Bob Cleek

It really depends upon the historical period you're talking about. That will determine the construction details of the block which will determine the options for attaching a hook to it. Modernly, not infrequently, a shackle is used to connect an eye hook to the frame of an iron-stropped block. For earlier technology, you may find these contemporary treatises helpful.
 
TheArtOfRigging-Steel.pdf (thenrg.org)
 
The art of rigging (thenrg.org)
 
The Rigging of Ships: in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast, 1600-1720 (Dover Maritime): Anderson, R. C.: 0800759279609: Amazon.com: Books

That's true. The books cited are for earlier rope-stropped blocks. The ship-smithing is obvious. a rod of suitable length would be formed with a pointed end and then bent to the shape of the hook desired. (The tip of the hook is bent outward from the shaft of the hook to hold the mousing as might be required to keep the hook from coming loose in use.) If used, thimbles would be attached to the hooks when the eye was formed. Thimbles are simply a section of metal tubing flared at either end. Thimbles were frequently made of soft metal such as copper or even lead, as their purpose was to prevent the chafing of the rope eye worked around the thimble. A block would be stropped with a strop large enough that the thimble could be secured to the strop by a throat lashing between the block and the thimble. Later metal stropped blocks would have a metal eye fashioned in the metal strop and a hook attached with a shackle. Blocks with hooks were in the minority, since the only need for a hook on a block would be for a block that needed to be disconnected on a regular basis such as for tackles.
 
As mentioned, there are various options for such construction, but the period will dictate which practices were most common at that time. 
 

 
Here's the "how to" from Ashley's Book of Knots which should answer some of your questions:
 

 
And this from Hervey Garret Smith's The Arts of the Sailor:
 
 

 
Everything you need to know about rigging of any period is in a book somewhere. Each period has its "go-to" reference volumes. You will find it very helpful to acquire whichever reference works are relevant to the period of the model you are building. (Most are available new or used in reprints and occasionally online PDF's.) Asking questions on internet forums may get you pointed in the right direction, but, if you think about it, if you don't know the answer, it's pretty hard to know whether the answer you get from an online "expert" is the correct one, isn't it? 
 
 
 

This case cost me over $600 in material. All of my cases are like this, I thought about selling them but the price would be to much, heck I wouldn’t buy them at the price I would charge. And as usual it is hit or miss if pictures will be right side up. This is the reason I quit posting. Just frustrating.

Bob Cleek’s post is right on.  If your workshop includes a full sized table saw glass cases are not difficult to make.  I rip the wood from hardwood stock, my favorite is American Black Walnut.  I have a set of “vintage” Sears Molding cutters that fit on my table saw.  I have never had good results with a router. The glass groove is made with a regular table saw blade.  My cases are not works of art, joints are simple 45 degree miters.
 
Unlike Bob, I have not felt the need to use UV resistant glass, but I don’t live in sunny California😁.  I take careful measurements and let someone else cut the glass.  Cut single strength glass from Ace Hardware was inexpensive.
 
Roger

It really depends upon the historical period you're talking about. That will determine the construction details of the block which will determine the options for attaching a hook to it. Modernly, not infrequently, a shackle is used to connect an eye hook to the frame of an iron-stropped block. For earlier technology, you may find these contemporary treatises helpful.
 
TheArtOfRigging-Steel.pdf (thenrg.org)
 
The art of rigging (thenrg.org)
 
The Rigging of Ships: in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast, 1600-1720 (Dover Maritime): Anderson, R. C.: 0800759279609: Amazon.com: Books

It really depends upon the historical period you're talking about. That will determine the construction details of the block which will determine the options for attaching a hook to it. Modernly, not infrequently, a shackle is used to connect an eye hook to the frame of an iron-stropped block. For earlier technology, you may find these contemporary treatises helpful.
 
TheArtOfRigging-Steel.pdf (thenrg.org)
 
The art of rigging (thenrg.org)
 
The Rigging of Ships: in the Days of the Spritsail Topmast, 1600-1720 (Dover Maritime): Anderson, R. C.: 0800759279609: Amazon.com: Books

Your taste in books looks as good as your taste in tools.  That's an excellent set.

Kits? Who needs kits with that set-up? You have everything you need for scratch-building! Wonderfully equipped shop. I wish you'd given us some warning, though. If I knew you were going to buy all that stuff ahead of time, I'd have bought stock in Proxxon and made a few bucks in the stock market!  

