Model Boat Mayhem

The Shipyard ( Dry Dock ): Builds & Questions => Navy - Military - Battleships: => Topic started by: ballastanksian on May 14, 2017, 12:26:20 am

Title: Steel decks
Post by: ballastanksian on May 14, 2017, 12:26:20 am
I apologise if this is a silly question as it is late and I am prone to typing gibberish after ten at night (I didn't notice the change you say!) but I am trying to discern what 'Steel decks' are.

Were they painted in a steel grey colour despite being fabricated from steel?

Were they honed and scrubbed by sailors as were wooden decks with the Holystone??

Did they rust and get scraped occasionally?

I ask because the Deans M15 kit specifies this colour for the quarter deck and Foc'sle and would like to get it right. It may be that some had cortisene in areas.
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: TailUK on May 14, 2017, 12:53:03 pm
Extract from "The Painter's Guide to World War Two Naval Camouflage" by Patrick Hreachmack.  HTH
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: ballastanksian on May 14, 2017, 01:05:03 pm
Thankyou good sir. That helps a huge amount  :-))
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: TailUK on May 14, 2017, 05:45:49 pm
I suspect that the deck underneath gratings was also painted dark grey, if only to help control corrosion.
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: dodes on May 14, 2017, 08:18:28 pm
I think what Dean was mentioning is decks of destroyers not over accommodation, such as over the Boiler room, where burnished with something like what was used on coal fires, which gave a dark greyish steel colour as were some gundecks on raised mountings. The area over boilers has a name which slips my memory for now, but paint then was expensive and destroyers where cheap  warships compared to cruisers etc. Also Home Fleet Destroyers between the wars were painted what was called North Sea Green, which was medium grey but based on green rather than the blue based medium grey of major Home Fleet units. I do have a model destroyer built between the wars by Chatham Dyd apprentices and presented to a Destroyer Captain who kept in his cabin until the vessel was scrapped after the war and she was painted in the original North Sea Green.
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: Netleyned on May 14, 2017, 08:31:17 pm
Dodes,
Do you mean the Fiddley ?


Ned
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: ballastanksian on May 14, 2017, 09:39:56 pm
They used Black lead? How interesting.

Thanks for the information chaps.
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: Beagle1831 on May 14, 2017, 10:23:47 pm
Could this be referring to the humbrol steel grey colour as a recommendation? I think the other colours in the list are humbrol matches. No idea how accurate they are though!
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: TailUK on May 15, 2017, 08:35:17 am
I was going on the fact that he specifically mentioned Forecastle and Quarterdeck. 
Title: Re: Steel decks
Post by: ballastanksian on June 12, 2017, 09:09:22 pm
That's right, as per the kit instructions. I will look for the steel grey as referred. I was just checking that it was paint and not as Dodes specifies for 'Fiddleys' which seems to be black lead.

Thanks to you for taking the time to clarify and illuminate:O)