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Messis, could you post a picture of the piece you are referring to ? It seems strange that a kit manufacturer should use solid copper pieces. Copper is expensive as such and not so easy to machine or cast ... Metals (and plastics) can be quite convincingly painted to represent wood. There are various examples here on MSW (including my own ). More difficult it would be to match existing wooden parts. Show us the part and we can give you more detailed advice !

Depends what you are doing, but I couldn't live without a lathe anymore. With a vertical slide you can even do small and light milling jobs. Apart from the hand-held power-drill that costs very little these days, a lathe (with collets) would be on top of my list, if I would start out fresh.

I just bent and soldered the rods and links from brass wire on this 1/60 scale model: The purchase arms were made from three layers of brass soldered together, as they have to sort of clamp around the ratched wheel. It is a bit fake, however, as the ratched wheel does not have grooves on the side into which the brackets of the purchase arms would link. There are also no ratches

As I suggested above, perhaps the administrators start a sort of permanent file, where one can compare the different capabilities and capacities. I agree, for making jigs and attachments for your machines, a bigger machine would be handy. But you will find that is always a 'catch 22' - you always better have a bigger machine for making attachments for your smaller machine. But, how did they do in the old days, when there were no bigger and more precise machines ? Sometimes it just need ingenuity and patience and you can turn out good stuff with smaller machines. As said earlier, if you can't have a range of machines, you have to make a trade-off between your needs. In principle, a big machine is more stable, has less vibrations and, therefore, the potential for higher precision. This, however, requires that it is well-made and well-adjusted. The problem is that adjustment costs time and, hence, money. This is were the Chinese makers cut corners in order to be able to sell their products at competitive prices. Compare a modern-day Chinese mill or lathe with a precision machine of the 1940s or 1950s (the pre CN- and CNC-age) coming from Switzerland. On the latter the slides move like silk in spite of the large masses involved, because the ways have been scraped-in and not just milled. In order to get equivalent handling for working on small parts, you have to opt for a smaller machine - unless you are a master in machine adjustment. BTW, I am working steel on my watchmaking lathes and mills. It is a pain at times and takes a long time because I can only take light cuts, but with perseverance I manage to most things I want to do. The same machine, on the other hand, is ways better than a big Chinese machine will be, on small parts. With careful adjustment, the Sherline or Proxxon machines are almost as good.

Again this is a recurrent discussion ... the epical dock-yard models were made without power-tools available, they were simply not invented then. (Almost) everything can be made with hand-tools, given the necessary dexterity and patience. Power-tools (not the hand-held ones) have the advantage of controlled movements - you work in a Carthesian space and need to worry only about movements along one axis at a time - much easier for many of us. Often power-tools also save elbow-grease, of course. OK, this was rather philosophical. On a more practical level, you need to know what kind of materials you anticipate to work with. Wood, metal, and plastics all have quite different machining properties and require (often) specific tools. Wood requires much higher cutting-tool speeds than metals. This can be a serious limitation, when thinking of using a metal-lathes for working on wood. Most mills run only at around 5000 rpm, which is too slow for the small cutter you are like to use. The only mill I know of that has rpms adequate for wood is the smallest PROXXON. There you run into capacity problems, because the slide travels are rather limited. It would be ok for making small parts, but could pose a problem, when you want notch keels or something like this on largeish models. There will be alsway a trade-off.

This seems to be a recurrent topic. Perhaps the administrators could/should create a permanent space, where the pros and cons of different types (not makes !!) of machines can be laid down.

More capapable in what respect ? Size ? But then you talk about capacity, rather than capability.

'Securing' a knot with glue/varnish means that you overcome the springiness in the thread that has a tendency to unravel knots by some sort daub. This something very different from glueing two materials together. In the first case the process of knotting forms an interlocking, mechanical connection, that is not there in the second case. When your knot does not form this interlocking connection, then something is wrong with your knot. Seamen's knots are always secure. I use a fast-drying clear varnish for the purpose that is very similar, in fact, to nail-varnish. The advantage of varnish is that you can loosen the knot (or belaying) again by putting a drop of solvent on it. Comes handy when you discover mistakes, or when you need to tighten/loosen something.

A different, though perhaps somewhat more expensive route would be to have them etched. Perhaps there are other parts you could do at the same time. Perhaps you could share the cost with other builders by having several copies done. Drilling into sheet brass can difficult with helical drill can be difficult, as the standard drills tend to 'catch'. There are special drills for brass that have a steeper helix and are ground differently. Another option are spade drills as traditionally used by watchmakers for the purpose. They can be obtained from watchmakers and jewellers supply houses. Watchmakers also used to make spade drills themselves, but this needs a bit of practice (which they would have acquired during their apprenticeship).

