Ships in Trouble - Addendum and a tip .

Modeling Subjects Ships
1

I am sure many of you may try it , or would do , or will do this particular scenario . I just thought I would add this . If you do your sinking ship or battle damaged ship , don’t let the water stop you .

There’s a cheaters way around all that work .You can get Plexi and Real glass with water patterned surfaces .The ones I’ve seen can be used for totally calm seas with a little swell to a higher sea with maybe a 10 to 15 knot breeze .

There are many patterns of this stuff . You just have to pick what looks real to you . Nice part is , if it’s translucent a little , you can darken spots on the bottom of the glass to represent deeper areas ! If it’s clear , paint it blue from the bottom .

Or like G. Morrison suggested run it aground and have it burnt to the waterline if it’s wood .Or rusty and full of holes if it’s steel . T.B. The picture of the ship in Hong Kong harbor comes to mind .

2

Even if you do not use the patterned materials, there are lots of ways to do water- I’d say I have seen or heard of at least six or seven ways, using a variety of materials.

The model railroaders often need to model water on their layouts, so there are a number of commercial materials available in the MR section of the hobby shop, as well as techniques using common household materials.

3

I think the water is the easiest part.

4

Don ;

I had a fellow member of the New Braunfels Model Railroad and Historical Society show me how to use Clear Gesso and a medium stiff brush to texture water on glass .That’s what gave me the idea . My landlady does Stained glass as a hobby . I now use many of the toolsshe uses , including their controlled soldering iron for P.E. . What I noticed though was this textured glass when I went with her to a supply store . Perfect for the 1/350 U.S.S. North Carolina at sea .

Using this glass and the ship I was able to show someone else how to do a waterline ship on glass , lit from below that made a nice night - light ! If you use the textured plexi though you can cut out the hull shape and keep the whole hull ! T.B.

5

Here are some don’ts:

Don’t use silicone sealant. It’s smelly, hard to work with and expensive.

Don’t build up clear resin in lots of layers. It’s also expensive and bubbles are hard to control.

6

Amen !