-
SUBSCRIBE TO SHIPS IN SCALE TODAY!
The beloved Ships in Scale Magazine is back and charting a new course for 2026!
Discover new skills, new techniques, and new inspirations in every issue.
NOTE THAT OUR NEXT ISSUE WILL BE MARCH/APRIL 2026 -
Win a Free Custom Engraved Brass Coin!!!
As a way to introduce our brass coins to the community, we will raffle off a free coin during the month of August. Follow link ABOVE for instructions for entering.
San Felipe 1690 by ZHL
- Thread starter Etwas_63
- Start date
- Watchers 24
-
- Tags
- san felepe zhl
I finally got around to painting the gun barrels I had 3D printed.
I built a paint booth out of scrap materials. I used a kitchen hood, left over from a renovation. I almost threw it away, but it came in handy. The rotating platform is a sports disc my daughter used when she was younger. And some corrugated cardboard from some household appliance. Figuratively speaking, I "assembled it from scratch." First, I primed it with Tamiya primer from an aerosol can. I airbrushed it with Tamiya F 34 acrylic, but thinned it out a bit with black paint. After everything dried, I sealed it with Tamiya semi-gloss acrylic varnish. Painting a hundred guns is a bit tiring, after all.
I spent almost the entire day on what seemed like a simple job. Also, due to asthma, I have to wear a respirator when using an airbrush. My bronchi are very sensitive to isopropyl alcohol, which is the base for acrylic paint thinner.
I built a paint booth out of scrap materials. I used a kitchen hood, left over from a renovation. I almost threw it away, but it came in handy. The rotating platform is a sports disc my daughter used when she was younger. And some corrugated cardboard from some household appliance. Figuratively speaking, I "assembled it from scratch." First, I primed it with Tamiya primer from an aerosol can. I airbrushed it with Tamiya F 34 acrylic, but thinned it out a bit with black paint. After everything dried, I sealed it with Tamiya semi-gloss acrylic varnish. Painting a hundred guns is a bit tiring, after all.
I spent almost the entire day on what seemed like a simple job. Also, due to asthma, I have to wear a respirator when using an airbrush. My bronchi are very sensitive to isopropyl alcohol, which is the base for acrylic paint thinner.
Considering how much work remains to be done with the gun carriages and assembly, it is likely that the guns will not be in their places on the deck for at least two weeks.
I was just thinking about how much humanity wastes on war. Just one manowar consumed so much cast iron, metal, hemp, canvas, and human labor worthy of better use. But in reality, it all decays... and nothing changes in this world, alas.
I was just thinking about how much humanity wastes on war. Just one manowar consumed so much cast iron, metal, hemp, canvas, and human labor worthy of better use. But in reality, it all decays... and nothing changes in this world, alas.
Well... the big, tough leaders of the world simply have to show how powerful they are...
A lot of human suffering and major economic damage.
But anyway, let's not pay any attention to that here, as it will probably only lead to heated discussions....
It is the very nature of war and conflict. It consumes.
The most tedious and annoying part of the job: tying thousands of knots. You really wish you could grow a couple of extra hands for a while. It makes you wonder—why don't octopuses take up ship modeling? 
And that’s just for a single gun’s breeching rope. There are still the gun tackles to go, of course—which means making and rigging the blocks for them. And there are 34 guns in total. The only saving grace is that the remaining 70 are demi-cannons.
And that’s just for a single gun’s breeching rope. There are still the gun tackles to go, of course—which means making and rigging the blocks for them. And there are 34 guns in total. The only saving grace is that the remaining 70 are demi-cannons.
Splendid workmanship!
Thanks—it's not perfect, of course, but I do my best.
Don’t be too shy, you’re doing a great job!
You are certainly right. For now, I just used one of the options available on online marketplaces. But ultimately, I settled on the Gasburg Cross design. It’s also easier to make yourself using stencils. Of course, I could have just printed it on paper, but I really wanted a flag made of fabric.