Trying to keep up standards **************************************** Some time ago I purchased a 12V motor from a Chinese source that is supposed to run at a nominal speed of 3000 rpm. Considering is length of 71 mm and a diameter of 51 mm with an 8 mm drive shaft I expect it to have sufficient torque for the purpose. The data given by the seller were rather cryptic. The mounting of the motor caused me some head-scratching. The original intention was to use a bracket similar to the one used on the lathe toolpost-grinder shown below as the mock-up. Self-contained drive unit as used on the toolpost-grinder This would have resulted in a self-contained drive unit. However, the motor would have fouled the cross-slide, when the y-slide is fully run out. Making the bracket longer would have solved this problem, but I was afraid of the vibrations this long lever might transmit and the distortions to the y-slide. Another possibility would have been to mount it upside-down over top of the y-slide, but this would have raised the centre of gravity of the whole machine considerably and transmitted vibrations to the system. In the end I make, for the time being, a simple bracket that uses the two screws with which the extension of the y-slide is screwed down. Motor mount The lathe and grinding spindles were meant to run at maximum speeds of around 4000 to 5000 rpm. Therefore, a slight stepping-up compared to the motor speed would be permissible. As the motor bracket does not provide for any adjustment of the belt-tension, I copied the pulley on the grinding spindle for use as a motor pulley as exactly as possible. It will be put upside-down onto the motor, so that the belt can be shifted for stepping up (1 : 1.4) or stepping down (1 : 0.7) speeds without the need for adjusting the tension. Most of the speed control will come from the electronics in the power-supply. The pulley on the grinding spindle has a 75° V-groove for 3 mm round belts. A V-groove can be cut by either setting over the top-slide, or using a pointed tool with the appropriate angle. I had to grind a HSS-toolbit with this angle, checking it against a template. The two grooves were cut using a stepping method. Cutting it full depth would not be possible. I order to ensure concentricity between the pulley-bore and the groove, first the step in which the set-screw is located was turned and then the piece turned around for drilling/reaming the bore and cutting the grooves in the same set-up. For cutting the grooves the pulley was supported with a revolving tailstock centre. Steps in machining the motor pulley The finished moto pulley The two drive pulleys To be continued ...

Breaking 2 mm drills ? Sounds like brute force ... OK, done this as well, but it was in steel ... Personally, I prefer collets. Don't know the Dremel products, but the Proxxon ones are pretty good concerning run-out. The tightening nut is smaller than the chuck and, therefore, you can see better what you are doing.

I found this question - which seems to pop up from time to time, a rather odd. Divide the real size of the hole you want/need to make by the scale - in your case 48, and you will get the diameter you need. Normal CV or HSS bits come in 0.1 mm graduation, but can be also obtained from watchmaking suppliers and other speciality suppliers at 0.05 mm intervals. In practice the 0.1 mm step should be sufficient. Sizes below 0.3 mm are not so easily obtained and are rather fragile. Watchmakers suppliers also have drills with straight flutes that are much more rigid, but rather expensive. Another option are surplus carbide drills that are available on the Internet at reasonable prices down to 0.1 mm diameter. Beware these are even more fragile than HSS drills and may not be suitable for hand-held drills.

Thanks again, gentlemen *********************************** As for the other dial fabricated earlier, a pressure pad provides for an adjustable friction stop. The outside rim was also given a treatment with the concave knurling tool described earlier. Knurling the rim of the dial The engravings on all dials were filled-in with black paint and when the paint was dry, the dials were slightly rubbed-over with fine wet-and-dry paper to leave crisp black engravings on a satin surface. The finished dial at its place Finally, the cleaned cross-slide was re-assembled with the new dial. Re-assembled cross-slide To be continued ....

It was a joke ...

'Red Oxide' paint should be the right track. Lead-based pigments have been around for centuries, but were much more expensive then the iron-based pigments. You have to turn the lead first into the oxide, while the iron-oxide only need to be refined. I would think that there was a certain variability in the hue due to the variability of the natural pigment. Howeever, it should be probably more brownish than orangey. Cadmium-red (which does not contain Cd anymore today) would be too bright. I would assume that the paint was based on lineseed-oil, rather than on animal oils. Lineseed-oil, the classical verhicle for 'oil paints' is a drying, i.e. oxidising, oil.

Excellent crimping tool for the metal rim around the shields !

Slightly off-topic, but there various uses for ladies' stockings. For instance, the purse-net on this 1:90 scale botter model was made from a (new!) ladies stocking: I also know that some people make shells for small boats from stocking-reinforced resin over a positive form.

Liberto, I know, how it is done in 1:1 scale (thanks for the interesting video, btw - but keep in mind that the Vikings didn't have bandsaws and electric hoists ), but wondered how you did it on the model. Are the nails really clenched/roved, or did you 'cheat', i.e. just cut them above the copper disc ?

Ochres are ferric (i.e. trivalent) iron oxyhydroxides of varying composition (generic formula FeOOH). The less water you have, the more reddish they tend to be. They are the residues from a particular weathering environment. In some parts of the world there are quite pure occurences, for instance in southern France (see e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roussillon,_Vaucluse), so that it can be mined for pigment. Otherwise, red soils are quite common in the tropics, but contain a lot of sand and other impurities. From Wikimedia

Looking again on the images, I think in the area around the stem one sees copper sheathing. What is a bit strange is the somewhat fuzzy waterline that looks painted on. Perhaps she had a reddish boot-topping ?

Red ochre is one possible pigment in a paint and would have been a lot cheaper than most other red(dish) pigments,

Excellent ! Are you clenching the nails over the copper discs ? Not sure what the original technique was, but as the rest seem to be pretty much according to prototype, I assume that this is what you do.

Saludos, unfortunately, my written Spanish is rather meagre, but I can read it reasonably well Interesting project and good workmanship ! I also like the miniature desk-top belt-sander you fashioned from the Proxxon hand-held belt-sander. I have been thinking of a similar project.

I gather the fibre glass matts are there to take up the strain from the wood in changing humidity and prevent the surface from cracking. Resin alone would not be able to take up these strains. Still I was wondering, whether some good marine varnish wouldn't be sufficient because the planking is on some composite board that should take up the strain.

Sorry, druxey, saw it and then forgot it. It came to my mind, because the wooden German research vessel GAUSS (1901) was kitted out in a similar fashion.