Bristol Pilot Cutter by michael mott - 1/8 scale (POF)

[Kurt Johnson]

Michael, 

 

If I lived anywhere near you instead of 2500 miles away, you’d never be able to get me to go home. I’m not sure which I like the most, your model building skills or your tools ( which of course you had to go and make yourself!). The Renaissance man. I’m sure you write symphonies and correct Einstein’s equations just for whimsy. You are my role model IF and when I should ever grow up. 

 

Its just all so nice.

 

Kurt

 

[michael mott]

Hi Mark the shooting board is made from a bunch of scrap pieces of 1/4 inch plex The styrene strips are 1/2 x 3/16 stacked glued with microweld

 

 

I like to clean up the edges of the styrene with a plane because it leaves a perfectly smooth square edge

 

 

Michael

 

 

[michael mott]

Kurt you would not like the winters here!

I had a chunk of Teak salvaged from a friends Columbia 8.6 meter sailboat. So decided that the seats needed to be teak so stipped up a little and thicknesses it with the block plane thickness jig down to 1/8th.

 but as I was loading the pictures into the cockpit folder noticed this picture from 2013

 

 

The cockpit has gone through a number of iterations since then but I think I am on the home stretch now.

 

 

 

 

I am wondering about bleaching it......or using some teak oil.

 

Michael

 

Edited February 1 by michael mott
photo out of sequence

[SJSoane]

Michael, nice idea, using plexiglass for the shooting board. Mine is baltic birch ply, and the surface the plane slides along is starting to get pretty grungy from the metal of the plane. Works, but unsightly.

 

I forgot to ask: did I read somewhere correctly that "clocking" screws means lining up the slots with each other?

 

Best wishes,

 

Mark

[michael mott]

25 minutes ago, SJSoane said:

I forgot to ask: did I read somewhere correctly that "clocking" screws means lining up the slots with each other? 

Hi Mark, I have never heard that expression, so being the curious chap that I am I did a search and found some surprising answers, it seams that it depends on who you follow. the watch and clock folk or the fine woodworkers. So Thanks for asking the question. One learns something every day.

 

For myself it was basically an aesthetic decision.

 

Michael

[druxey]

Slight digression on the alignment of slot screwheads: When I was young my father, who was a mechanical and electrical engineer, taught me to always align screw heads on wall switch plates vertically. The reason? Vertical slots gather less dust than horizontal ones!

[wefalck]

I am not actually into watchmaking/-repair, but due to my heavy involvement with watchmaking machinery I have been frequently involved with that community too. I also remember my father telling me something about aligning screw-slots ... his father was a precision mechanic.

 

Anyway, it is impractical to align screw-slots in metal, as you simply cannot tighten them beyond a certain point without risking to either shear off the head, or damage the slot - conversely, it you don't tighten them enough, they will become loose. Thus it is virtually impossible to line-up countersunk screws, particularly when also their top has to be flush with the surrounding material. In the case of cheese-head screws watchmaker have a special tool with which they can shave of a bit from the underside of the head until the slots align. It is a trial-and-error procedure that is very time consuming and you also risk to damage the slot by repeated tightening and loosening.

 

On the other hand, it is usually no problem to align slots in wood screws. The wood is elastic enough to just turn the screw a bit more. One has to be cautious, of course, also, as you may rip out the whole screw, if you overdo it - guess how I know this 😏

Edited February 1 by wefalck

[SJSoane]

welfalck, that explains very nicely the difference between the metal and wood workers regarding this clocking idea. Thanks.

 

Mark

[michael mott]

I have been gluing the base retaining strip around the cockpit shell, once it is finished being glued I will add the screws to give it some shear strength.

I was originally thinking of bending the strip but did not want to lay up a number of layers and so opted to build up the corners with segments. The test experiments with bending through the sharp curve with Mahogany proved to be a failure. 1/32 yellow cedar bent beautifully but it is the wrong colour.

 

I cut some strips of Pacific Yew, I had some nice tight grained stuff, the profile is approx 2 inches high by 3/4 (1/4 x 3/32)

 

 

I put a small bevel on the top with the mini plane.

 

 

After the four flat pieces are glued I will add the corners.

 

 

I did do some work thinning down a piece of Green leather and after an hour where I did get about 4 square inches down to .022" but decided that the green was the wrong colour.

 

I am doing some tests with some very thin Brown and tan coloured leather. The plan being to make the tops and bottoms brown with tan sides. Testing the method of stitching.

 

 

Michael

 

[wefalck]

Really nice joinery work !

 

Did I get you onto something with the saddlery ... ? 😏 I am sure, you will come up with a nice solution !

[vossiewulf]

Every experience I've had with teak, it ate edge tools alive. It has a nice natural slipperiness that helps but the plane iron edges are like you're planing sandpaper.

[druxey]

Do you actually need to use leather to imitate leather?

[paulsutcliffe]

Nice work Michael, the scarfed joint on top of the cockpit shell look fantastic

 

[xken]

Michael, another source for thin leather is modelmotorcars.com Marvin has a selection of leathers used for upholstery for Pocher car kits.

