My son and I made a toy ship. The body is made from a balsa block, we
still have masts, bowsprit etc to add. I think that it will be sturdy
enough to survive for a while.
My question is how to finish it. I want the finish to stay on. My son
wants to play with this ship in the bath, so, it needs to survive
periodic dunking. I hope that this ship remains with him for a while,
so I need some simple and durable finish.
i
On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 12:25:18 -0500, J T <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mon, Feb 26, 2007, 8:26am (EST-1) [email protected]
> (Ignoramus1280) doth proclaimeth and queryeth:
> My son and I made a toy ship. The body is made from a balsa block,
><snip> My son wants to play with this ship in the bath, <snip>
>
> Betcha it'll need a weight in the bottom to make it float upright.
Yep. I did add such weight, actually, I had some brass bars left off
from some disassembled equipment. Otherwise it would definitely not
float upright due to masts, etc.
i
Mon, Feb 26, 2007, 12:06pm (EST-1) [email protected]
(Ignoramus1280) doth sayeth:
Yep. I did add such weight, actually, I had some brass bars left off
from some disassembled equipment. Otherwise it would definitely not
float upright due to masts, etc.
I'm thinking that no matter what finish y ou use, if it's played
with in the bath, the balsa is gonna dent. And when it dents, I figure
the finish will crack. Which will let waer in. And the balsa will
absorb water.
I'd think reserve the balsa model for display only, and for bath
use make one out of pine, poplar, or whatever inexpensive wood. You'd
have to treat it pretty rough then to dent, and even if it did, it
wouldn't absorb water like balsa would. But, you can always make
another with your son later. You do have a son, right? It's not you
that wants a bath toy?
JOAT
When in doubt, go to sleep.
- Mully Small
On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 16:48:43 -0500, J T <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mon, Feb 26, 2007, 12:06pm (EST-1) [email protected]
> (Ignoramus1280) doth sayeth:
> Yep. I did add such weight, actually, I had some brass bars left off
> from some disassembled equipment. Otherwise it would definitely not
> float upright due to masts, etc.
>
> I'm thinking that no matter what finish y ou use, if it's played
> with in the bath, the balsa is gonna dent. And when it dents, I figure
> the finish will crack. Which will let waer in. And the balsa will
> absorb water.
> I'd think reserve the balsa model for display only, and for bath
> use make one out of pine, poplar, or whatever inexpensive wood. You'd
> have to treat it pretty rough then to dent, and even if it did, it
> wouldn't absorb water like balsa would. But, you can always make
> another with your son later. You do have a son, right? It's not you
> that wants a bath toy?
My son wants to play with it in the bath, yes. Would some oily
finishes work? I have some linseed oil, for example.
i
Tue, Feb 27, 2007, 4:23pm (EST-1) [email protected]
(Ignoramus19052) doth query:
My son wants to play with it in the bath, yes. Would some oily finishes
work? I have some linseed oil, for example.
No, I wouldn't use linseed oil. If I were in your place I think
I'd just pick a good paint color you like, or maybe varnish, apply it,
and let your son play with it. Just tell him to be a bit careful with
it, so he won't beat it up too bad, and let him have fun. After all,
you can always make another if you have to.
You might want to check the thread I posted titled Bath-Tub
Steamboats too.
JOAT
When in doubt, go to sleep.
- Mully Small
On Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:35:57 -0500, J T <[email protected]> wrote:
> Tue, Feb 27, 2007, 4:23pm (EST-1) [email protected]
> (Ignoramus19052) doth query:
> My son wants to play with it in the bath, yes. Would some oily finishes
> work? I have some linseed oil, for example.
>
> No, I wouldn't use linseed oil. If I were in your place I think
> I'd just pick a good paint color you like, or maybe varnish, apply it,
> and let your son play with it. Just tell him to be a bit careful with
> it, so he won't beat it up too bad, and let him have fun. After all,
> you can always make another if you have to.
>
> You might want to check the thread I posted titled Bath-Tub
> Steamboats too.
