Swan neck stripe painting

[David J Smith]

Morning all. I have searched the net to find an answer to this question. But come up blank. So, does anyone know, or can point me in the direction of the technique for painting strips on a narrow boat swan neck, please?

Dave and Diane.N/B Tickerty Boo

[Tonka]

Think there is a page on it in "stem to stern"

Think it is quite tricky especially if you use 4 colours rather then 3.

I assume you mean stripes that twist around the metal

[Rob-M]

@dave moore may be able to provide advice.

[David J Smith]

Hi Rob. Thanks for your fast reply. Yes we want to do three strips going round the swan neck.i think its all to do with using the right width tape, compared to the circumference of the neck . But that all changes depending on the angle of the tape that you go down the neck. Its coming across as quite technical.  But can't wait to give it a go. Its getting quite stressy here. With the wife who thinks its done one way, and me trying to get across to her, how I think its done. Could well end up painting it solid black. 

David.

[ditchcrawler]

6 minutes ago, David J Smith said:

Hi Rob. Thanks for your fast reply. Yes we want to do three strips going round the swan neck.i think its all to do with using the right width tape, compared to the circumference of the neck . But that all changes depending on the angle of the tape that you go down the neck. Its coming across as quite technical.  But can't wait to give it a go. Its getting quite stressy here. With the wife who thinks its done one way, and me trying to get across to her, how I think its done. Could well end up painting it solid black. 

David.

Stressed now, wait until you get to the bends at the top and bottom. 

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

I thought string was used for guide lines 🤷‍♀️

…might have imagined that, 

I’m interested to know.

[magnetman]

Wrap the string around then pull it downwards? 

 

flexible masking tape is interesting stuff. 

That plastic cable wrap stuff could be a fun toy. I used it to make the aluminium pipe conveying the solar panel wires look better. 

 

 

 

If you get the right size it will cling onto a round bar or tube nicely and you can pull one end it will stretch quite symmetrically. 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

Paint the whole with the lightest colour.

When dry, wind 3 pieces of string around so that you have 3 equal spaces, one in the base colour and  two in your secondary colours all spaced apart with the same width as your masking tape.

This takes time but the finished result depends on accuracy at this stage.

Following the string put masking tape on in 2 of the spaces leaving the base colour in the middle. Take strings off.

Paint the middle with second colour.

Retape and paint third colour. Stand back and admire, not too far! 

[Tonka]

26 minutes ago, David J Smith said:

Hi Rob. Thanks for your fast reply. Yes we want to do three strips going round the swan neck.i think its all to do with using the right width tape, compared to the circumference of the neck . But that all changes depending on the angle of the tape that you go down the neck. Its coming across as quite technical.  But can't wait to give it a go. Its getting quite stressy here. With the wife who thinks its done one way, and me trying to get across to her, how I think its done. Could well end up painting it solid black. 

David.

Who is Rob ?

[magnetman]

43 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

@dave moore may be able to provide advice.

 

This one ?

[ditchcrawler]

John Hill in his book Colours for Cruisers, Chapter 11, explains how to do it with 4 stripes, using string and tape if necessary and making the width of the stripe a quarter of the circumference of the iron work. The page is marked ac copywrite so I can't scan and post it

[dave moore]

Here we go. Bear in mind that as a signwriter and boat decorator, I have materials and kit to hand which may need sourcing first.

Stabilo or chinagraph pencil

Blue Plastic lining tape, 6mm max

String

Masking tape

As Tracy said, paint the whole thing the lightest colour first. Wrap a piece of paper around the neck to determine the circumference. Divide that by 3 or 4 ( I always use 4 colours, 2 light and 2 dark ) to get the width of the required stripe. Cut a piece of card to that measurement to help marking out the stripes later

 

Attach string to the 12 o’clock position at the top of the neck then wind it around to give the desired stripe. I tend to favour fewer turns and a longer spiral. You may well need to use masking tape to hold the string in place, especially where it goes around the bends. Make sure it is tight and that you are happy with the look.

i then use the pencil to make a series of marks along the path of the string, once done the string can be removed.

Run the lining tape along those marks, all the way from top to bottom.

 

Using the card strip, mark out the width of the first stripe, butting one side of it against the tape.

Run a second line of tape to those marks then paint in the first stripe.

When dry,tape up one side of the painted stripe with the lining tape and use the card again to mark out the second stripe.