Your taste in books looks as good as your taste in tools.  That's an excellent set.

If you do try to sell cases, my advice would be not to under-price them. Not only does this not reward you for your skill and time, but it undercuts professionals who need to get a certain price for their work. Cheap work undercutting skilled work is already the bane of the model-selling world, no need to add to it with respect to cases.

The material, fit and finish of a display case are all are on display as much as the model inside.  Good work can't come cheap.  Frame shops minimize cost by standardizing molding profiles, running long pieces for supply and cutting to length as a job requires.  The downside: this anticipates need and requires maintaining inventory. 
 
As for glazing: Tru Vue sells acrylic and glass sheets for archival display purposes.  They offer a variety of types covering a wide range of costs.   Take a look at their web site and click on the "Products" category.   In comparison to common acrylic, their "Optimum Museum Acrylic" is really amazing when viewed through.  It's also really expensive, but there is no way around it.  It has an indefinite lifespan, is anti-reflective, anti-static, scratch resistant, does not out-gas, UV blocking, it's flat - no ripple distortion - a problem lesser quality acrylic does not control, and it's thinner than standard acrylic.  This property minimizes refraction error while reducing weight.  I was told, by a third party, the scratch resistant coating will stand up to steel wool - It will not - But it will stand up to any common, non-abrasive cleaning method.  The anti-static property does lengthen the time between cleanings.  "Anti-reflective" vs "Anti-glare": Anti-glare is achieved by slightly frosting the panel's surface.  This will inhibit viewing of fine detail.  Not so with anti-reflective treatment. 
 
Applied surface treatments to inhibit scratching and reflectivity will not allow glue-joints unless the treatments are removed.  The surface adjacent to the glue joint must be masked off.  Then, the surface treatment on the area to be glued is removed with abrasive.    
  

Kits? Who needs kits with that set-up? You have everything you need for scratch-building! Wonderfully equipped shop. I wish you'd given us some warning, though. If I knew you were going to buy all that stuff ahead of time, I'd have bought stock in Proxxon and made a few bucks in the stock market!  

CAUTION: I am about to "step on some folks toes" with the following comments.
 
I have been photographing things for more than a half century. Early on I worried a lot about getting the "correct" colors. But eventually I realized that there are no correct colors. Allow me to explain.
 
When I was about 5 years old I discovered that my two eyes do not see the same colors. The right eye sees things a bit redder than the left eye. This was very useful in film days, because I had a built in "skylight filter" (old time film photographers will know what that means).
 
By the time I was 8 years old I understood the basics of optics - our eyes see light reflected from distant objects - and realized that the light reaching both eyes must be composed of the same wavelengths. So one eye had to be "wrong." I soon realized that maybe both eyes were "wrong." I have no way to know if what I see is the same as what anyone else sees! But we all agree to the names we give to colors, whatever we see.
 
By the time I entered middle school I was very skeptical of what everyone else seemed to believe was reality. This skepticism has served me well as a scientist, photographer and artist. I understood that the colors of objects were dependent upon the color of the lighting. So there is no "correct" color for anything. It is totally subjective.
 
When I entered U.S. Naval Officer's Candidate School I was given extensive eye exams, and I am not color blind. I can see all colors with both eyes, but I see two different versions of each. And I had extraordinary eyesight, better that 20:15, so they wanted me to be a pilot.
 
As a scientist I used many types of chromatography and spectral analysis, and I studied the chemistry of color - why and how different chemical bonds absorb and reflect different wavelengths. Absorption and emission is a property of the the excitation states of electrons in atoms and the nature of chemical bonds, but even there the wavelengths are dependent upon environmental conditions. There are no absolute colors! Color is purely a fiction of our minds.
 
When I took up wildflower photography as a hobby at first  I worried a lot about getting the "right" color. But I soon realized that there is no right color. Flowers of the same species have a variety of colors depending upon the plant's physiology, soil mineral composition, rainfall, plant age, lighting conditions and who knows what else.
 
So I no longer try to get "perfect" colors. I just try to get pleasing images, and detailed images to illustrate the morphology of plants or the details of my models.
 
