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Double Planking, Deck Planking & Plank Fixing For Scale Modelers

There are a lot of times when scale modelers, while working with different types of ship model kits, get stuck during planking phase. This guide has been created in order to help those scale modelers to get rid of planking hassles. Let us take a quick look at double planking, deck planking, and plank fixing.

Double Planking

Double planking is more or less a recurrence of the same procedure, however, prior to going on look seriously at your handiwork to date. Do not simply look at it, instead feel it. As a panel beater would, run the fingers over the hull and recognize low and high spots. Spend time with sandpaper on the high spots and make use of wood filler on the low spots. This is a prospect to correct any type of limitations in the work so far.

As you’ve got an entire surface on which to lay the second planking and not simply the frames, you’ll most likely come across that the second planking is simpler than the initial one. Carry on with care, taking the time to read and, if necessary, go through the instruction manual provided by the manufacturer several times.

Plank Fixing

Holding the planks in place while the glue dries can be pretty complicated. Even though they can be brass nailed, however, this is generally quite not good enough. Often the nails supplied in ship model kits are not brass but brass coated, there are nowhere near enough supplied to nail the entire planks and to be quite frank, nailed planks often look terrible.

Dressmaking pins, rubber bands – spring clips and G clamps all have their uses but the vast majority of the scale modelers make use of planking screw clamps and they simply love them. You can make do with 12 but 24 are better and the majority of scale modelers who begin with twelve order one more packet.

Deck Planking

Mark a center line down the deck and plank from this line to the sides, which is a bulwark. Preferably, the planks are supposed to be cut down into 100mm lengths with the joint staggered so that they’re in line just every three or four planks. A substitute to laying short lengths of planking is to lay full lengths and score the joints with a knife later.

The effect of black, which is known as caulking, between planks can be attained in a number of ways, the most popular being:

  • The plywood can be painted black before the deck planks are applied and a small gap left between them.

  • Leave a little gap which is later filled with heavy black sewing thread which is 1st pulled through rigging wax.

No matter what type of technique you may use for caulking, it is even worth considering whether to nail the deck. This is carried out by marking indentations that are then touched with Indian ink. Again, regardless of the type of ship model kits you’re working with, it is best to experiment 1st using a piece of scrap plywood before using it on the actual model!

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