Tape up and paint second stripe. Continue using tape and card to mark out and mask other stripe(s).

 

This avoids any freehand painting and should give crisp, neat lines. These days, as I’m older, I find it easier to remove the swan neck and do it in the relative comfort of my workshop. Hope this helps. Good luck!

[max's son]

Here is someone attempting it 

watch from about 10 minutes

 

Bing Videos

[ditchcrawler]

49 minutes ago, dave moore said:

Here we go. Bear in mind that as a signwriter and boat decorator, I have materials and kit to hand which may need sourcing first.

Stabilo or chinagraph pencil

Blue Plastic lining tape, 6mm max

String

Masking tape

As Tracy said, paint the whole thing the lightest colour first. Wrap a piece of paper around the neck to determine the circumference. Divide that by 3 or 4 ( I always use 4 colours, 2 light and 2 dark ) to get the width of the required stripe. Cut a piece of card to that measurement to help marking out the stripes later

 

Attach string to the 12 o’clock position at the top of the neck then wind it around to give the desired stripe. I tend to favour fewer turns and a longer spiral. You may well need to use masking tape to hold the string in place, especially where it goes around the bends. Make sure it is tight and that you are happy with the look.

i then use the pencil to make a series of marks along the path of the string, once done the string can be removed.

Run the lining tape along those marks, all the way from top to bottom.

 

Using the card strip, mark out the width of the first stripe, butting one side of it against the tape.

Run a second line of tape to those marks then paint in the first stripe.

When dry,tape up one side of the painted stripe with the lining tape and use the card again to mark out the second stripe.

Tape up and paint second stripe. Continue using tape and card to mark out and mask other stripe(s).

 

This avoids any freehand painting and should give crisp, neat lines. These days, as I’m older, I find it easier to remove the swan neck and do it in the relative comfort of my workshop. Hope this helps. Good luck!

The same as John Hill's book

[David J Smith]

1 hour ago, dave moore said:

Here we go. Bear in mind that as a signwriter and boat decorator, I have materials and kit to hand which may need sourcing first.

Stabilo or chinagraph pencil

Blue Plastic lining tape, 6mm max

String

Masking tape

As Tracy said, paint the whole thing the lightest colour first. Wrap a piece of paper around the neck to determine the circumference. Divide that by 3 or 4 ( I always use 4 colours, 2 light and 2 dark ) to get the width of the required stripe. Cut a piece of card to that measurement to help marking out the stripes later

 

Attach string to the 12 o’clock position at the top of the neck then wind it around to give the desired stripe. I tend to favour fewer turns and a longer spiral. You may well need to use masking tape to hold the string in place, especially where it goes around the bends. Make sure it is tight and that you are happy with the look.

i then use the pencil to make a series of marks along the path of the string, once done the string can be removed.

Run the lining tape along those marks, all the way from top to bottom.

 

Using the card strip, mark out the width of the first stripe, butting one side of it against the tape.

Run a second line of tape to those marks then paint in the first stripe.

When dry,tape up one side of the painted stripe with the lining tape and use the card again to mark out the second stripe.

Tape up and paint second stripe. Continue using tape and card to mark out and mask other stripe(s).

 

This avoids any freehand painting and should give crisp, neat lines. These days, as I’m older, I find it easier to remove the swan neck and do it in the relative comfort of my workshop. Hope this helps. Good luck!

While we are on the painting subject. Wife wants diamonds painted on our main hatch. Are you able to advise how we go about that, also using four colours.  Sorry to be a pain. Thank David. 

[dave moore]

Again, whole area in lightest colour. Set out diamonds using straight edge and pencil. Generally, diamonds look best if the length is twice the width but the space available may force different proportions. Assuming  a cream or white base, I’d tape up the next lightest colour ( yellow?) and paint them in. Tape up next colour ( lining tape again) and paint in. Repeat for darkest colour. 

[Rob-M]

I painted the diamonds on the board in the photo below by painting the board black, then taped up the diamonds using 3mm artist tape and painted in all the diamonds.  I then removed the tape to leave a clean black line between the diamonds which was the effect I was after.  Then a couple of coats of clear varnish to protect it.

[David Mack]

And diamonds look much better if after painting the diamonds you go over all the joins with a narrow black line. But that involves more taping (in 2 stages) or good freehand brushwork. That said, if you are going to stripe the joins you could probably freehand the diamonds without taping up.