jud

Take your pieces to a jeweler that refinishes old watch cases, they have the needed cleaning and polishing setups for different metals. To chrome I think it involves polishing, nickle plating and finally chroming with neutralizing baths and re cleaning before each new step. My uncle used to replate old time watch cases for people using gold, silver, brass, nickle or chrome, he had thousands of dollars invested in beakers, power supplies, chemical cleaners, anodes, solutions with silver, nickle and gold suspensions plus his cleaning acids, neutralizers and polishing set ups. You could probabley do a little reading and try it yourself, using a stainless steel fork as a sacrificial anode, a solution in a glass container the would pass the low voltage and low amperage from a DC power supply. They say it is the polishing, cleaning and time that really counts, electrolysis is easy to create, just dissimilar metals in contact will do it.
jud

Thanks for the compliments guys.  No, it doesn't take up much space (about 10 square inches) on the desk and thus far (2 afternoons) it has been really good.  My thought is to cut some wooden triangles to fit into a couple of the shelves and drill the wood out to hold various drill bits and dremmel accessories/cutting heads etc.

Looks like you have a winner there, when you said turntable, you about lost me. Glad I kept reading far enough to see what you were talking about. Having more than one of those devices would not be excessive or take up much room.
jud

Hi there,
 
I've recently got back into model making.  I've never made a wooden model ship (or any other type for that matter!) My forté was 54mm - 75mm scale figures and dioramas.  However, a 20 year career in the RN left me with a liking for the sea and I'm now part way through an Amati HMAV Bounty (there's "dust" everywhere in my work area at the moment as I'm filling and fairing!) 
When I was modelling before, I had a little compartmentalised "tunrntable" that came from a graphics shop that I once worked in.  I used it for standing a lot of my tools and things in.
The better part of thirty years, umpteen house moves and a couple of kids (now adults) have left my turntable heaven knows where! 
 
So now that I've "returned from the cold', I need some way of storing my modelling tools whilst having them easily to hand.  This will not only keep my workspace clear, but also keep my tools in better condition and keep me from injuring my self on needlepoint sharp kit!
 
I searched everywhere in stationery stores and suppliers, graphic art shops...  Allsorts. Nothing.  So I turned my attention to E-Bay.  Eventually, I found something...  in "Health & Beauty"/"Make Up"/ "Make up tools & accessories"
 
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/201479390299?_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649&var=500659444906&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
I'm not sure that the full link will show so it was described on E-Bay UK as
"360-degree Spinning Cosmetic Organizer Display Makeup Box Case Cleanup Rotating"
 
It arrived in just a few days and I set to, "adapting it" to my needs.  It's not finished but I have managed to clear a BIG space on my work table!
 
I thought it might work for someone else, so I've posted it here...
 
I hope it helps someone else.

Timing and Headspace Gages?????   Did he have a time machine in his room?    

Happy because he had just found his missing Timing and Head Space Gage's. Nelsons bunk, shown hanging from the overhead beams must be in the in rigged position. The chest between it and the gun shown with the drawers opening under the bunk, would indicate that the bunk was not always rigged, heck, you need to keep the Servant busy doing something, such as rigging and un-rigging that bunk, keep them busy, makes for a happy crew.
jud

Few multi propose machines are worth the trouble it takes to make the conversion, they seldom do any of the advertised functions well. Some may find the tool useful but most would probably choose one function and leave it there. There are a lot of tools advertised that sound very good, but seldom get used, because they were intended for the unknowing gift buyer to purchase. This may be the exception, but I would be waiting to read several unbiased user comments before investing, especially if my budget was limited.
jud 

Good show, that corner fixture and the dowl for indexing your drill bit is a brand new idea to me, it is simple like all good ideas are.Thanks for sharing.
jud

Unlikely that the glue is causing your problem, I suspect that it is a temperature or moisture change. Cause, wood not cured, sawed but not sized after curing or you are adding moisture as a bending aid. Don't sand anything until you find out why you are having this problem, sand it now to fit, and the wood dries further it will shrink, your sanded to match high planks will become the low ones.
jud

Limits?  I don't see any limits.   I just see some very wonderful work, Nenad.  

