the building and rigging.

Steve

I hope you're in the mood for more oil painting 'cuz you're gonna get it.

First off is the colors we'll use for the mast, yards etc.... 

The mast is painted first in Tamiya Yellow acrylic. After that's dry, then I used the following oil paints: Burnt Umber, Davy's Gray, Burnt Sienna, Transparent Red Oxide and Transparent Umber Light.

Here's a shot of the mess. Again, I add oils right to the part and mix from there.

And it came out looking like this

Alright, now back to the colors we're using on the hull, etc...

And here is the Hull without oils...

Now this shows what the mess looks like 

And we'll stop there tonight so that the oils have a chance to breath. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask

Steve

Hi ;

 I have to chime in here . I have a dear friend ( Lady-friend ) that does stained Glass .She told me that probably around that time they probably did this .

 They made little squares of glass at a foundry for that purpose . Glass requires heat to process . Okay You have these little squares about 4" on a side .You heat them till they are softening .

Then you set them on a form .This makes the glass curve . Then you grind the edges square and taper the edges . Next you build a cage to hold say 10 to 20 of the squares

 This form is made of say black iron worked very thin and flat . With a centered edge in each square . Set the glass in and seal it in place with lead . After doing this then seal the four sides with lead in and out leaving a little area to refill the oil resevoir or replace the candles . Then mount on a post or curved hangar over the stern .

 They usually got removed during bad storms so they were roughly and cheaply made . Even the clarity of the glass would be questionable . No one really knows . Unless the ship-owner was wealthy and it was his flag-ship who would care ? 

Seal Oil ?

Well first you got to catch one . Then You give it to an Eskimo . When he's finished with it , Drain the oil out of his pot .That's the only way I know . Seriously . I recommended taking Any kind of powder ( Baby , Chalk etc.) spread it on a container full of water , Make sure the hull is balanced correctly and ballasted . Then dip it in the powdered water . 

 This will , by surface tension , allow the powder to stick to the hull establishing where the desired waterline is . In the Catalan ship , being it is a model of a votive one in a church , That is questionable .

kirill4

Good day Steve,

Thank You very much , very interesting and usefull information !!!

 

Kirill,

You are very welcome and hopefully it made sense. If you have any more questions, please feel free to direct message me.

Steve

Good day Steve,

Thank You very much , very interesting and usefull information !!!

As promised, but late as always, here is the magic formula for Gray decks. Hopefully it will amaze you but it's actually rather simple.

So, I start with Vallejo's Model Color Deck Tan 70986.  If you want to stop here that's cool because you really will have a good looking Gray deck. However, if you are detemined to embrace my insanity, then you've been warned.

For this model, I used the following Artist Oils from Windsor and Newton. Note, that there are two Davy's Gray. That is my mistake as I only used one. But if you are wild and crazy, no one will stop you from using two..... The other Gray I use is Payne's Gray. Titanium White and Sap Green are the other Oils Paints and no Oils were harmed during this experiment.

So, After the Deck Tan is dried and cured, use the smell test here, I apply the Payne's Gray and Davy's gray in small amounts and smear. This is where you have to be a bit artistic. Some folks use a wash by either wetting the deck with Mineral Spirits and applying the Oils to that or making a wash of the Oil in a cup. Both are cool but that is not the way I do Oils. I take them straight from the tube and use a plastic paint tray. 

Now comes the finger painting technique..... not really but it is not far off. I use Hog Hair brushes to apply the color and then start mixing them right on the deck.. At this point I only have the two Grays on and waiting 10 to 20 minutes I take an old cotton t-shirt, wrap it around my fingers and start wiping off the oil. Of course I don't take all the oils off and this also mixes the colors more.

Step back to see how it looks. Add more oils if needed or use another piece of the t-shirt and remove. You can also add some Titanium White to lighten but remember it's easier to darken than lighten paint.

Once I have the Grays the way I want them I take the Sap Green and add here and there where algae would be if this is not a British or American Man-O'-War. You can also add straight up Payne's Gray around edges to heighten the effect of use.

