thibaultron

Happy New Year Everyone! I hope everyone had a great 2015 and you have an even better 2016!
 
Well, I finished the bathroom remodel a couple of weeks back and I have finally got back to my skipjack.

 
I may not have got to work very much on the Albatross, I did thank about it often. I was thinking about the plans for the Albatross. The plans show her as she was built, as well how she appeared after being  modified to use gas powered winches (winders). I have been saying that I may come back and build the Albatross as she appeared after the modification. This would show a more complete history of skipjacks. I realized that to build both versions, it would be easier to build both hulls at the same time. I may not finish them together, but the hulls will match closer. While I worked on the remodeling I was able to put some time in, on the second keel for the later version. The new keel was such an improvement over the first keel, that I decided to create another to replace the first. Today was the first time that I was able to put any significant time on the Albatross. I was able to get all of the pieces glued and will complete the shaping tomorrow.

The new keel with the parts for the second keel. The original keel is at the top.

Gluing the aft section of the keel. I am using an aluminum angle to keep the assembly straight.

Gluing the forward section on.
 
Thank you for stopping by,
 
Catch Yall Later

Thank you for the pictures!! Now I can correct my drawings! I have been trying for a long time to find more information on them. Wonderful pictures of the skipjack. I'd probably would have spent the whole time listening to the captain too.
 
Do you remember the approximate height of the winch?

If you are going to build the As Built version. Look at my build. I have a section on the hand dredges at this time. The Chesapeake Maritime Museum, may also have one on display. They at least have a photo of one that I used as a basis for mine. If you go there, please take a few pictures of it for me.

Will be following your build.

Part 26
 
The 3D printed parts for the winches came in last week, both the 1/32 and 1/64 sizes.
 
Today I took some pictures. The first couple are the “raw” parts, as they came, and unpainted.
 
I primed the 1/32 scale parts using Badger Stynlrez gray primer, with my airbrush. The primer dries very fast, so fast that I managed to clog the airbrush. I took about ½ hour to clean it, and then I finished painting.
 
The problem is most likely mine. I’m new to airbrushing, and there were a couple other factors. Some time ago I banged the air pressure gauge on my airbrush supply regulator. This is the first time I have used it since then. Yes, the gauge is broken. I had to use the regulator on the compressor, which has courser measurements than the airbrush one. So I’m not sure exactly what pressure I was using. Somewhere between 20 and 30 psi. The airbrush is both a cheap one, and brand new, so I am inexperienced with it. I think I may look into a decent external mix airbrush for priming. Even with a large (.050) needle, it was slow going.
 
The pictures of the primed 1/64th parts will be next week. I have to figure out how to hold these very small parts, without them blowing away.
 
Anyway here are pictures.
 
To take them I had to put my magnifying lamp between the camera and the parts to make them large enough to see in the pictures. The camera was set for close up shots, and I even had to zoom in some, using the telephoto feature.
 

 
These are the 1/32nd scale parts, with a quarter for comparison. At the left is a part that combines the clutch and the end of the winding drum that the clutch engages. There is a groove to guide the saw so I can separate them. I had to combine them, as the individual parts were too small to be printed separately.
 
Going clockwise, the next two parts are the crank handles, then the other side of the drum. There is a hole through this part for the axle. Strangely, even though I drew a hole in the clutch side flange for the axle, it disappeared when I loaded the file to the 3D printing company checking software. I tried several different ways of putting the hole in, none successful. I finally gave up, but was able to draw a circular depression to use as a guide to drill the rest of the hole out.
 
Next is the sprue with all the nuts on it. Once again the individual parts were too small to print separately. I had to leave the back of the legs flat, the smaller nuts will be attached behind the pawl, and clutch arm, to simulate the other end of the bolt holding them on.
 
Next is the plain leg, this is the one opposite the clutch drum position. If you look closely you can see the four pads that the support rods will bolt through, They are on the back web, along the inside of the vertical webs.
 
