started construction of my CN car ferry, the hull is made of foam, unfortunalty this isn’t very strong, i need to have something that smooths out the finish, any ideas? drywall coumpund? paper mache? not shure.
You could try a thin layer of fine modelling clay - shape it roughly when wet then finish off with fine sandpaper after it dries. Another possibility would be to go for a fibreglass hull as the model boat builders do - fibreglass matting is laid over a former then painted with resin to bind it together. Personally I’d say to go for the clay (assuming this is to be a static model rather than a floating one?), a thin skim will give a smooth finish and help hold the foam together. Hope this is of help!
Send us some photos of your progress.
ShaunCN,
What kind of foam are you using - extruded ? Haven’t tried it, but you might want to experiment with the modeler’s body putty that model aircraft bulders use to smooth body seams on styrene, Squadron Green Putty. If it doesn’t “eat” the foam, you should be able to put a thin coat on the entire hull. It’s available from Micro-Mark, but any well stocked LHS should have it.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543
I once did this and I used wood putty from the local hardware store. It’s cheap, sandable, and paintable.
Either drywall or spackling compound should work well. Both are available in bulk powder form in case you need a lot.
underworld
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Oh yeah…post some pics!
underworld
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Assuming this is supposed to be a steel hull, sheet styrene cut to fit. This material, or a wood block of the proper shape sheathed with styrene, would have been a much better starting point.
CNJ831