Unfortunately, I cannot give you a secret formula (do you like how I put that at the end)... It's really about experimenting and REALLY looking at how wood weathers under different enviroments. It's also like the Joy of Painting... make yourself some Happy Trees an hopefully you'll have some Happy Accidents.

Steve

kirill4

Good day Steve, 

thanks for your answer, and this nice,so high quality foto of Mataro Model! :)

I saw there is a solid beam,partly visiable in the forecastle... I saw same staff on the other karrack drwngs...and this horizontal beam looks much hevier than yours ???

Regarding devices for securing running rigging,my remarks /doubts were only abt pins and pins rails...should we show them on carrack model?, but I fully agree with you that various bits and cleats need to be shown, otherwise how to manipulate with heavy running gears?...

main sail tie - could it be set with ties and couple of tackles?, with the standing blocks secured near the mast, such arrangements probably will look more autentic for this time, than knight with halyard block ?

I read abt such tie halyard arrangemnts for early time vessels in Rolf Hoeckel book...

 

Kirill,

I'm glad you liked the photo. I did see the curved beam which corresponds with Pastor's description in Columus' Ships. In hindsight I should have done the same thing. I'll have to pick up Hoeckel's book to see the tie arrangemets for future reference. As always, thanks for your insights, they are always welcomed.

Steve

Good day Steve, 

thanks for your answer, and this nice,so high quality foto of Mataro Model! :)

I saw there is a solid beam,partly visiable in the forecastle... I saw same staff on the other karrack drwngs...and this horizontal beam looks much hevier than yours ???

Regarding devices for securing running rigging,my remarks /doubts were only abt pins and pins rails...should we show them on carrack model?, but I fully agree with You that various bits and cleats need to be shown, otherwise how to manipulate with heavy running gears?...

main sail tie - could it be set with ties and couple of tackles?, with the standing blocks secured near the mast, such arrangements probably will look more autentic for this time, than knight with halyard block ?

I read abt such tie halyard arrangemnts for early time vessels in Rolf Hoeckel book...

Bakster

 

 

kirill4

Steve, You did beautiful job!!! I like it very much , especialy color of your deck !!! How you did it!!!  

 

 

I agree with Kirill.  Share your formula. 

 

I took some pictures and I'll post them tomorrow with the paint colors I used, although I'll warn you, I don't make formulas, I add as I go along.

Steve

kirill4

Steve,

You did beautiful job!!!

I like it very much , especialy color of your deck !!! How you did it!!! - looks very natural ,realy as old wood -exposed to sun and water...very nice!!!

By the way, Did You know, there is strong opinion(after modern reserch),that in ancient time ,lets say till the end of 16 century,there were no bits with cross piece in use as well as no belaying pins and pin rails..and all running rigging need to be secured to ... there is always a fan/ enigma for me ? how to say... ..where to secure them in such case?...

they said somewhere to ship's construction elements...such as reilings, cleats small and big,small and big staghorns, various knihtheads...etc... but need to avoid to show pins and pin rails...

I did mistake to show them on my galleon model...knew abt this( no pin rails/ pins on galleon!!! :))) too late... and now I see , You also show such staff on your model of carrak, which is much earlier than any of galleon in the time scale...

most probably , to be historic accurate, there shouldn't be belaying pins and rails demonstrated, as shown on the models in the past 20 century :))) and early...

as example - see rigging of replica Duyfken ... of cause, this is replica of the end of  the16 century vessel , but made very accurate,at least, You don't see pins and rails overthere...

ps

Could You tell which color did You use for your deck painting ,and how You reach such interesting effct of old wood on plastic??? this is my dream ...paint the same color...! :)))

 

Krill,

Thank you for your kind words, they are much appreciated. 

In response to your questions and research, I have seen that pin rails and belaying pins were probably not used during this time period. I"m trying to remember if the Pastor model of the ship had any pin rails, etc... I'll have to pull out my copy and refresh my memory. I know in the recontructions of the various Santa Marias that Pastor had "cleats" for tie offs of the various lines. This were the type of "cleats" that I added to my model.