Next is the 6” diameter 18 tooth pawl gear. I was pleased to see that the teeth were “pointy” I thought they would print out as blobs I would have to shape by hand.
 
Lastly is the complex leg. This has the pawl gear support, and both the clutch handle, and pawl gear attached. Again the clutch handle and pawl were too small to print as separate parts, and putting them on a sprue left relatively large areas that would have to be shaped, once they were cut from the sprue. So I just had them printed in place, on the leg. The pawl gear fits between the leg bearing and the support arm (See the primed part photos below).
 
Here is the picture of the 1/64th scale parts. It is hard to see details on these, even with magnification and zoom.
 

 
At the top is the sprue with the smaller parts, the drum halves, crank arms, and the feet for the legs. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to make the vertical web on the legs thicker to meet the minimum that the company can print. I will sand the web to thickness then attach the feet to the thinner web. If I had printed the feet on the legs, I would have had to leave the webs thick, as the foot detail would have covered some of the area I have to sand. The nut sprue is attached to the rest of the sprue, not separate, as in the larger model. Even with the minimum wall thickness, I was able to have the hole through the larger nuts. I will use it as a guide to drill them to size.
 
I was able to still have the hole through the large drum part. As mentioned below the clutch drum has the “left side axle. The hole in this large section will have a metal stub axle inserted, for the other end. The hole is long enough to allow me to adjust as needed, during assembly.
 
Below these is the clutch drum on its mount. The circular mount makes the whole thing large enough to print. The vertical rod portion will be trimmed and used as the axle on that end.
 
Next at the bottom right is the simple leg. It has a depression on the flat side, to accept the metal axle stub. On the front side the portion of the axle that the crank handle attaches to is printed in place. Even at this small size, the pads for the support rods could be printed.
 
Last are the two parts on the left. These are two complex legs. I have the one turned to show the detail at the top (at least as much as can be seen). Once again the clutch handle, and the pawl are printed on the leg. I had to make them thicker, but did so in a way that allows me to thin them down. After looking at the part, I think I will leave the pawl, as is, and just file the clutch handle.
 
To save a lot of hassle, the pawl gear is also printed in place. I can’t see it well enough to determine how it looks, but I can feel the teeth with my finger nail. I’m quite pleased with the detail that can be done.
 
The other leg shows how the gear, pawl, and handle turned out. Those with good enough eyes, can see some indication of the teeth.
 
As with the first leg there is a hole in the back for the axle, and the crank handle end is printed in place.
 
Here are some shots of the primed 1/32nd scale parts.
 

 
An overall shot. The ends of the handles were stuck in the foam to hold the parts and did not get painted, nor did the one side that faced the foam get a good coat.
 
You can see that the vertical web gets taller as it approaches the bearing casting at the top. This transition is curved, not just a straight line. This came out in the print. You can also see the support rod pads, better.
 
The gear teeth are “sharp”, as printed, no shaping needed.
 

 
This one shows the back of the parts, and the top of the complex leg. It shows the crank handles, pawl, and clutch handle better. The support for the pawl gear (arm coming up from web), was printed as part of the leg, in both scales.
 

 
This is a close up shot of the nuts and complex leg.
 

 
Here is the pawl gear inserted into place.
 
There is some roughness as you drag your figure nail along the parts, but a little sanding will fix that.
 
I do not think I could fabricate these parts in 1/32nd, it would be pushing my skills to the limit, especially getting the leg webbing to match on all four legs. I know I couldn’t fabricate them in 1/64th! I’m glad that 3D printing is available! There are some modelers out there who could do this, and I applaud them!
 
Next week I’ll prime the smaller winch parts, and post them.
 
After some experimenting, I will be printing out the dredge frames, also. Even in 1/64th, the detail will be good enough, almost scale thicknesses on the frame bars, at this scale. They will look much better than ones I could make by hand.
 
I found some pictures of the dredges, and have adapted details from them. The drawings for the Willie Bennett, simplify the detail somewhat. Every dredge I found differed in detail, so mine should look just fine.
 

 
This is what I have so far.
 