Thanks. In the end, we simply spray painted it with a gold spray paint.
i
On 26 Feb 2007 09:51:35 -0800, Andy Dingley <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 26 Feb, 14:26, Ignoramus1280 <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> My question is how to finish it.
>
> You want something that's easy to apply, smooths out surface
> roughness, and is fairly hard.
>
> The ideal stuff is car body shop brushable, sandable primer. Not the
> cheapest thing around, but I use mine an awful lot! Hides anything
> 8-)
Would it hold on to soft wood such as balsa?
i
> Then the simplest and cheapest aerosol paint to colour it. A bit of
> work with masking tape is worth it, for a more interesting colour
> scheme.
>
On 26 Feb, 14:26, Ignoramus1280 <[email protected]>
wrote:
> My question is how to finish it.
You want something that's easy to apply, smooths out surface
roughness, and is fairly hard.
The ideal stuff is car body shop brushable, sandable primer. Not the
cheapest thing around, but I use mine an awful lot! Hides anything
8-)
Then the simplest and cheapest aerosol paint to colour it. A bit of
work with masking tape is worth it, for a more interesting colour
scheme.
On 26 Feb, 18:07, Ignoramus1280 <[email protected]>
wrote:
> > The ideal stuff is car body shop brushable, sandable primer. Not the
> > cheapest thing around, but I use mine an awful lot! Hides anything
> > 8-)
>
> Would it hold on to soft wood such as balsa?
Works fine on anything.
Comapred to other paints it has far more "body" and quickly builds to
a thick _sandable_ layer that hides imperfections. Mostly it's spray-
only (like most car body products) but you can also find it in small
cans for brushing. It's great stuff for getting a perfect paint finish
on top of any old surface.
On Feb 26, 2:15 pm, "Len" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Ignoramus1280" <[email protected]> wrote in
> messagenews:[email protected]...
>
> > My son and I made a toy ship. The body is made from a balsa
> block, we
> > still have masts, bowsprit etc to add. I think that it will be
> sturdy
> > enough to survive for a while.
>
> > My question is how to finish it. I want the finish to stay on.
> My son
> > wants to play with this ship in the bath, so, it needs to
> survive
> > periodic dunking. I hope that this ship remains with him for a
> while,
> > so I need some simple and durable finish.
>
> > i
>
> The paint the balsa wood airplane folks use should work.
>
> Len
That is the perfect stuff: I think it's called Dope but I could be
wrong. Check the local hobby store.
On 27 Feb, 21:06, "Mike Marlow" <[email protected]> wrote:
> A caution with heavy filler primers though.
No it fucking won't. That's why I said to buy the good stuff, the
stuff the car industry sticks a shitload of money into to _stop_ it
shrinking. You buy a can of this stuff, you stick on your favourite GM
baseball cap, yell "Yee haw!" and slap away at it, as if you were
fixing a fender bender on the preacher's wifes' Gremlin before the old
man wondered just where she'd been parking it during Evensong. Then
you give thanks to the chemical industry and the might of Detroit, for
giving you such a wondrous bounty as instant sanding fillers that
don't shrink and can be power-sanded just as hour later.
Yes, traditional joiners' fillers shrink.
Yes, it costs more than Brummer does.
Yes, it sticks perfectly to balsa.
No, it doesn't have any historical tradition in cabinetry. That's hide
glue, next thread down the pipe.
No, it doesn't shrink. That's what this stuff is _for_. It's your one-
stop, quick turn-around solution to all lumpy finishing problems.
Problem solved.
Mon, Feb 26, 2007, 8:26am (EST-1) [email protected]
(Ignoramus1280) doth proclaimeth and queryeth:
My son and I made a toy ship. The body is made from a balsa block,
<snip> My son wants to play with this ship in the bath, <snip>
Betcha it'll need a weight in the bottom to make it float upright.
JOAT
When in doubt, go to sleep.
- Mully Small
"Andy Dingley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 27 Feb, 21:06, "Mike Marlow" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > A caution with heavy filler primers though.
