Spray away

Painted boat
Originally uploaded by Phil_Parker.

So here is the plan. Instead of using stickers to put the name on the boat, I will print some waterslide transfers using a transfer making kit. This means I can have a fancy scripty font and possibly some clever graphics as well. Obviously I will have to gloss varnish the hull but this isn’t a problem.

Transfers sit best on gloss paint as it’s smoother than matt. So I need to paint the hull with gloss white. This needs to be sprayed to get the quality of finish.

So today and yesterday evening I have mostly been hating trying to get a good finish with the airbrush. I have learned several things:

• Do not use old paint. Even stirring it doesn’t get rid of the skin. This then finds its way into the innards of the airbrush and blocks it up. The stuff is a pig to remove as well.


• Dry the paint as soon as it is on the model. Otherwise you get runs. I have learned this before but keep forgetting.


• Tidying up runs is a nightmare. Lots of sanding and hoping.


• I do not have enough patience to paint with gloss. It takes far too long to dry. Stupid paint.

Sometimes I wonder why I do this.