On the question of Bits, I know Pastor had them with the various ships, but again, I'm not sure if they would have been on the Matareo. However, having spent a good part of my life sailing and on ships, I have a smatering of an idea how ships works, especially sailing ships. My faulty logic went something like this... big anchors, heavy hawse lines, they needed something to tei those babies off, ergo Bits! 

It's the same faulty logic I used for the Halyard. How the heck, especially with a heavy sail, let alone a wet one, could they raise and lower the yard? Again, ergo knightshead and halyard block. 

Looking at this picture and others that you sent me last year or so of the actual model, you can see that there were no bits or pinrails etc... so... I'll let someone else tackle making an exact replica out of the Imai kit. Maybe down the road, I'll get a bee in my bonnet and redo all the rigging again and make it more authenic, but not now.

I appreciate all the insights you give me on my builds so please do not stop!

Steve

kirill4

Steve, You did beautiful job!!! I like it very much , especialy color of your deck !!! How you did it!!!  

I agree with Kirill.  Share your formula. 

Steve,

You did beautiful job!!!

I like it very much , especialy color of your deck !!! How you did it!!! - looks very natural ,realy as old wood -exposed to sun and water...very nice!!!

By the way, Did You know, there is strong opinion(after modern reserch),that in ancient time ,lets say till the end of 16 century,there were no bits with cross piece in use as well as no belaying pins and pin rails..and all running rigging need to be secured to ... there is always a fan/ enigma for me ? how to say... ..where to secure them in such case?...

they said somewhere to ship's construction elements...such as reilings, cleats small and big,small and big staghorns, various knihtheads...etc... but need to avoid to show pins and pin rails...

I did mistake to show them on my galleon model...knew abt this( no pin rails/ pins on galleon!!! :))) too late... and now I see , You also show such staff on your model of carrak, which is much earlier than any of galleon in the time scale...

most probably , to be historic accurate, there shouldn't be belaying pins and rails demonstrated, as shown on the models in the past 20 century :))) and early...

as example - see rigging of replica Duyfken ... of cause, this is replica of the end of  the16 century vessel , but made very accurate,at least, You don't see pins and rails overthere...

ps

Could You tell which color did You use for your deck painting ,and how You reach such interesting effct of old wood on plastic??? this is my dream ...paint the same color...! :)))

And now for the next installment, we have assundry bits and pieces, some quite litterally. The first pictures shows the riding bits for the anchor hawsers. I drilled holes on each to put in rings for tying off lines and the second photo shows them inserted and glued.

And here are both

Here is the knightshead for the halyard setup that is scrathbuilt. The kit does not have any way of raising or lower the yard other than brute strength, so I improvised.

The tie offs on either side of the mast are added.

Another picture of the clamping I had to do with the after railing on both sides due to warping. After adding the after rails, I had to do some infilling and such.

Even after aligning the rail there was a step which had to be dealt with.

A bit of sanding and filling and we get this

And some filling along the seam

I think I'll leave off here for the night. Next installment will be the application of the Artist Oils. Unless I find something else.

Steve

docidle

Steve, Stefan, Frank, Roy, Fred, Anytime you call me, you can call me Al.

LoL. Just don't call me a Sally. 

Yup, same here. The formal name came out when I was in trouble.

That is what I love about your work. 7 oil colors to create the perfect shade that you want. I am enjoying your work, Steve. Keep it up.

Bakster

 

 

docidle

Thanks Steve. I think we need to have a Steve club here

 

 

Lol, it's true! Well--if you want to shake things up--feel free to call me Stefan. That is my birth name. I hated using Stefan as a kid, but I have come to appreciate it now. The ladies seem to like it. No joke. One lady thought it was exotic. I thought, yeah okay, I am good with that. Lol. Or just call me Roy, Fred, Frank, Bakster, whatever.

 

 

 

docidle

On one the future posts, you’ll see that I knocked a good many of them off while oiling this bugger up! I lost count on how many of those I replaced. 

 

 

Oh, man. Isn't that just how it is. One step forward, two back.

 

 

 

docidle

But I really liked the Mahogany effect

 

 

As do I. Keep up the good work, STEVE.

 

 

 

 

Steve, Stefan, Frank, Roy, Fred,

Anytime you call me, you can call me Al.