Yes, it is possible to try to establish the "right" lighting colors and intensity ("right" being whatever you define it to be), and to try to get reproducible reproduction of the color spectrum in each and every case. If you want to go on "chasing your tails" and seeking perfection, go ahead. But you will never succeed. Whatever type of display you use to display images, or process to create prints, no two will be the exact same, and even the same devices will produce different colors depending upon temperature, humidity, lighting and who knows what other variables. And they will all likely change with time. But in the end the colors that viewers see will be entirely dependent upon their genomes and the viewing conditions.

I think the easiest answer is that, for many, making your own ropes and lines is fun! Some who have "gone over to the dark side" of scratch building take pride in "making it all themselves." Others prefer to avoid the expense and sometimes the frustration of sourcing cordage via mail order and appreciate the flexibility of making their own color choices, not to mention that the detail-oriented who want to make right and left handed laid rope, four-strand shroud-laid rope and cable-laid rope in sizes perfectly to scale, have little choice but to make their own. The rest, perhaps more focused on the end product than the process of every detail of a build, opt for sourcing their cordage "off the shelf."  "Different ships, different long splices" and all that.
 
The question that's perhaps now more pertinent than it was when Frolich and others published their rope-making machine plans is "Why make your own rope-making machine when there are so many sources out there?" Even cost is hardly a consideration when Syren offers a very effective rope-making set-up for less than a hundred bucks, the cost of which is quickly amortized by the savings realized by "rolling your own." (https://syrenshipmodelcompany.com/ropewalk.php) Of course, here again, some prefer to buy their cordage ready-made and if that works for them, they obviously have their reasons.

Yes, the shipping costs for an assembled case of any size will be quite expensive and for that reason, I suppose that's why the store-bought cases for models are with few exceptions sold as knocked-down kits less the glass or acrylic.  If the case were built of glass and shipped assembled, not only would the weight occasion higher shipping costs, but a "bullet-proof" packing crate would have to be built, as well. When the cost of the glass or acrylic is considered, the case kits are really overpriced in my opinion if one has a table saw handy. (The average table saw blade easily forms a slot which holds the glazing stock.)
 
Acrylic glazing is lighter and for that reason alone might appear preferable, but I've found, in my area, at least, that the proper acrylic sheet material for the job, which is made for picture framing and so has UV shielding in it, can be more expensive than picture frame grade UV resistant glass. Given the time and effort invested in a model worthy of being cased, as most are, the cost of frame materials becomes a justifiable investment in presenting and preserving the model and the additional cost of UV protection is wise. Finding it the least expensive source, I now source my UV-shielded case glass from the picture-framing department of the my local craft outlet.  (Michael's.) I rip my own frame stock on my table saw, milling it when desired on the router table or with a milling head and cutters in the table saw, depending on the shape required and the cutter blades or router bits on hand. 
 
Recognizing that others' mileage may vary, it should be noted that acrylic glazing, even of the highest quality, is generally not used by most museums.  First is the concern about the material's acidic outgassing which can destroy the exhibited artifact. It also scratches easily unless sheathed an an expensive scratch-resisting sheathing. It lacks the strength of glass and large pieces tend to "sag." Significantly, from a cost-benefit analysis, aside from very expensive rare variants, the life-span of acrylic glazing is rated at no more than two years! (I've seen it last a lot longer, but this is the manufacturers' and curators' agreed lifespan.) 
 
Anybody who is contemplating building a case for a model they hope will survive them for a generation or maybe three may find this article on "museum quality" archival cases helpful. It's focus is general display case archival "best practices" for  all types of museum exhibits and the hobbyist modeler will certainly find compromises from the "ultimate" standards appropriate, but if you consider your model "museum quality," it defines what a "museum quality" case for it should be.
 
 https://museumdisplaycase.com/

Yes, the shipping costs for an assembled case of any size will be quite expensive and for that reason, I suppose that's why the store-bought cases for models are with few exceptions sold as knocked-down kits less the glass or acrylic.  If the case were built of glass and shipped assembled, not only would the weight occasion higher shipping costs, but a "bullet-proof" packing crate would have to be built, as well. When the cost of the glass or acrylic is considered, the case kits are really overpriced in my opinion if one has a table saw handy. (The average table saw blade easily forms a slot which holds the glazing stock.)
 