>
> No it fucking won't. That's why I said to buy the good stuff, the
> stuff the car industry sticks a shitload of money into to _stop_ it
> shrinking.
Sorry - but you obviously don't do any body work. I do a lot of it and I
won't waste any time arguing this point. I do buy the good stuff and I do
know how to apply it. I also know very well what it does.
> You buy a can of this stuff, you stick on your favourite GM
> baseball cap, yell "Yee haw!" and slap away at it, as if you were
> fixing a fender bender on the preacher's wifes' Gremlin before the old
> man wondered just where she'd been parking it during Evensong. Then
> you give thanks to the chemical industry and the might of Detroit, for
> giving you such a wondrous bounty as instant sanding fillers that
> don't shrink and can be power-sanded just as hour later.
You just keep telling yourself that. You might want to consider though that
the discussion is about heavy filling primers and not about body fillers.
It would probably serve you better to be more concerned with the thread and
less anxious to throw some derogatory bullshit out there.
>
>
> No, it doesn't shrink. That's what this stuff is _for_. It's your one-
> stop, quick turn-around solution to all lumpy finishing problems.
> Problem solved.
>
Sorry - but you are simply wrong on this point.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
"Ignoramus1280" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> My son and I made a toy ship. The body is made from a balsa
block, we
> still have masts, bowsprit etc to add. I think that it will be
sturdy
> enough to survive for a while.
>
> My question is how to finish it. I want the finish to stay on.
My son
> wants to play with this ship in the bath, so, it needs to
survive
> periodic dunking. I hope that this ship remains with him for a
while,
> so I need some simple and durable finish.
>
> i
The paint the balsa wood airplane folks use should work.
Len
In article <[email protected]>, ignoramus1280
@NOSPAM.1280.invalid says...
> My son and I made a toy ship. The body is made from a balsa block, we
> still have masts, bowsprit etc to add. I think that it will be sturdy
> enough to survive for a while.
>
> My question is how to finish it. I want the finish to stay on. My son
> wants to play with this ship in the bath, so, it needs to survive
> periodic dunking. I hope that this ship remains with him for a while,
> so I need some simple and durable finish.
>
I built some balsa boats as a kid. They got finished with primer and enamel
paint over the top. Had no problems; enamel is not only fine in water, it is
also very wear resistant.
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
In article <[email protected]>, ignoramus1280
@NOSPAM.1280.invalid says...
> On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:47:54 +1300, Peter Huebner <[email protected]> wrote:
> > I built some balsa boats as a kid. They got finished with primer and enamel
> > paint over the top. Had no problems; enamel is not only fine in water, it is
> > also very wear resistant.
>
> Are you talking about regular automotie primer and automotive paint?
> That would be cool if I could use that, I want to make sure that I did
> not misunderstand you.
>
> i
Just ordinary oil based gloss enamel paint, turps cleanup - not automotive (at
least I am thinking spraying laquer when I hear automotive). The kind of stuff
you should paint your doors and windows with (as opposed to water based paints
which are fine for walls but not as wear resistant).
Is this another area where different flavours of English/American use different
terms?
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
In article <[email protected]>, ignoramus19052
@NOSPAM.19052.invalid says...
>
> Keep in mind that English is not my native language. [snip]
> i
Ah, fair comment, I didn't know. Same here, actually :-)
I've lived in NZ for over 20 years now, and I regularly run up agains the fact
that a liquid may be called methylated spirits here, and denatured alcohol in
the States; what's called white spirits here may be called fresh gas in the US
or in the Uk, can't remember, and something different again in the other...
Yeesh. It's bloody hard to communicate straight at times!
-P.
--
=========================================
firstname dot lastname at gmail fullstop com
On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 20:45:29 +1300, Peter Huebner <[email protected]> wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>, ignoramus1280
> @NOSPAM.1280.invalid says...
>> On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:47:54 +1300, Peter Huebner <[email protected]> wrote:
>> > I built some balsa boats as a kid. They got finished with primer and enamel
>> > paint over the top. Had no problems; enamel is not only fine in water, it is
>> > also very wear resistant.