Unlikely that the glue is causing your problem, I suspect that it is a temperature or moisture change. Cause, wood not cured, sawed but not sized after curing or you are adding moisture as a bending aid. Don't sand anything until you find out why you are having this problem, sand it now to fit, and the wood dries further it will shrink, your sanded to match high planks will become the low ones.
jud

Unlikely that the glue is causing your problem, I suspect that it is a temperature or moisture change. Cause, wood not cured, sawed but not sized after curing or you are adding moisture as a bending aid. Don't sand anything until you find out why you are having this problem, sand it now to fit, and the wood dries further it will shrink, your sanded to match high planks will become the low ones.
jud

Hmmmm
 

 

 

 

What I might do is clamp a square guide to a board with medium sandpaper on it, then use the guide and sand one side of the dowel full length until there was a small flat on it. Then rotate the dowel so the flat is against the guide and sand a side perpendicular to the first flat just a little short of the desired depth, rotate and do it again until your first sanded side was brought down even with the rest. Now it should be close enough to fine tune by eye with the sand paper using the guide if needed..
jud

I have found like many others posting to this question that these multi purpose machines never do any one thing good but are a compromise striving for the ability to perform so many different operations.  I used the Unimat 3 when it first came out and it was very good at a combination of tasks but you still have to reset it for each different function.  As your hobby moves forward you will wish you had purchased the independent machines.  Very much the same as buying smaller tools when you can purchase a larger one for a few dollars more.  Most model work can be done by hand if funds are an issue and my recommendation would be to research the tool before buying and then make the decision buying the best you can afford, one at a time if necessary.  I can't remember how many small saws I purchased before the Byrnes saw was offered which is the best ever, almost comparable to my SawStop that I use for large work.
 
Good luck,
 
Bill

Few multi propose machines are worth the trouble it takes to make the conversion, they seldom do any of the advertised functions well. Some may find the tool useful but most would probably choose one function and leave it there. There are a lot of tools advertised that sound very good, but seldom get used, because they were intended for the unknowing gift buyer to purchase. This may be the exception, but I would be waiting to read several unbiased user comments before investing, especially if my budget was limited.
jud 

A mill offers vertical and horizontal accuracy along with being better suited to handle the lateral stress, than a drill presses' bearings will.  

What I might do is clamp a square guide to a board with medium sandpaper on it, then use the guide and sand one side of the dowel full length until there was a small flat on it. Then rotate the dowel so the flat is against the guide and sand a side perpendicular to the first flat just a little short of the desired depth, rotate and do it again until your first sanded side was brought down even with the rest. Now it should be close enough to fine tune by eye with the sand paper using the guide if needed..
jud

Hi again Nenad
 
So, here is another option to make the steering wheel. For the outer rims and center use  a ring of 0,4mm plywood, the spokes can be turned as from Archjofo shown, and the space between the spokes and rings can be filled with balsa wood. This makes it less complicated, the wheel for the RIGI was made that way.
Hope you are not bad about some pictures...........

 
Regards
Gerhard
 
 

Einstein once said, "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what then, is an empty desk a sign of?"  I think that goes for work stations also.
 
Bob

Few multi propose machines are worth the trouble it takes to make the conversion, they seldom do any of the advertised functions well. Some may find the tool useful but most would probably choose one function and leave it there. There are a lot of tools advertised that sound very good, but seldom get used, because they were intended for the unknowing gift buyer to purchase. This may be the exception, but I would be waiting to read several unbiased user comments before investing, especially if my budget was limited.
jud 

Few multi propose machines are worth the trouble it takes to make the conversion, they seldom do any of the advertised functions well. Some may find the tool useful but most would probably choose one function and leave it there. There are a lot of tools advertised that sound very good, but seldom get used, because they were intended for the unknowing gift buyer to purchase. This may be the exception, but I would be waiting to read several unbiased user comments before investing, especially if my budget was limited.
jud 

Few multi propose machines are worth the trouble it takes to make the conversion, they seldom do any of the advertised functions well. Some may find the tool useful but most would probably choose one function and leave it there. There are a lot of tools advertised that sound very good, but seldom get used, because they were intended for the unknowing gift buyer to purchase. This may be the exception, but I would be waiting to read several unbiased user comments before investing, especially if my budget was limited.
jud 

Craig,
 
What Jud said.  Wait for reviews.   We've had several topics on some these over the years.  There was one, and I can't find it so it may have been lost in the Great Crash, but it was red and mostly plastic.  Underpowered, parts didn't quite fit, etc.    Unimat is the only one I've ever seen recommended and usualy the old, discontinued model.    
 
A caveat on reviews... there's been much about these in certain media sources that often the reviews are written by paid reviewers to extoll the virtues.  So be cautious about the raves and also about the extreme negatives as some of those are paid for by competitors.  

Few multi propose machines are worth the trouble it takes to make the conversion, they seldom do any of the advertised functions well. Some may find the tool useful but most would probably choose one function and leave it there. There are a lot of tools advertised that sound very good, but seldom get used, because they were intended for the unknowing gift buyer to purchase. This may be the exception, but I would be waiting to read several unbiased user comments before investing, especially if my budget was limited.
jud