Acrylic glazing is lighter and for that reason alone might appear preferable, but I've found, in my area, at least, that the proper acrylic sheet material for the job, which is made for picture framing and so has UV shielding in it, can be more expensive than picture frame grade UV resistant glass. Given the time and effort invested in a model worthy of being cased, as most are, the cost of frame materials becomes a justifiable investment in presenting and preserving the model and the additional cost of UV protection is wise. Finding it the least expensive source, I now source my UV-shielded case glass from the picture-framing department of the my local craft outlet.  (Michael's.) I rip my own frame stock on my table saw, milling it when desired on the router table or with a milling head and cutters in the table saw, depending on the shape required and the cutter blades or router bits on hand. 
 
Recognizing that others' mileage may vary, it should be noted that acrylic glazing, even of the highest quality, is generally not used by most museums.  First is the concern about the material's acidic outgassing which can destroy the exhibited artifact. It also scratches easily unless sheathed an an expensive scratch-resisting sheathing. It lacks the strength of glass and large pieces tend to "sag." Significantly, from a cost-benefit analysis, aside from very expensive rare variants, the life-span of acrylic glazing is rated at no more than two years! (I've seen it last a lot longer, but this is the manufacturers' and curators' agreed lifespan.) 
 
Anybody who is contemplating building a case for a model they hope will survive them for a generation or maybe three may find this article on "museum quality" archival cases helpful. It's focus is general display case archival "best practices" for  all types of museum exhibits and the hobbyist modeler will certainly find compromises from the "ultimate" standards appropriate, but if you consider your model "museum quality," it defines what a "museum quality" case for it should be.
 
 https://museumdisplaycase.com/

I was looking for a display case for my current build.  Want to protect it from dust, and my very curious cats.  Did some shopping locally (Windsor, Ontario) and was shocked at the prices for clear acrylic - chain craft store was going to charge upwards of $600 CDN for just the acrylic, then it was on me to build it, etc.  My case is going to be about 48" X 8" X 12" with a wood base, which I made with spare lumber I had around the garage.  Apparently glass is cheaper, but still a couple hundred, and then again...i would have assemble it.  BlueJacket has some really nice display cases they can build, but again the cost is high and then you have to factor in shipping.
 
Yes the need is there. 
 
After talking to my favourite local hobby shop, they directed me to a local industrial supply company that sells acrylic sheets or varying thicknesses.  Well, just like a carpet/flooring store....they have a cut remnants bin.  I was able to source 1/4" shatter proof, super clear acrylic in 4 pieces for $30.00 - all I had to do is put it on my table saw and cut to desired sizes (this stuff cuts great with a standard blade).  I have the adhesive I need and now just have to stick them together.  Hopefully it won't look too messy, but this glue is really thin and apparently fills any gaps easily.
 
I think the main issue is shipping costs.

Hi Rob
There is a need but I am not sure how this could be done commercially on a relatively small scale.  Some of us build our own cases, some get them from a local cabinet maker.   There are a few on-line but not sure how well these work out, especially for large models.   A fully rigged model of a 1:48 scale ship can be in the neighborhood of 4 feet long, four feet high, and 2 feet wide.  Shipping the frame and panes or base with pre-assembled cover would require a full blown shipping crate.  Maybe display case kits in a few  dozen stock sizes would work.  I hope this winds up being a success for you as building cases is not my favorite pastime.
Allan

Ron,
 
You might give a look at this recent discussion - it veered into bench top ( DRL3000 ) fairly quickly.
The solutions involving Dremel machines you should discount if any of them are not already dismissed out of hand.
I have Foredom flex with the 1/3 HP motor - lower speed high torque motor and bought the drill press accessory - it is surprisingly sturdy - so if you have a Foredom, it is worth a look although I have not tried it yet -  my DRL3000 has worked well enough  and my framing method requires 100's if not 1000's of holes that must be exact and 100% perpendicular.
 
https://modelshipworld.com/topic/32788-does-anybody-have-experience-with-vanda-lay-industries-tools-for-the-dremel/
 

Vanda-Lay makes quality products for what they are. Their customer service is great because they are a small family-owned company. I have their drill press and it works fine for what it is, a small "micro" drill press. (I also have the same capability with my full-size 1950's Craftsman/King Seeley bench top drill press which has a quill adapter to mount quarter-inch  router and milling bits and an X-Y table and vise for drilling and milling, and my Unimat SL which has mico- drilling and milling capability.) The Vanda-Lay drill/mill set up looks quite nice. Their CNC machined tools are well made and I expect you'll find have tight tolerances right out of the box. (Most all Asian-made machine tools will require significant amounts of fettling (tuning) to get working to acceptable tolerances. This is what you are paying for in the price difference between, say, Little Machine Shop or Micro Mark and the lowest prices online for the same unit.)
 