 

 
One major change is the bottom support bar. Rather than being welded in line with the cross pieces at the bottom, it runs along the top, and has a ring and hook arrangement, at the front. I'm not sure what this does, but all the pictures I've seen show a similar set to this.
 
On a side note, at this time someone is selling real oyster dredges on EBAY! If they were not a 10 hour drive away to pick up, and my truck was not acting up, I’d buy one! What a display base/case I could make of one of these for the four boats I’m planning on, as well as other Chesapeake Bay models! The dredges for sale are smaller versions, than those commonly used on the skipjacks, but for my use, that would be better.
 
The plastic material that the parts are printed in, is described as stiff and fragile. I have been playing with the parts, and there is some flex, and they seem quite strong. Not construction grade, but not delicate either.
 
P.S. I had four of each winch printed. I’m glad! While getting the parts ready for painting, one of the crank handles flipped onto the floor, never to be seen again, at least until I step on it, and hear the crunch!
 
All this would be so much easier if I was 40 years younger, and my hands didn't shake.

Ok, I'll start writing it. I have to go back through all the steps.

Ok, I'll start writing it. I have to go back through all the steps.

Decided to scrap the dowels for the mast and boom. I'm taking the advice and will try making them from square stock. Today I bought some basswood square stock to practice on, and ordered boxwood strips, for the final parts.
 
Been working on the dredge frame 3D plans, I'm fairly sure I may be able to print them as one piece in 1/32, and likely in 1/64th. I'm up to version 136 in the drawings. Probably be at 200 or so when done. I save increamently as I go. I've restarted 3 or 4 times as I've progressed, and come up with better ways to draw them.

Ok, I'll start writing it. I have to go back through all the steps.

Ok, I'll start writing it. I have to go back through all the steps.

I recently drew up a hand powered dredge winch (about 3' X 3' X 2' in full scale), in a 2D CAD program, then went to a 3D model in SketchUp, then to an acceptable STL file to be printed by Shapeways. Would anyone be interested in a thread on the process, and some of the pitfalls along the way?
 
The winch pushes the limits of their tech, when translated to both 1/32nd and 1/64th scale printed models.
 
The winch is for my Carrie Price Skipjack model, in another build thread, but I thought that this subject would be more suitable for a wider audience.

Part 26
 
The 3D printed parts for the winches came in last week, both the 1/32 and 1/64 sizes.
 
Today I took some pictures. The first couple are the “raw” parts, as they came, and unpainted.
 
I primed the 1/32 scale parts using Badger Stynlrez gray primer, with my airbrush. The primer dries very fast, so fast that I managed to clog the airbrush. I took about ½ hour to clean it, and then I finished painting.
 
The problem is most likely mine. I’m new to airbrushing, and there were a couple other factors. Some time ago I banged the air pressure gauge on my airbrush supply regulator. This is the first time I have used it since then. Yes, the gauge is broken. I had to use the regulator on the compressor, which has courser measurements than the airbrush one. So I’m not sure exactly what pressure I was using. Somewhere between 20 and 30 psi. The airbrush is both a cheap one, and brand new, so I am inexperienced with it. I think I may look into a decent external mix airbrush for priming. Even with a large (.050) needle, it was slow going.
 
The pictures of the primed 1/64th parts will be next week. I have to figure out how to hold these very small parts, without them blowing away.
 
Anyway here are pictures.
 
To take them I had to put my magnifying lamp between the camera and the parts to make them large enough to see in the pictures. The camera was set for close up shots, and I even had to zoom in some, using the telephoto feature.
 

 
These are the 1/32nd scale parts, with a quarter for comparison. At the left is a part that combines the clutch and the end of the winding drum that the clutch engages. There is a groove to guide the saw so I can separate them. I had to combine them, as the individual parts were too small to be printed separately.
 
Going clockwise, the next two parts are the crank handles, then the other side of the drum. There is a hole through this part for the axle. Strangely, even though I drew a hole in the clutch side flange for the axle, it disappeared when I loaded the file to the 3D printing company checking software. I tried several different ways of putting the hole in, none successful. I finally gave up, but was able to draw a circular depression to use as a guide to drill the rest of the hole out.
 