>>
>> Are you talking about regular automotie primer and automotive paint?
>> That would be cool if I could use that, I want to make sure that I did
>> not misunderstand you.
>>
>> i
>
> Just ordinary oil based gloss enamel paint, turps cleanup - not automotive (at
> least I am thinking spraying laquer when I hear automotive). The kind of stuff
> you should paint your doors and windows with (as opposed to water based paints
> which are fine for walls but not as wear resistant).
>
> Is this another area where different flavours of English/American use different
> terms?
>
Keep in mind that English is not my native language. Okay, so, I can
use oil based paints.
i
On 27 Feb 2007 05:24:54 -0800, Andy Dingley <[email protected]> wrote:
> On 26 Feb, 18:07, Ignoramus1280 <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> > The ideal stuff is car body shop brushable, sandable primer. Not the
>> > cheapest thing around, but I use mine an awful lot! Hides anything
>> > 8-)
>>
>> Would it hold on to soft wood such as balsa?
>
> Works fine on anything.
>
> Comapred to other paints it has far more "body" and quickly builds to
> a thick _sandable_ layer that hides imperfections. Mostly it's spray-
> only (like most car body products) but you can also find it in small
> cans for brushing. It's great stuff for getting a perfect paint finish
> on top of any old surface.
>
I think that I have such stuff left over... I like that...
i
"Andy Dingley" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 26 Feb, 18:07, Ignoramus1280 <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> > > The ideal stuff is car body shop brushable, sandable primer. Not the
> > > cheapest thing around, but I use mine an awful lot! Hides anything
> > > 8-)
> >
> > Would it hold on to soft wood such as balsa?
>
> Works fine on anything.
>
> Comapred to other paints it has far more "body" and quickly builds to
> a thick _sandable_ layer that hides imperfections. Mostly it's spray-
> only (like most car body products) but you can also find it in small
> cans for brushing. It's great stuff for getting a perfect paint finish
> on top of any old surface.
>
A caution with heavy filler primers though. This stuff will shrink shortly
after it's applied. Up to a few weeks after it's applied. You'll see
depressions where you used it as a filling primer, and it later shrunk. It
is advisable to allow it to dry very well, even applying a heat lamp (500w
halogens work very well for this), for a half an hour or so. You have to be
careful with heat lamps though. Too close or too long and you can watch
your filler primer fall right off. Apply it in light coat build ups, and
give it time to dry before final finishing.
--
-Mike-
[email protected]
On Mon, 26 Feb 2007 10:34:25 -0500, Philip Lewis <[email protected]> wrote:
> From: Ignoramus1280 <[email protected]>
>> My question is how to finish it. I want the finish to stay on. My son
>> wants to play with this ship in the bath, so, it needs to survive
>> periodic dunking. I hope that this ship remains with him for a while,
>> so I need some simple and durable finish.
>
> Fiberglass? Epoxy Paint? Outdoor porch enamel? many coats of oil/wax?
> Spar Varnish (although i seem to recall that stays sticky... might not
> be good for toys)
>
> It really depends on the look you wish to achieve.
>
I think that I mostly want to protect the wood. I have spar varnish,
maybe I will use that.
i
From: Ignoramus1280 <[email protected]>
> My question is how to finish it. I want the finish to stay on. My son
> wants to play with this ship in the bath, so, it needs to survive
> periodic dunking. I hope that this ship remains with him for a while,
> so I need some simple and durable finish.
Fiberglass? Epoxy Paint? Outdoor porch enamel? many coats of oil/wax?
Spar Varnish (although i seem to recall that stays sticky... might not
be good for toys)
It really depends on the look you wish to achieve.
On Tue, 27 Feb 2007 14:47:54 +1300, Peter Huebner <[email protected]> wrote:
> I built some balsa boats as a kid. They got finished with primer and enamel
> paint over the top. Had no problems; enamel is not only fine in water, it is
> also very wear resistant.
Are you talking about regular automotie primer and automotive paint?
That would be cool if I could use that, I want to make sure that I did
not misunderstand you.
i