Boat painting course

[MoominPapa]

I've just spent a happy weekend at the Bonded Warehouse in Stourbridge attending Phil Speight's boat painting course. Jolly useful stuff. Phil, I promise that from now on I will always use a tack-cloth, I'll always layoff downwards and I'll do my very best to put at least five coats of paint on over five consecutive days with my new Purdy brushes.

 

Phil's demo of signwriting was worth seeing by itself, but I don't think that even he would expect the pupils to come away from the course able to do lettering in three different fonts, freehand apart from a couple of top and bottom lines and a few pencil marks.

 

 

MP.

[David Schweizer]

I've just spent a happy weekend at the Bonded Warehouse in Stourbridge attending Phil Speight's boat painting course. Jolly useful stuff. Phil, I promise that from now on I will always use a tack-cloth, I'll always layoff downwards and I'll do my very best to put at least five coats of paint on over five consecutive days with my new Purdy brushes.

 

Phil's demo of signwriting was worth seeing by itself, but I don't think that even he would expect the pupils to come away from the course able to do lettering in three different fonts, freehand apart from a couple of top and bottom lines and a few pencil marks.

 

 

MP.

I was taught to paint back in the 1960's by my friend's dad who was a panel beater and coach painter. He always layed off upwards to prevent a bag of paint settling at the bottom of the panel. Phil and I have discussed this in the past, but I do not think we came to any conclusion. I still lay off upwards, he clearly still does the opposite.

[Phil Speight]

I was taught to paint back in the 1960's by my friend's dad who was a panel beater and coach painter. He always layed off upwards to prevent a bag of paint settling at the bottom of the panel. Phil and I have discussed this in the past, but I do not think we came to any conclusion. I still lay off upwards, he clearly still does the opposite.

It`s clearly down to how we were taught. I was also trained, in a bodyshop, in the sixties. Your method works for you and mine works for me as they did for our respective teachers. When I`m teaching I can only pass on ( with any authority ) the methods I use myself . I have never suffered from paint bagging at the bottom of panels.

Cheers

Phil

[carlt]

My technique works for me.

 

Rather than use a paint brush, my tool of choice is a ball-point pen.

 

I carefully write the lettering onto a piece of paper (known in the trade as a "Cheque") then pass this to someone who is competent at signwriting and will do the job properly.

 

Similar techniques can be employed in many trades, indeed many people have created nice pieces of woodwork, by passing me bits of paper with letters and numbers inscribed on them.

[MoominPapa]

My technique works for me.

 

Rather than use a paint brush, my tool of choice is a ball-point pen.

 

I carefully write the lettering onto a piece of paper (known in the trade as a "Cheque") then pass this to someone who is competent at signwriting and will do the job properly.

 

Similar techniques can be employed in many trades, indeed many people have created nice pieces of woodwork, by passing me bits of paper with letters and numbers inscribed on them.

That's a perfectly valid techique. To decide if it's the best method in a particular case, it's necessary to balance the time taken to DIY, the cost (in the broadest sense) of the money represented by the figures on the cheque, the satisfaction obtained from owning a job done by a professional craftsman, versus the satisfaction from achieving something for oneself, even if the result is lower quality. The best answer varies depending on the job in question and the DIYer in question.

 

 

MP.

[carlt]

That's a perfectly valid techique. To decide if it's the best method in a particular case, it's necessary to balance the time taken to DIY, the cost (in the broadest sense) of the money represented by the figures on the cheque, the satisfaction obtained from owning a job done by a professional craftsman, versus the satisfaction from achieving something for oneself, even if the result is lower quality. The best answer varies depending on the job in question and the DIYer in question.

I need no such calculations, when making my decision.

 

If I was to attempt to paint a boat it would look like I had dipped a yorkshire terrier in a tin of Gloss and thrown it at the cabin side from 10 feet.

 

Swmbo will not allow me to paint the house because I am so incompetent, even with emulsion and a roller.

[LEO]

I need no such calculations, when making my decision.

Swmbo will not allow me to paint the house because I am so incompetent, even with emulsion and a roller.

 

Hi,

 

I found it took ages to learn that degree of incompetence, I have now pefected it.

 

Leo

[MoominPapa]

I found it took ages to learn that degree of incompetence, I have now pefected it.