Next is the sprue with all the nuts on it. Once again the individual parts were too small to print separately. I had to leave the back of the legs flat, the smaller nuts will be attached behind the pawl, and clutch arm, to simulate the other end of the bolt holding them on.
 
Next is the plain leg, this is the one opposite the clutch drum position. If you look closely you can see the four pads that the support rods will bolt through, They are on the back web, along the inside of the vertical webs.
 
Next is the 6” diameter 18 tooth pawl gear. I was pleased to see that the teeth were “pointy” I thought they would print out as blobs I would have to shape by hand.
 
Lastly is the complex leg. This has the pawl gear support, and both the clutch handle, and pawl gear attached. Again the clutch handle and pawl were too small to print as separate parts, and putting them on a sprue left relatively large areas that would have to be shaped, once they were cut from the sprue. So I just had them printed in place, on the leg. The pawl gear fits between the leg bearing and the support arm (See the primed part photos below).
 
Here is the picture of the 1/64th scale parts. It is hard to see details on these, even with magnification and zoom.
 

 
At the top is the sprue with the smaller parts, the drum halves, crank arms, and the feet for the legs. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to make the vertical web on the legs thicker to meet the minimum that the company can print. I will sand the web to thickness then attach the feet to the thinner web. If I had printed the feet on the legs, I would have had to leave the webs thick, as the foot detail would have covered some of the area I have to sand. The nut sprue is attached to the rest of the sprue, not separate, as in the larger model. Even with the minimum wall thickness, I was able to have the hole through the larger nuts. I will use it as a guide to drill them to size.
 
I was able to still have the hole through the large drum part. As mentioned below the clutch drum has the “left side axle. The hole in this large section will have a metal stub axle inserted, for the other end. The hole is long enough to allow me to adjust as needed, during assembly.
 
Below these is the clutch drum on its mount. The circular mount makes the whole thing large enough to print. The vertical rod portion will be trimmed and used as the axle on that end.
 
Next at the bottom right is the simple leg. It has a depression on the flat side, to accept the metal axle stub. On the front side the portion of the axle that the crank handle attaches to is printed in place. Even at this small size, the pads for the support rods could be printed.
 
Last are the two parts on the left. These are two complex legs. I have the one turned to show the detail at the top (at least as much as can be seen). Once again the clutch handle, and the pawl are printed on the leg. I had to make them thicker, but did so in a way that allows me to thin them down. After looking at the part, I think I will leave the pawl, as is, and just file the clutch handle.
 
To save a lot of hassle, the pawl gear is also printed in place. I can’t see it well enough to determine how it looks, but I can feel the teeth with my finger nail. I’m quite pleased with the detail that can be done.
 
The other leg shows how the gear, pawl, and handle turned out. Those with good enough eyes, can see some indication of the teeth.
 
As with the first leg there is a hole in the back for the axle, and the crank handle end is printed in place.
 
Here are some shots of the primed 1/32nd scale parts.
 

 
An overall shot. The ends of the handles were stuck in the foam to hold the parts and did not get painted, nor did the one side that faced the foam get a good coat.
 
You can see that the vertical web gets taller as it approaches the bearing casting at the top. This transition is curved, not just a straight line. This came out in the print. You can also see the support rod pads, better.
 
The gear teeth are “sharp”, as printed, no shaping needed.
 

 
This one shows the back of the parts, and the top of the complex leg. It shows the crank handles, pawl, and clutch handle better. The support for the pawl gear (arm coming up from web), was printed as part of the leg, in both scales.
 

 
This is a close up shot of the nuts and complex leg.
 

 
Here is the pawl gear inserted into place.
 
There is some roughness as you drag your figure nail along the parts, but a little sanding will fix that.
 
