Procedure for wooden decks from Ship Yard Works

[Jan-Kees]

I bought a wooden deck from Ship Yard Works on the internet for my 1/350 Viribus Unitis project. It looks very nice but a manual is missing. It seems this set is not a strait forward wooden deck build. The package has the wooden deck with a plastic backing. The plastic backing is glued onto the back of the wooden deck. I don't dare to take this backing off because it's very fragile and it doesn't give way.

In the package there is also a big sheet of Tamiya-like tape with the deck cut out. The backing of this tape-like sheet can be removed leaving a piece of 'tape' that can be glued onto...?

Does anyone know how the procedure is with this deck?

[Mr. Church]

A few ideas here:

viewtopic.php?t=156939

viewtopic.php?t=370550

[Jan-Kees]

Thank you Mr. Church! I do appreciate your contribution but I want to understand the Ship Yard Works ideas too. I have uploaded some photos to shine some more light on the product. The best I can think of is that the Tamiya-tape cut out is for airbrushing the plastic relief of the deck without painting the places where you have to glue on the wooden deck. That could make sence but that leaves the question what the shiny back of the wooden deck is for. As far as I can see that can't come off because the wood is very fragile. But maybe I'm wrong. If it is for securing the wood from glue that could damage it, with what kind of glue or method do I glue the deck onto the plastic deck?

[StevenVD]

The wooden decks are indeed stickers and they do have a transparant cover to remove, maybe try to separate them with the sharp tip of a hobby knife. The sticking layer will also keep the wood fragments together. You will still see this transparant sticking layer through small holes in the deck, you might want to cut that away. I never trust the sticker and add glue on top of it. I paint the decks before applying them, you can use the yellow masking for that.

[Mr. Church]

The masking sheet I imagine is to allow you to fix the wood deck to the hull before painting.

Then once dry, mask off the wood portions to allow you to paint the superstructure and deck protrusions without getting paint on the wood deck.

[Jon C Ryckert]

I did it somewhat different with the mask. I put it down on the bare plastic, painted the model, removed mask and then laid the wooden deck. Not sure if that was the correct way to do it but it made sense at the time as I thought I could have issued with the paint not sticking to the plastic. Worried paint and wood deck would both come off. Still on at least for now.

[Jan-Kees]

Thank you Mr. Church, Jon C Ryckert, and StevenVD for answering. My first reaction is to go along with Steven. But I keep in mind all your other suggestions and tips. Seems to me that trying on a small life boat first would make sence just to be sure. That's easy to correct if needed.

I have looked at the Ship Yard Works website but they don't have an English language option... On the web is nothing serious to be found that comes even close to a manual. Seems to me that it would be nice from the manufacturer to have some sort of instruction or manual in the 'box'.

[StevenVD]

In some cases there is camouflage on the deck, like on Fujimi's Zuikaku. There a masking sheet over the wood was necessary and of course I did that with the deck installed. I worried because the thin deck got multiple layers of paint, but it didn't crease and stayed on well.