Most males start modestly, they become incompetent in small ways, such as controlling a washing machine or getting everything on a shopping list from the supermarket, and then work their way up to major uselessness.

 

 

MP.

[stewey]

Hi,

 

I found it took ages to learn that degree of incompetence, I have now pefected it.

 

Leo

I must be a quick learner. I perfected incompetence overnight.

 

Stewey

[zenataomm]

I am fully qualified in all aspects of Ruin it Yourself !

[bag 'o' bones]

That's a perfectly valid techique. To decide if it's the best method in a particular case, it's necessary to balance the time taken to DIY, the cost (in the broadest sense) of the money represented by the figures on the cheque, the satisfaction obtained from owning a job done by a professional craftsman, versus the satisfaction from achieving something for oneself, even if the result is lower quality. The best answer varies depending on the job in question and the DIYer in question.

 

 

MP.

Talk about creating a colourful guff with words!

 

Quite true though I have to admit!

[MoominPapa]

Talk about creating a colourful guff with words!

At your service! Never use one when ten will do.

 

MP.

[RLWP]

At your service! Never use one when ten will do.

 

MP.

 

Now there's a man who will call a spade a bladed horticultural cultivation implement

 

Richard

[bag 'o' bones]

At your service! Never use one when ten will do.

 

MP.

 

[Phil Speight]

Hi,

 

I found it took ages to learn that degree of incompetence, I have now pefected it.

 

Leo

Since the competence of professional painters is being hinted at often here remind me to tell you , in the Virtual Pub, about my deadlocked Volve Estate , access through the tailgate and the failure of the gas struts that hold it open while one was in the act of climbing over the front seats to open the bonnet prior to charging the battery. It`s a good job I had something to read..............

Phil

Incidentally - I have never thrown a paint soaked Yorkshire Terrier at a cabin side. Cleaned some steamed up windows with a long haired kitten once though.

[sueb]

I need no such calculations, when making my decision.

 

If I was to attempt to paint a boat it would look like I had dipped a yorkshire terrier in a tin of Gloss and thrown it at the cabin side from 10 feet.

 

Swmbo will not allow me to paint the house because I am so incompetent, even with emulsion and a roller.

Big mistake using a roller. Try a paint pad and a one inch brush for the tricky bits and you will be an expert. This works for a house but not recommended for a boat.

Sue

[David Schweizer]

Big mistake using a roller. Try a paint pad and a one inch brush for the tricky bits and you will be an expert. This works for a house but not recommended for a boat.

Sue

I have tried almost every painting innovation that has ever appeared on the market, but I always return to my tried and tested Hamilton Perfection Range brushes.

Edited March 29, 2010 by David Schweizer

[Phil Speight]

I have tried almost every painting innovation that has ever appeared on the market, but I always return to my tried and tested Hamilton Perfection Range brushes.

Again we differ ! We always used the Hamilton`s Perfection Plus range . When they stopped making them we tried the Perfections but were not as happy with them . For the past ten years we have used Purdy Pro-Extra Monarch ( despite it`s ridiculous name ) and remain deeply impressed by them.

But where we are as one is that you have to use a good brush. They are expensive but worth every penny whichever one you favour.

Phil

[Grace and Favour]

I have tried almost every painting innovation that has ever appeared on the market, but I always return to my tried and tested Hamilton Perfection Range brushes.

 

I am of the opinion that the Hamilton Perfection range have downgraded their quality over the last few decades . . . . .

Those that I used thirty years ago I swear produced consistently better results than those I use now . .

 

- - - - though - and I hesitate to admit, I suppose the Gloss paints of today could be responsible for (some of) the drop in finish quality

[Phil Speight]

I am of the opinion that the Hamilton Perfection range have downgraded their quality over the last few decades . . . . .

Those that I used thirty years ago I swear produced consistently better results than those I use now . .

 

- - - - though - and I hesitate to admit, I suppose the Gloss paints of today could be responsible for (some of) the drop in finish quality

There are still plenty of paints that will give you a finish as good as ever was. I firmly believe that brushes are , in general and including signwriting brushes, less good than they were. The customer base is no longer big enough in England to make it viable for many companies to make super specialized brushes. Among the very best currently available are the Purdys we use , I`ve never had better although I was very with happy the top of the range Hamiltons - which went out of production years ago.