I do not think I could fabricate these parts in 1/32nd, it would be pushing my skills to the limit, especially getting the leg webbing to match on all four legs. I know I couldn’t fabricate them in 1/64th! I’m glad that 3D printing is available! There are some modelers out there who could do this, and I applaud them!
 
Next week I’ll prime the smaller winch parts, and post them.
 
After some experimenting, I will be printing out the dredge frames, also. Even in 1/64th, the detail will be good enough, almost scale thicknesses on the frame bars, at this scale. They will look much better than ones I could make by hand.
 
I found some pictures of the dredges, and have adapted details from them. The drawings for the Willie Bennett, simplify the detail somewhat. Every dredge I found differed in detail, so mine should look just fine.
 

 
This is what I have so far.
 

 

 
One major change is the bottom support bar. Rather than being welded in line with the cross pieces at the bottom, it runs along the top, and has a ring and hook arrangement, at the front. I'm not sure what this does, but all the pictures I've seen show a similar set to this.
 
On a side note, at this time someone is selling real oyster dredges on EBAY! If they were not a 10 hour drive away to pick up, and my truck was not acting up, I’d buy one! What a display base/case I could make of one of these for the four boats I’m planning on, as well as other Chesapeake Bay models! The dredges for sale are smaller versions, than those commonly used on the skipjacks, but for my use, that would be better.
 
The plastic material that the parts are printed in, is described as stiff and fragile. I have been playing with the parts, and there is some flex, and they seem quite strong. Not construction grade, but not delicate either.
 
P.S. I had four of each winch printed. I’m glad! While getting the parts ready for painting, one of the crank handles flipped onto the floor, never to be seen again, at least until I step on it, and hear the crunch!
 
All this would be so much easier if I was 40 years younger, and my hands didn't shake.

Part 26
 
The 3D printed parts for the winches came in last week, both the 1/32 and 1/64 sizes.
 
Today I took some pictures. The first couple are the “raw” parts, as they came, and unpainted.
 
I primed the 1/32 scale parts using Badger Stynlrez gray primer, with my airbrush. The primer dries very fast, so fast that I managed to clog the airbrush. I took about ½ hour to clean it, and then I finished painting.
 
The problem is most likely mine. I’m new to airbrushing, and there were a couple other factors. Some time ago I banged the air pressure gauge on my airbrush supply regulator. This is the first time I have used it since then. Yes, the gauge is broken. I had to use the regulator on the compressor, which has courser measurements than the airbrush one. So I’m not sure exactly what pressure I was using. Somewhere between 20 and 30 psi. The airbrush is both a cheap one, and brand new, so I am inexperienced with it. I think I may look into a decent external mix airbrush for priming. Even with a large (.050) needle, it was slow going.
 
The pictures of the primed 1/64th parts will be next week. I have to figure out how to hold these very small parts, without them blowing away.
 
Anyway here are pictures.
 
To take them I had to put my magnifying lamp between the camera and the parts to make them large enough to see in the pictures. The camera was set for close up shots, and I even had to zoom in some, using the telephoto feature.
 

 
These are the 1/32nd scale parts, with a quarter for comparison. At the left is a part that combines the clutch and the end of the winding drum that the clutch engages. There is a groove to guide the saw so I can separate them. I had to combine them, as the individual parts were too small to be printed separately.
 
Going clockwise, the next two parts are the crank handles, then the other side of the drum. There is a hole through this part for the axle. Strangely, even though I drew a hole in the clutch side flange for the axle, it disappeared when I loaded the file to the 3D printing company checking software. I tried several different ways of putting the hole in, none successful. I finally gave up, but was able to draw a circular depression to use as a guide to drill the rest of the hole out.
 
Next is the sprue with all the nuts on it. Once again the individual parts were too small to print separately. I had to leave the back of the legs flat, the smaller nuts will be attached behind the pawl, and clutch arm, to simulate the other end of the bolt holding them on.
 
Next is the plain leg, this is the one opposite the clutch drum position. If you look closely you can see the four pads that the support rods will bolt through, They are on the back web, along the inside of the vertical webs.
 