Edited February 4 by xken

[TBlack]

I've run out of superlative words to describe what I see when I visit these pages, but I'm with Kurt in desiring a pilgrimage to Edmonton. And BTW, how do you thin down leather?

Tom

[michael mott]

4 hours ago, druxey said:

Do you actually need to use leather to imitate leather?

Ah...... yes because I am not simulating it, these cushions will be soft just miniature versions of the same.

 

4 hours ago, paulsutcliffe said:

the scarfed joint on top of the cockpit shell look fantastic

 

Paul I used some apple wood and cut the wood out from around a knot when i did this because I did not like the first attempts

 

 

1 hour ago, xken said:

Michael, another source for thin leather is modelmotorcars.com

Ken, thanks for this I will check them out.

 

1 hour ago, TBlack said:

BTW, how do you thin down leather?

Hi Tom, My Brother who is in the film industry in special effects, taught automobile upholstery in England before he came to Canada told me that the process is call skieving (Spelling?) and that they have machines to do it. before he told me that yesterday I did it like this with a utility knife by laying it over the short bit of standard brass plumbing tube and slicing it down.

 

 

So I know it can be done for small amounts, but as I noted earlier the brown is a more compatible colour for me. That said, I would be OK with Burgundy. But I have brown and tan so depending on how it turns out, I'll see.

 

9 hours ago, wefalck said:

Did I get you onto something with the saddlery ... ?

Eberhard, I do enjoy these little side trips that this model takes me on.

 

Michael

[KeithAug]

Hi Michael 

 

How thin do you need the leather to be? My wife has some very fine (and thin) leather gloves - would gloves be a potential source?

[michael mott]

Hi Keith, the old thin ladies leather cloves are the perfect source for the thin leather. that is where I got the tan leather from. the brown leather came from a ladies leather shirt that I picked up at a thrift store for $20 a few years ago.

 

Michael

[wefalck]

I hope @archjofo doesn't mind that I show here the tool he uses to split leather for some leathering work on his rig:

 

I also seem to have seen on ebay some tool for splitting leather from Chines sources - there appear all sorts of unusual or tools not seen for decades in Western Europe on Chinese ebay-shops.

I think there used to be a sort of scraper with a half-round blade to thin out leather - if they were still alive I would ask my grand-aunt or my great-grandfather, they had a glove-factory.

Edited February 4 by wefalck

[Griphos]

You can get skivers from Tandy leather or a good saddle making supply. I have a couple I use for leather work. They are not hard to operate. Basically an adjustable blade you pull the leather through. 

[dvm27]

You can also purchase leather in any color from Model Motorcars https://model-motorcars.myshopify.com/products/real-leather. Also, spend a few minutes looking at these scale masterpieces.

[BANYAN]

Very nice joinery on those corners of the cap rail Michael,  very nice complimentary choice of woods.

 

Thanks for the learning experience on the leather folks; another tid-bit to store away.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[michael mott]

Thanks for all the information about the leather. Griphos, I shall check out Tandy because there is an outlet not far from me. Greg, I went to the Site you linked to and I was not able to find the size of the sheets that they are selling and at $50 per sheet I am thinking that there might be some better solutions.

Eberhard I did also note the device that Johann made good for narrow strips, I am not sure about wider sheets though. Pat, Thanks.

 

I am starting to glue the corners on the outside of the cockpit now, once they are all glued i will do the final finishing all round then ad some Teak oil to finish.

 

 

 

 

Michael

[rwiederrich]

Beautiful work Michael...just fine.

Question:  Are you making leather seats or leather cushions?  Wouldn't salt water be rough on them?

 

Rob

[michael mott]

Hi Rob, just cushions.

Michael

[michael mott]

I have a whole new appreciation for quilters.

First a new tool to punch holes in the leather, using some  scraps of ebony, brass and Drill rod.

 

The tip was polished and hardened and tempered to a straw colour, and the very tip left flat about .010"

 

 

 

Next the holes were punched along the edges.

 

 

Then hand stitched, with a dull needle.

 

 

I think this will work out OK

 

 

Off to pick up my new hearing aids and play with the grandkids this afternoon.

 

Michael

[KeithAug]

Nice work Michael. May be better to fit hearing aid after playing with grandchildren. Or maybe they are beyond the noisey stage?

[BANYAN]

Very nice Michael; I have a couple of chairs back here that need reupholstering   I like the adapted tool; great idea as a pointed awl simply does not open the hole as such.

 

cheers

 

Pat

[Jim Lad]

Are you accepting leather upholstery contracts, Michael? 

 

John

[cog]

Michael,

A saddlers awl ... I would have gone for the diamond shaped awl blade it gives your stiching a better look, and is easier to pull double threads. That is, however, a personal preference. It is also advisable not to pierce all the holes in both pieces but in one as one sheet of leather  may strech more than the other which could give you ugly wobbles. However, having written that, if you have it from the same hide, you will probably not encouter the latter.

 

I like the colour combination