Phil

Edited March 30, 2010 by Phil Speight

[Grace and Favour]

There are still plenty of paints that will give you a finish as good as ever was. I firmly believe that brushes are , in general and including signwriting brushes, less good than they were. The customer base is no longer big enough in England to make it viable for many companies to make super specialized brushes. Among the very best currently available are the Purdys we use , I`ve never had better although I was very with happy the top of the range Hamiltons - which went out of production years ago.

Phil

Thanks for that, Phil . .

 

and, due warning . . I shall, in the foreseeable, be joining one of your painting courses, and could well (then) be regarded as likely customer material for a couple of them there Purdy's too!

[Phil Speight]

Thanks for that, Phil . .

 

and, due warning . . I shall, in the foreseeable, be joining one of your painting courses, and could well (then) be regarded as likely customer material for a couple of them there Purdy's too!

Excellent !

[system 4-50]

I attended one of Phil Speight's courses in January of this year (2010) and this is my opinion of it, coloured by my own character flaws.

 

The course was presented at the Bonded Warehouse in Stourbridge by Phil Speight and his gorgeous assistant (no photo available).

 

The location was excellent, the premises good, with generous parking, and easy access to the town centre. The area itself is somewhat sad, with what looks like extensive canalside areas that have been taken over by other industry which has then moved out leaving lots of empty buildings. The town centre is somewhat benighted as well. [if there are any jackpot winners out there, please come and do a major canal-based reinvigoration project on the whole area.]

 

The course was described variously as "LEARN HOW TO PAINT YOUR BOAT! – A weekend with Phil Speight" and "Over two days, Phil will explain, illustrate & demonstrate all of the tools and techniques used in our own paint dock. He will share all the secrets, tricks and skills that he has acquired since he first picked up a coach painting brush over 40 years ago – from preparing bare metal to sign-writing & decoration, ".

I found the latter to be the most accurate description in that most of the course is devoted to how Phil, an expert painter would paint your boat, not how you as relative novice would do it. This is important, this was not primarily a course to teach beginners to paint their boats.

For example, on the second day Phil demonstrated how he does sign-writing, with minimal setting out, which of course is impossible for the average novice, who needs to lay it all out before the painting begins.

 

No attempt was made to comprehensively review techniques for decorating your boat, such as using vinyl, but no claim was made that it would.

 

Of the 30-odd attendees only 3 admitted to being recent sailaways, and 1 admitted over coffee to have been painting boats for years. (And one, after I had been snide about safety regulations, pointed out that he was a BSS inspector.)

 

At £65 (plus board for me), what do you get?

 

A description of how it is impossible to get the right conditions to paint your boat. It was highly entertaining to have a course start with a description of how the target was impossible! Even in a heated polytunnel you are still doomed!

 

A demonstration of applying paint. Just this simple demonstration was valuable to those of us who have never painted a boat. Get the paint on fast! And then stretch it over the metal.

There is a perfect "fluidity" that the right mix of paint can provide that can give the best results, and a professional like Phil can "feel" that mix and correct it if not ideal.

 

Lots of background information on painting single-colour panels and borders.

 

A demonstration of how a professional can do sign-writing quickly with an amazing lack of detail outline drawing.

 

An extremely entertaining demonstration of a character flaw resulting in near-genius. Phil suffers from a deep insecurity that drives him to insane lengths in attempting to reach perfection in the area that he has chosen to attack, narrowboat painting. He freely admits that he does not do it primarily for the sense of achievement on seeing the completed work. Nowhere else have I seen a presenter take time out to comfort a client (with total sincerity) during a course.

 

An account of narrowboat painting history, with exhibits, which I found dull, dull, dull, - but which drew an unprompted ovation from the rest of the audience!

 

An understanding that the painting perfection that Phil esteems so highly is not 100% precision but a deliberate "hand-paintedness" that reflects the artwork of old working boats. As a newcomer to the canal scene I don't share this view but it fits in with the "traditional" obsession I see everywhere.

 

A extremely tatty handout. Content good, presentation abysmal.

 

A distinct impression that Craftmaster paints are as near to the perfect paint that Phil's obsession can make them – but no clear idea as to the size of the difference between them and other brands, or to whether the cost difference is worth paying.