Next is the 6” diameter 18 tooth pawl gear. I was pleased to see that the teeth were “pointy” I thought they would print out as blobs I would have to shape by hand.
 
Lastly is the complex leg. This has the pawl gear support, and both the clutch handle, and pawl gear attached. Again the clutch handle and pawl were too small to print as separate parts, and putting them on a sprue left relatively large areas that would have to be shaped, once they were cut from the sprue. So I just had them printed in place, on the leg. The pawl gear fits between the leg bearing and the support arm (See the primed part photos below).
 
Here is the picture of the 1/64th scale parts. It is hard to see details on these, even with magnification and zoom.
 

 
At the top is the sprue with the smaller parts, the drum halves, crank arms, and the feet for the legs. As I mentioned in a previous post, I had to make the vertical web on the legs thicker to meet the minimum that the company can print. I will sand the web to thickness then attach the feet to the thinner web. If I had printed the feet on the legs, I would have had to leave the webs thick, as the foot detail would have covered some of the area I have to sand. The nut sprue is attached to the rest of the sprue, not separate, as in the larger model. Even with the minimum wall thickness, I was able to have the hole through the larger nuts. I will use it as a guide to drill them to size.
 
I was able to still have the hole through the large drum part. As mentioned below the clutch drum has the “left side axle. The hole in this large section will have a metal stub axle inserted, for the other end. The hole is long enough to allow me to adjust as needed, during assembly.
 
Below these is the clutch drum on its mount. The circular mount makes the whole thing large enough to print. The vertical rod portion will be trimmed and used as the axle on that end.
 
Next at the bottom right is the simple leg. It has a depression on the flat side, to accept the metal axle stub. On the front side the portion of the axle that the crank handle attaches to is printed in place. Even at this small size, the pads for the support rods could be printed.
 
Last are the two parts on the left. These are two complex legs. I have the one turned to show the detail at the top (at least as much as can be seen). Once again the clutch handle, and the pawl are printed on the leg. I had to make them thicker, but did so in a way that allows me to thin them down. After looking at the part, I think I will leave the pawl, as is, and just file the clutch handle.
 
To save a lot of hassle, the pawl gear is also printed in place. I can’t see it well enough to determine how it looks, but I can feel the teeth with my finger nail. I’m quite pleased with the detail that can be done.
 
The other leg shows how the gear, pawl, and handle turned out. Those with good enough eyes, can see some indication of the teeth.
 
As with the first leg there is a hole in the back for the axle, and the crank handle end is printed in place.
 
Here are some shots of the primed 1/32nd scale parts.
 

 
An overall shot. The ends of the handles were stuck in the foam to hold the parts and did not get painted, nor did the one side that faced the foam get a good coat.
 
You can see that the vertical web gets taller as it approaches the bearing casting at the top. This transition is curved, not just a straight line. This came out in the print. You can also see the support rod pads, better.
 
The gear teeth are “sharp”, as printed, no shaping needed.
 

 
This one shows the back of the parts, and the top of the complex leg. It shows the crank handles, pawl, and clutch handle better. The support for the pawl gear (arm coming up from web), was printed as part of the leg, in both scales.
 

 
This is a close up shot of the nuts and complex leg.
 

 
Here is the pawl gear inserted into place.
 
There is some roughness as you drag your figure nail along the parts, but a little sanding will fix that.
 
I do not think I could fabricate these parts in 1/32nd, it would be pushing my skills to the limit, especially getting the leg webbing to match on all four legs. I know I couldn’t fabricate them in 1/64th! I’m glad that 3D printing is available! There are some modelers out there who could do this, and I applaud them!
 
Next week I’ll prime the smaller winch parts, and post them.
 
After some experimenting, I will be printing out the dredge frames, also. Even in 1/64th, the detail will be good enough, almost scale thicknesses on the frame bars, at this scale. They will look much better than ones I could make by hand.
 
I found some pictures of the dredges, and have adapted details from them. The drawings for the Willie Bennett, simplify the detail somewhat. Every dredge I found differed in detail, so mine should look just fine.
 

