Hull painting techniques

[Christopher M]

I was wondering if I could get some tips on how to achieve straight, crisp lines when painting the hull section (ie between the hull red and grey camouflage) as I find 'straight line painting' rather difficult unless masking tape is used on the model, however this doesn't really work with ships due to the shape of the hull.
Thank you, Christopher

[Amphion]

Do you mean the waterline? I would think that it's still best to mark the line(s) on the hull, mask and then paint it.

Find a level surface, table top etc., and prop up the hull so it's level (regarding the waterline) relative to the work surface. Then use a (block of wood etc.) with the right height to hold a pencil to mark the line all around the hull.



The above picture should give you an idea..

[Christopher M]

That is exactly what I mean (sorry new to the terminology) but that's a really cool little trick, I take it it's just a case of then carefully painting to the lines?

Thanks, Christopher

[biggles2]

Even after drawing lines, you should still use masking tape (Tamiya's is probably the best!) and airbrush to get the neatest possible line.

[Amphion]

If you have an airbrush, fine. If not, regular brush will do. The line(s) will help you mask of the waterline as straight as possible. The mask(ingtape) will help you get as crisp a demarcation as possible.

[Christopher M]

Thanks guys, I'll give it a go and see what happens, thanks!

[Harquebus]

If you have a bare hull, what is the most natural and easiest/most effective order of painting? Gray (for instance) for the hull overall, mask off the gray for the antifouling red portion and then mask off the gray and red for the black boot topping?

[biggles2]

That order works well, as I believe red will cover gray, better than gray will cover red. On small ships/boats I have been known to apply black decal striping for the boot topping!

[davidwaples]

If you're including a boot toping a lot of folks will rough in the black paint first. They then select masking tape the width of the boot toping and cover it. Then they paint the hull bottom the appropriate colorado followed by the upper sections and deck.

What I prefer to do is rough in the red. Then i mark the waterline using a waterline marking tool (I think Micromark sells them) to establish the waterline. I'll mask it off and paint the upper sections. Masking tapes comes off and the hull gets a clear coat (I use Future... yes I still have a bottle) to prepare for the next step. I then use black line decals to create the black boot toping. This leaves you with a perfect boot topping.

Dave

[robertmelvin]

I have also started using black line decals, actually a kind of plastic strip, to recreate my boot topping. Available at auto parts stores in various widths in the auto body detailing section. Been using it for several years and haven't had any problems wlth them coming loose so far. Much easier than an extra masking/painting step to get the boot topping on.

Bob Melvin

[biggles2]

As long as you seal the decal and paint job with a clear coat, there should be no problems of decals lifting. BTW, does the automotive striping lie surface-flat like a paint job, or is there a visible step? Decal edges, with setting solution, will disappear into the paint job. Never thought of using car striping. They come in much longer lengths than decal stripes!

[robertmelvin]

If you look up close the car striping does have a very slight step. This is moderated to some degree by the coat of dullcote you apply over the finished hull. However, at normal viewing distances the scale effect kicks in and you can't see the step. I was a little skeptical myself about this technique for that reason at first, but like I said, I discovered that at normal viewing distances you can't really see the step. And, since the stuff is somewhat flexible, it works well around complex curves.

Bob Melvin

[biggles2]

Thanks! I shall have to try that.

[jaymz]

re: the black demarcation/waterline...
for a 1/700 scale, what is the thickness of the line?

2mm? 3mm?

thank you!!!

[merriman]

..............

[biggles2]

re: the black demarcation/waterline...
for a 1/700 scale, what is the thickness of the line?

2mm? 3mm?

thank you!!!

From viewing several photos, the bootline seems to vary according to type of ship; destroyers have narrower lines than BB's and AC carriers. Most Destroyers seem to have an approximately 4 - 5 ' boot line, and the biggest ships have a bootline almost double that. I think that is because the bigger, and heavier, ships have more variation of waterline depth between loaded and empty weights. So the bootline has to be wide enough to cover that range of depths. For a 1/700 destroyer I would make a 2.5 - 3 mm bootline, and judge accordingly for larger ships.

[jaymz]

re: the black demarcation/waterline...
for a 1/700 scale, what is the thickness of the line?

2mm? 3mm?

thank you!!!

From viewing several photos, the bootline seems to vary according to type of ship; destroyers have narrower lines than BB's and AC carriers. Most Destroyers seem to have an approximately 4 - 5 ' boot line, and the biggest ships have a bootline almost double that. I think that is because the bigger, and heavier, ships have more variation of waterline depth between loaded and empty weights. So the bootline has to be wide enough to cover that range of depths. For a 1/700 destroyer I would make a 2.5 - 3 mm bootline, and judge accordingly for larger ships.

thank you so much sir!!!

[MatthewB]

Thank God I only do waterline.

But then there is that Nasty Ms 2/12/22 Camo that has demarcation of Navy Blue, Ocean Grey and Haze Grey/white.

.....down.....


MB