A short spray with some primers - and it's already starting to look like a rusty old barge...
These are covered with little offcuts of balsa before sanding.
Sand down and the lighter is finished. This is an early prototype - it has vertical walls. The barges look better and behave more realistically if they have slightly sloping walls as the plan provides.
...and it's easy to create a sign or two for the sides using an ink-jet printer. Just print on normal paper and stick down with cellulose dope.
Note the dowel 'H' bitt on the deck - you need a strong point to attach a tow rope...
Perhaps I'll try to add a bit of graffiti with an air-brush...
Here is a 20" lighter, with a stern fin, sloping sides and a 1/8" coaming.
These lighters are obvious candidates for covering with tissue - the long flat sheets make it easy to get a wrinkle-free surface.
Underneath, you can see that there may be a couple of holes where the Barge End Former lugs go.