 
This is what I have so far.
 

 

 
One major change is the bottom support bar. Rather than being welded in line with the cross pieces at the bottom, it runs along the top, and has a ring and hook arrangement, at the front. I'm not sure what this does, but all the pictures I've seen show a similar set to this.
 
On a side note, at this time someone is selling real oyster dredges on EBAY! If they were not a 10 hour drive away to pick up, and my truck was not acting up, I’d buy one! What a display base/case I could make of one of these for the four boats I’m planning on, as well as other Chesapeake Bay models! The dredges for sale are smaller versions, than those commonly used on the skipjacks, but for my use, that would be better.
 
The plastic material that the parts are printed in, is described as stiff and fragile. I have been playing with the parts, and there is some flex, and they seem quite strong. Not construction grade, but not delicate either.
 
P.S. I had four of each winch printed. I’m glad! While getting the parts ready for painting, one of the crank handles flipped onto the floor, never to be seen again, at least until I step on it, and hear the crunch!
 
All this would be so much easier if I was 40 years younger, and my hands didn't shake.

I got a good look at the parts today, nice! The bulb in my magnifying lamp went out, and I had to buy another one today to see the parts. The detail is very good, on the 1/64th scale winch, I can feel the teeth on the 6" dia, 18 tooth gear.
 
I will have to prime them, before I have a hope of getting pictures, they are printed in a frosted clear plastic, that will be hard to see with my camera, until I do. In fact I will have to prime them before I can see the details on the smaller parts myself. I will do that in the next couple of days, I have a busy schedule until Sat.
 
After some drawing, it looks like I will be able to have the dredges themselves printed in 3D, in both scales. I will have to throw away the last 4 or 5 days of drafting, but this is a learning experience. (I always used to hate being told that phrase, but now I'm doing for myself, not others.)

Definition of a boat - A hole in the water you pour money into.

Mark - the punches are 2 parts. The pin shaped part that pierces the material is probably some sort of steel. That fits into a cylinder, which is the part you strike, and that is aluminum.
 
Grant - putting something on top of the punch is definitely a possibility
 
Richard (rtropp) - here's the link. The RP Toolz products are about half way down the page
 
Richard (Altduck) - pressing thru styrene would be easy. Personally I'm more interested in brass. It took about 5-6 whacks of the hammer to get thru a brass strip that is about 0,3 - 0,4  thick. I do have some thinner brass sheets on order. Pressing might be easier then.

How about pressing the punch instead of whacking it?
 
The force required to shear small holes in soft materials can't be much.
 
One way might be to put a piece of bar stock in your drill press and use it like an arbor press.
 
Richard

What about making a wooden cap or sleeve to go over the end of the punch? That might protect it a bit without losing the impact force. Very cool pick up by the way!

I broke down and ordered the RP  Toolz  rivet punch set. It arrived today. VERY COOL! Just like most punch sets but these cut out a half domed shape piece. Looks a lot like a carriage bolt head. I don't know if something like that is accurate for the period but it looks a lot better than my first idea - hex nuts.
 
The set is well made - albeit pricey. Only down side I have seen is the hammer beats up the contact end of the punch (aluminum) a little bit. They say max material size is 0,3 - styrene, brass or aluminum. The smallest piece in the pic is the 0,9. The largest is 2,0. As you may be able to see the smallest possible piece is 0,6 which would be darn near impossible to pick up. I will try to blacken a few in the next day or so.
 
I can see lots of possibilities. I think it was a good pick-up.

Mike,
Google this (without the quotes) "photo etch hardware".  Much of what is out there is for the RR, cars, armor, and aircraft stuff.  But it will work.  There's also several places that sell real honest to goodness nuts and bolts at very tine scales.

I have used tiny drops of medium CA glue on painted metal surfaces to simulate bolt heads. I think that was in one of Chuck's tutorials for adding bolt heads to rudder pintles and gudgeons.