 

Conclusion. The two-day course is good value for money, primarily as entertainment in watching a near-genius perform, but also for the incidental hints on painting narrowboats and for the implication that there is nothing impossible about it. It is not really angled as a general course on how beginners should paint their boats but still contains most of what they need to know.

 

Highly recommended.

[MoominPapa]

I attended one of Phil Speight's courses in January of this year (2010) and this is my opinion of it, coloured by my own character flaws.

(snip stuff)

Highly recommended.

 

I'd agree with almost all of that, though I did thoroughly enjoy the history of boat decoration.

 

The point about the hand-out is a good one. You impart a lot of information, Phil, and taking notes is a pain. It would be useful to have more comprehensive written material to refer to later.

 

MP.

[Phil Speight]

I attended one of Phil Speight's courses in January of this year (2010) and this is my opinion of it, coloured by my own character flaws.

 

The course was presented at the Bonded Warehouse in Stourbridge by Phil Speight and his gorgeous assistant (no photo available).

 

The location was excellent, the premises good, with generous parking, and easy access to the town centre. The area itself is somewhat sad, with what looks like extensive canalside areas that have been taken over by other industry which has then moved out leaving lots of empty buildings. The town centre is somewhat benighted as well. [if there are any jackpot winners out there, please come and do a major canal-based reinvigoration project on the whole area.]

 

The course was described variously as "LEARN HOW TO PAINT YOUR BOAT! – A weekend with Phil Speight" and "Over two days, Phil will explain, illustrate & demonstrate all of the tools and techniques used in our own paint dock. He will share all the secrets, tricks and skills that he has acquired since he first picked up a coach painting brush over 40 years ago – from preparing bare metal to sign-writing & decoration, ".

I found the latter to be the most accurate description in that most of the course is devoted to how Phil, an expert painter would paint your boat, not how you as relative novice would do it. This is important, this was not primarily a course to teach beginners to paint their boats.

For example, on the second day Phil demonstrated how he does sign-writing, with minimal setting out, which of course is impossible for the average novice, who needs to lay it all out before the painting begins.

 

No attempt was made to comprehensively review techniques for decorating your boat, such as using vinyl, but no claim was made that it would.

 

Of the 30-odd attendees only 3 admitted to being recent sailaways, and 1 admitted over coffee to have been painting boats for years. (And one, after I had been snide about safety regulations, pointed out that he was a BSS inspector.)

 

At £65 (plus board for me), what do you get?

 

A description of how it is impossible to get the right conditions to paint your boat. It was highly entertaining to have a course start with a description of how the target was impossible! Even in a heated polytunnel you are still doomed!

 

A demonstration of applying paint. Just this simple demonstration was valuable to those of us who have never painted a boat. Get the paint on fast! And then stretch it over the metal.

There is a perfect "fluidity" that the right mix of paint can provide that can give the best results, and a professional like Phil can "feel" that mix and correct it if not ideal.

 

Lots of background information on painting single-colour panels and borders.

 

A demonstration of how a professional can do sign-writing quickly with an amazing lack of detail outline drawing.

 

An extremely entertaining demonstration of a character flaw resulting in near-genius. Phil suffers from a deep insecurity that drives him to insane lengths in attempting to reach perfection in the area that he has chosen to attack, narrowboat painting. He freely admits that he does not do it primarily for the sense of achievement on seeing the completed work. Nowhere else have I seen a presenter take time out to comfort a client (with total sincerity) during a course.

 

An account of narrowboat painting history, with exhibits, which I found dull, dull, dull, - but which drew an unprompted ovation from the rest of the audience!

 

An understanding that the painting perfection that Phil esteems so highly is not 100% precision but a deliberate "hand-paintedness" that reflects the artwork of old working boats. As a newcomer to the canal scene I don't share this view but it fits in with the "traditional" obsession I see everywhere.

 

A extremely tatty handout. Content good, presentation abysmal.

 

A distinct impression that Craftmaster paints are as near to the perfect paint that Phil's obsession can make them – but no clear idea as to the size of the difference between them and other brands, or to whether the cost difference is worth paying.

 

Conclusion. The two-day course is good value for money, primarily as entertainment in watching a near-genius perform, but also for the incidental hints on painting narrowboats and for the implication that there is nothing impossible about it. It is not really angled as a general course on how beginners should paint their boats but still contains most of what they need to know.

 

Highly recommended.