I picked up my Vanda-Lay drill press and a top of the line Dremel slightly used for peanuts from a modeler who became disabled and quit the hobby. For the same money for a new Chinese small drill press, I would look for some "old 'arn" like the 1950's cast iron Craftsman bench top drill presses that are quite inexpensive used and well worth restoring if the price is right on a beat up one. Remember with machine tools that weight equals accuracy. I would not waste money on the cheap small Chinese-made drill presses. Particularly for drilling with very small bits, you want a press without runout in the quill. A wobbly tiny bit will quickly break. Also, it's always better to pay a bit more for a larger machine tool if you have the space for it because you will always have the workpiece capacity limitations of the machine to run up against. Buy a 7x12 Sieg Chinese lathe and it won't be long before you experience the frustration of it's not being able to handle a 14" workpiece!
 
The best maxim is to only buy a tool when you need it and then buy the best quality tool you can possibly afford. Cheap tools are a waste of money. They may be cheap the first time you buy one, but the cost adds up when you have to keep replacing them over and over again. A top of the line tool will last a lifetime and still have some meat on the bone when your widow sells your tools off or gives them to your buddies.  
 
Vanda-Lay is good quality stuff in terms of materials, fit and finish. The primary limitation with the Vanda-Lay tools is their Dremel power plant. Dremel mototools are handy gizmos but they were never intended to do hand-held work to fine tolerances or operate at slower speeds. (They rely on speed, not torque, to get the job done.) Dremels are big and clunky if you are trying to do fine work with them and, at high speeds, a slight slip of the hand can ruin a workpiece. I've spoken with Vanda-Lay and they've assured me that they'd be happy to provide a holder for a standard one-inch diameter Foredom Flex-shaft handpiece to replace their stock holder for the Dremel Mototool. While I haven't the need for one, I've not yet ordered one, but I think this would be a great improvement over the Dremel. The Foredom handpieces are much lighter and not so "top heavy," their foot pedal variable speed controls are more sensitive, and their large motors have far greater torque than the Dremels, particularly at low speeds. A decent used Foredom setup will probably run you a couple of hundred bucks, but once you use one, you'll never go back to the Dremel for modeling. You could easily spend five hundred bucks on a Foredom-equipped Vanda-Lay mill/drill set up, so you may be tempted to take the step up to a Sherline lathe and/or mill, or the equivalent, but remember that once you get into dedicated lathes and mills, you will easily have to spend as much again on the essential tooling and accessories for those machines before you can start doing any work with them.
 
As always with modeling tools, one can spend a lot of money on fancy machine tools, but a skilled craftsman can do the same with sharp hand tools with far less of an investment in money. The trade off, of course, is that with hand tools, you're trading your working time for those savings. There are many variables to consider and everybody has their own comfort level. It's easy to invest a lot of money in tools. "Choose wisely, Grasshopper!"  

The plane's body is claimed to be made of "European ebony." Interesting. I never knew ebony grew commercially anywhere in Europe. Many ebony species are on the "Red List" as threatened or endangered and are subject to import restrictions and even outright bans. 

The plane's body is claimed to be made of "European ebony." Interesting. I never knew ebony grew commercially anywhere in Europe. Many ebony species are on the "Red List" as threatened or endangered and are subject to import restrictions and even outright bans. 

The plane's body is claimed to be made of "European ebony." Interesting. I never knew ebony grew commercially anywhere in Europe. Many ebony species are on the "Red List" as threatened or endangered and are subject to import restrictions and even outright bans. 

The plane's body is claimed to be made of "European ebony." Interesting. I never knew ebony grew commercially anywhere in Europe. Many ebony species are on the "Red List" as threatened or endangered and are subject to import restrictions and even outright bans. 

A warm welcome to you here at MSW Bill.
In short..... what Jaager said.   Take it all very seriously.
 
GOOD FOR YOU starting with the  top quality beginner series!!!   I did not realize any of the three vessels in the three part series had a double layer of hull planking.  Is that correct?  Double planking is mostly found in lesser quality kits but this series is tops.
 
Allan