I got a good look at the parts today, nice! The bulb in my magnifying lamp went out, and I had to buy another one today to see the parts. The detail is very good, on the 1/64th scale winch, I can feel the teeth on the 6" dia, 18 tooth gear.
 
I will have to prime them, before I have a hope of getting pictures, they are printed in a frosted clear plastic, that will be hard to see with my camera, until I do. In fact I will have to prime them before I can see the details on the smaller parts myself. I will do that in the next couple of days, I have a busy schedule until Sat.
 
After some drawing, it looks like I will be able to have the dredges themselves printed in 3D, in both scales. I will have to throw away the last 4 or 5 days of drafting, but this is a learning experience. (I always used to hate being told that phrase, but now I'm doing for myself, not others.)

I got a good look at the parts today, nice! The bulb in my magnifying lamp went out, and I had to buy another one today to see the parts. The detail is very good, on the 1/64th scale winch, I can feel the teeth on the 6" dia, 18 tooth gear.
 
I will have to prime them, before I have a hope of getting pictures, they are printed in a frosted clear plastic, that will be hard to see with my camera, until I do. In fact I will have to prime them before I can see the details on the smaller parts myself. I will do that in the next couple of days, I have a busy schedule until Sat.
 
After some drawing, it looks like I will be able to have the dredges themselves printed in 3D, in both scales. I will have to throw away the last 4 or 5 days of drafting, but this is a learning experience. (I always used to hate being told that phrase, but now I'm doing for myself, not others.)

War in the Chesapeake: The British Campaigns to Control the Bay, 1813-14
 
By Charles Patrick Neimeyer
Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2015 6-1/4” x 9-1/4”, hardcover, x + 244 pages Illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index. $44.95 ISBN: 9781612518657     Charles P. Neimeyer, Director of Marines Corps History and Gray Research Center at Marines Corps University, has researched and written one of the finest studies available of British campaigns in the Chesapeake Bay during the War of 1812. His synthesis of numerous primary and secondary sources provides the vehicle for an excellent narrative that addresses the prelude to war, the stalemate on the northern frontier, and unsettled conditions around the Bay (popular unrest, a scramble for the spoils of privateering, and weakly prepared military defenses) before plunging into the nitty-gritty details of the British campaigns of 1813 and 1814. Within these campaigns hide marvelous stories of vessels large and small, heroic individuals, valiant resistance, lives sliced short, and a seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that faded in the light of a dawn breaking on the waters and fields of Baltimore.   Neimeyer focuses his efforts on several key areas: the defense of Craney Island and Norfolk, British raids ashore in 1813, American naval resistance around the Bay, and the assaults on Washington, Alexandria, and Baltimore in 1814. His treatment of the British handling of American slaves is interesting; and the author does not neglect actions outside the Bay (for example, Cockburn’s raid on the Outer Banks of North Carolina). In several instances, he illustrates the interconnectivity of the Chesapeake campaigns with other events of the war. Notably, Neimeyer ties the cruelties (by both sides) along the Canadian Frontier to the burning of civilian homes and government buildings in the Chesapeake region. War invariably grows crueler over time–the War of 1812 was no exception.   As with all works, there is room for improvement. More maps would be welcome. Some additional analysis of the place of prize money and the drive for promotion among the Royal Navy’s officer corps (especially with the war in Europe winding to an end) would not be amiss. Similarly, the effects on the war as a whole of these massive concentrations of available British resources could have used a few more words. That noted, this is an extraordinary study that combines readability,   entertainment, and the scholarly touch. It is a history for the general reader as well as the professional historian. As the 200th Anniversary of the War of 1812 cruises to its inevitable close, Neimeyer’s study of the Chesapeake Campaigns is highly recommended and deserves a spot on your bookshelf.   Wade G. Dudley East Carolina University  

There's a section found on the main page, called "Masting - Rigging and Sails", that you should be able to find the answer you're looking for. http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/forum/16-masting-rigging-and-sails/page-1?prune_day=100&sort_by=Z-A&sort_key=last_post&topicfilter=all