Best product for carrier deck texture?

[LooseSeal]

Hi guys! So I'm planning on creating my own deck scene for a 1/32 Super Hornet I've finished, and my current plan is to create the rough texture using a (thinned, I guess?) putty and a 0.5 zimmerit tool along with Flightpath's tie-down set.

 

My question is whether anyone has advice or preferences as to a particular putty to use for this? I was thinking of Tamiya Polyester Putty and thinning it with Mr Color Thinner? Would the putty go down well over wood?

[Corsairfoxfouruncle]

Hello LooseSeal You're talking about Non-skid correct ? Im thinking a very dark black-grey paint with black sand or fine railroad ballast mixed/sprinkled into the paint while its still wet ? 

[Dads203]

Fine pumice powder and Mr Surfacer thinned with Mr Self Leveling thinner should sort you out 

[Artie]

What about wet sandpaper??????   A fine grade, depending on the scale, will give you a nice non-skid surface effect....

Cheers....

[LooseSeal]

Thank you for the replies! I do like the ideas, although I think what I'm going for is more of a 'groove' type of effect which seems to be how the deck appears on the Nimitz class, at least. I think you can sort of get an idea of it in the image below.

Maybe I'm being overly optimistic in thinking that effect is even possible to achieve, especially for someone as inexperienced as myself! But willing to give it a go nonetheless!

 

 

[Chewbacca]

Wet and dry paper is by far the best solution for British flight decks picking the grade depending upon the scale.  I think I used 320 grade for my 1/32 Sea Venom and I'm currently finishing a couple of 400 grade decks for a 1/48 Firefly and 1/48 Seahawk.  Probably 600 grade would do 1/72 but I don't do that scale anymore so have never tried it!

 

However, as you rightly observe, USN flight decks are far, far coarser than Royal Navy and they do have those stripes.  I think the first time I landed on-board a US carrier (NIMITZ herself IIRC) I was slightly shocked by how grainy it is but then when you're manoeuvring 18 ton aircraft on a wet, slippery deck, you need all the help you can get (she was full of F14s when I was there).

 

The wet and dry paper technique is far too uniform for a US carrier deck.  Personally I think I would go for a reasonably fine sand sprinkled over the board that is already covered in wet PVA.  Whilst it's still wet  you could try combing it into rough lines and then with an old household paintbrush scrub lightly from left to right at 90 degrees to the combing to break up the uniformity.  Shake off the excess and spray the whole thing with dilute PVA.  It may work, it may not. 

[LotusArenco]

On 6/15/2018 at 6:04 PM, Dads203 said:

Fine pumice powder and Mr Surfacer

Something along those lines. Although you can buy fine pumice gel and various other ‘texture’ gels that may suit the scale better.

 

16 hours ago, Chewbacca said:

Whilst it's still wet  you could try combing it into rough lines

That’ll be the way I’d try to do it. A fine hair comb or even a hacksaw blade?

 

Mart

[Brundledonk]

I did a 1/32 carrier deck a few years ago and used blackboard paint with a handful of dry play sand mixed in. I had to give it a couple of coats and used an old stiff 2" brush to make the lines but it came out ok  after a bit of dry brushing with dark grey over the top. Nice cheap,way to do it over such a large area too as my deck was 4 feet long lol

 

heres a close up of the texture

Pete

Edited June 18, 2018 by Brundledonk