I know what you mean about the uses of various names. Professionally, I use Stephen, my middle name and of course my last, which back when I was a kid, usually meant that I was BIG trouble, either with my folks, the Nuns or other parental units in the neighborhood Nowdays, I don’t much what care what people call me because I have definitely been called worse than Steve or Stephen.

The Mahogany coloring came about with the use of about seven oil colors and the base Acrylic colors.

Steve or Al

Flint

That looks fantastic Steve. Very clean and tidy. You're right about a Steve club, I've lost count of the amount Steves there are on model forums.

 

Thanks Flint, I’m glad you like it so far. Keeping clean and tidy, well yes but as I said, when I start applying Artist oils, the tarps, gloves, Mineral Spirits, etc.. come out and a messy and wacky time ensues!!! I actually plan out my painting process down to a T; however, when the oils come out it becomes more like Improvisional Jazz than a Symphony. 

Heck, there are a passel of Steves just on the Finescale alone! And I agree on the forums I haunt, it does get crowded with Steve’s.

Steve (well one of them at least)

docidle

Thanks Steve. I think we need to have a Steve club here

docidle

On one the future posts, you’ll see that I knocked a good many of them off while oiling this bugger up! I lost count on how many of those I replaced. 

docidle

But I really liked the Mahogany effect

That looks fantastic Steve. Very clean and tidy. You're right about a Steve club, I've lost count of the amount Steves there are on model forums.

Bakster

Hey Steve, it is looking great! I like how those nail heads look.Nice paint work you are doing too. Watching...

 

Thanks Steve. I think we need to have a Steve club here! Anyway, I’m glad you like the nail heads, it was a process to say the least. On one of the future posts, you’ll see that I knocked a good many of them off while oiling this bugger up! I lost count on how many of those I replaced. 

All that nice paint work got really dirtied up with the oils as you can see from the Nationals photo. But I really liked the Mahogany effect I got from the different oils colors I used, so it came out the way it was supposed to I guess.

Steve

steve5

love watching your build's steve , very meticulous work mate . I just wish you would post more often 

 

Thanks Steve, I appreciate the feedback as always. On the subject of posting more ... I’ll see what I can do bud! 

I just replied to your PM, hopefully I can help you out.

Steve

Hey Steve, it is looking great! I like how those nail heads look.Nice paint work you are doing too. Watching...

love watching your build's steve , very meticulous work mate . I just wish you would post more often 

I agree with all of you, the German's were some talented modelers. I'll see if I can get ahold of Dafi and see what happened. Anyway, I'm very sorry to see that site go.

Nino, thanks for the kind words, hopefully these photos won't disappoint.

Speaking of pictures, I will start the download dump and probably post more a day or two at a time.

I was hoping to get pictures of the entire process; however, I was going heads down full, tilt boogie by the time i started the rigging so there are gaps. First up are the beam ends that I added. They are missing on the Imai model but present on the original.

Enjoy,

Steve

The beam ends placed on the hull.

The eye rings made on the left and Blackened on the right. These will go in various loncations arond the ship for tie downs.

At the mast/deck point, I added wooldings to keep the shims in place.

The knights head painted with an eyebolt in place.

The knights head in place with the rail behind for tie offs.

Moving to the bow, I scratched the rail and cleat for the anchor tie offs.

The start of placing all those little nail heads in place. Here's the stern showing how they look. I"m actually happy with them...... just wait till i start the oiling....

More nail heads...

And more....

A bit of clamping was required to get the railing top to conform to the curve. There was warping sometime in the past....

Nino

Hi Steve (Bakster),   I have accumulated a couple of the larger (20inch?) Mayflowers.   If you need parts....  And yes , I am convinced, the ships section is ready for another one of your WIPs.

Hi Jim (Nino), thanks for the spare parts offer. I probably won't need any BUT--it is good to know that I have source. That is seriously kind of you to offer! You are a good man, Charlie Brown.

We'll see about the WIP. If I do another one it will be many months down the road. Thanks for your encouragement!

I'm sorry it's gone nino , those germann modeler's were damn good .

have you tried this site , dafi dwell's here .

www.segelschiffsmodellbau.com/