After bringing the Nordkap from the closet, to the table, I got a chance to make an assessment of the progress......mainly the paint. I was very unhappy to find that the paint is less than desirable....the entire hull is inundated with plank lines! there are no gaps in the planking itself, but since I realized that not cementing between the planks could be a big problem, I can see now that it is worse than I thought. the only places that these lines don't exist, is where I cemented the planks to the ribs, leaving them as sort of a "Morse Code" to me.........."buddy, you messed up!" By not doing this, it allowed air to come up from under the plank and prevented the paint from "joining together", to create a smooth finish. kind of like trying to ride a horse over a cliff.......as soon as the horse reaches the edge of the cliff, it stops. it also causes the paint to well up and "mound" at the edge of the line {crack, if you want to call it that}, giving it a ripple effect. the only recourse now is to remove the paint and start over......but how can this be done? I mulled over the idea of a paint stripper, perhaps as the paint is scraped {removed}, it will fill in the lines, and sanding afterwards will embed wood dust into them, completing the filling process. I have been warned against it, due to the glue used in cementing the planks. I do agree, but there is quite a bit of sanding here.....and not to mention the mess involved. I have found a spray-on stripper......perhaps if I applied it with a rag.......
It is more noticeable with the red, although the blue has it's share of problems. there may be the need to remove the rub rails {strakes}, to adequately remove the paint, but I will try not to. I really don't want to go that far backwards in my progress, but if it need be......I guess I will have to. I must remember that the Nordkap is my first wood build. my interlude with the Cux has taught me quite a lot, especially with the hull.
With the Cux build, I did cement between the planks. of course, there were a few areas where lines did show up, but nothing like what is apparent on the Nordkap. some filling and sanding took care of them and gave me a great looking hull. I have a lot of work ahead of me. while I am doing this, I can still work on the housing structures, the bow, and masting.
As I delve further into this new craft, I will learn much more. for now.....I'm a newbie, not a stranger to modeling in general, but a newbie to the art of wood crafting. every aspect is different, and it is good to find my weaknesses early, so that I will know where to emphasize my study. the first thing I learned....the use of "rattle cans" and me......are out! I have gotten my airbrush up and running......I can have more control over the paint, so that mistakes like this will be a thing of the past. I'll have to put this on the back burner for the moment, as we are moving. a big plus of this move is that I will be gaining a garage, a place where I can do much more.....if I play my cards right. it's almost time to pack up my modeling area and prepare for the move, and once I set everything back up, I can continue the build. I do have a few other idea pertaining to paint removal and the sealing of the hull. I'll be sure to let you know what avenue I took and how it came out. AHOY!
