Bob Cleek

Read the article you cited. If they mention a material, it's suitable. If they don't, research it online. "Archival" is a term used by the fine arts professionals to mean a material will last for at least a hundred years. Search and find out whether the material is considered "archival." Many modern materials, generally plastics, acrylics, polymers, and cyanoacrylate adhesives, are not archival. You want to avoid anything that deteriorates, which includes particularly materials containing acids.
 
For a more detailed set of specifications, see Howard I. Chappelle's General Preliminary Building Specifications, written for submissions to the Smithsonian Institution's ship model collections. http://www.shipmodel.com/2018SITE/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ship-model-classification-guidelines-1980.pdf
 
Paints and varnishes are a particularly dangerous pitfall in modern times. Chapelle's Specifications were written in 1961, just as acrylic coatings were becoming available. His broad reference to paints addresses traditional oil-based paints, not the water-based paints now dominating the market. The water-based paints, not yet a hundred years old, are seen by conservatives as not proven to be archival, although others are very optimistic that they will prove so in time. As with any paint or varnish, the archival quality is in large measure a function of their manufacture. Cheap paint will never be archival, regardless of its type. Only the highest quality paints should be used, which will cost more, but not so one would notice it in the small amounts used in modeling. Such archival quality paints will generally say so on the tube or bottle.
 
Since Chapelle's Specifications were written, some then-common materials have become relatively unavailable, notably ivory, ebony wood, and linen thread. Modern substitutes have to be found, but great caution must be exercised in their use. For example, early Dacron thread deteriorated quickly when exposed to UV radiation, not what you'd want to use for rigging! Some respected museums are comfortable with modern synthetic thread and others are not. We  have to make do with what's available. This requires doing a fair amount of online research to identify suitable substitutes, a skill most modelers come to realize is essential. Sometimes, we just have to close our eyes, hold our noses, and jump in.
 
Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper began to exhibit marked deterioration less than 25 years after he painted it and has continued to deteriorate to this day, only five percent of it remaining as original, because he decided to experiment with a new oil painting technique instead of using the tried and true tempera paint fresco techniques of his time. The "Old Masters" enthusiastically used the then-newly-invented blue smalt pigment as an alternative to the very expensive ground azurite or lapis lazuli pigment which were previously available in their day without realizing that over decades smalt in oil becomes increasingly transparent and turns to brown, dramatically changing the appearance of colors. Consequently, Rembrandt's later works look overwhelming dark and brown and what we see today is not what they looked like when new. Vermeer, on the other hand, "bit the bullet" and used the very expensive ultramarine blue pigment, and so his Girl with a Pearl Earring's blue head scarf remains with us to this day, albeit with a fair amount of cracking.
 

 
Many modeler's will say, "Oh, posh!" I build models for my own enjoyment and I could care less how long they last. To them I say, "Very well. Go for it!" The task of those who pursue perfection is more challenging. Do we stay with the "tried and true," like Vermeer, or do we experiment with new techniques and materials, like Rembrandt and Da Vinci? I suppose the real question for our age is whether we good enough at what we do to risk a surprise, which Rembrandt and Da Vinci unquestionably were able to do. 

But, there's always a catch... in this case, it's for "local pickup only." In other words, if you buy it, you have to come and get it.  $50 is the starting bid, but he says 80% of the books are nautical titles. You have to look closely at the pictures, but there's a lot of model-building stuff in there, it seems. 
 
lot 2000+ Nautical books Mostly HB Ships/Boats/Sail/Steam/War/Navy/Models &c | eBay
 
If I were anywhere near Independence, MO, I'd be there with bells on right now. 
 
 

I too received the Christmas Catalogue in the mail the other day, made for an enjoyable read, The "magpie" in me "wanted" the whole lot of those miniature tools. They do look wonderful and are really well made, I do use one of the older miniature wooden planes that they had a while back. O am with Bob on this one regarding the versatility and use of the older larger stable cast iron tools and tops. I recently cut a load of 1mm x 4 mm yellow cedar planks for Walrus Guy using my old 10 inch unisaw with a narrow kerf  200 tooth 8 inch blade and My old second hand 20 inch band saw with a 1/2 inch blade. That said I realize that I am very lucky to have those tools, and I have had the table saw for 45 years and the band saw for 20 years. My old workbench I have had for 45 years as well. In My view the low angle block planes by Veritas are the best value for money that you can buy for much of the work we do. with regards preparing wood to thickness for our models. Also a good sharpening system for keeping them razor sharp.
I am not trying to persuade anyone from purchasing some beautiful Model tools, But do think about the reality of what they are intended for.
 
And if anyone is thinking of sending me a Christmas present I would like the tiny chisels.
 
cheers Michael 

But, there's always a catch... in this case, it's for "local pickup only." In other words, if you buy it, you have to come and get it.  $50 is the starting bid, but he says 80% of the books are nautical titles. You have to look closely at the pictures, but there's a lot of model-building stuff in there, it seems. 
 
lot 2000+ Nautical books Mostly HB Ships/Boats/Sail/Steam/War/Navy/Models &c | eBay
 
If I were anywhere near Independence, MO, I'd be there with bells on right now. 
 
 

The core of my shop, which I've built over a period of fifty years and three or four versions is "old 'arn,." Like you, I started with early 1950's "hand me downs" from my Dad. Every one of his old Craftsman stationary power tools is still going strong. One thing I learned is that mass equals stability and stability equals accuracy. That's why cast iron tools are still so desirable. And they are out there if you are willing to spend the time searching for them. Local auction and "for sale" sites are a good place to keep an eye on. Every time a craftsman shuffles off this mortal coil, there's usually a widow who can't wait to get rid of his "junk" for peanuts. I envy the British modelers. England seems to have something of a culture of "model engineers," much more than we do in the U.S., so you have a lot of good used stuff floating around over there, or so it seems. Get yourself a well-tooled Unimat lathe to enjoy while you are waiting to find a nice lightly used, well-tooled Myford 7.   

Bob, I sort of crave getting a Myford or similar, but can’t justify.  In our work shop we had a mini jewellers lathe that was some 12 “ long.  After my father died (asbestos related) there were too many memories at the time to even thinking about keeping some of the smaller stuff and we donated everything to a local railway preservation society (my father was a train enthusiast), it went to a good home, but now, okay it’s 30 + years on, I do rue not keeping some stuff..  I kept a while set of linear gauges, dies and taps, + good quality tools from braces to 4’ clamps…that are 20x too big for the boats I’m interested in, but I have something.  I think the Uk engineer fraternity has always been there, the history of the Uk in the area means that so many children followed their parents into industry and it was the norm.  Nowadays you need a computer not a set of feeler gauges to service your car, and that link is being lost.  
 
sorry bit mellow this afternoon…..
 

A woodworking bench vise of that size is a severely limited tool when it comes to versatility. A wood vise should not be used for metal, while a metal vise can be used for wood. It has no swivel capability. If one is into collecting miniature tools, it may be desirable, but not for serious work. At the present time, based on current reviews on a variety of sites, the Stanley 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base, at less than $50 is the apparent favorite. I don't have one myself, so this is just hearsay, but I plan to remedy that shortly.
 
Stanley 83-069M $46.95 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base | Zoro.com

I remember the rats going crazy for shaft gland packing made of flax and tallow on a tug. They made a hell of a mess. I think it was the tallow that attracted them, not the flax. I expect they'd also have a taste for old-fashioned tallowed canvas tarps and oilskins.

The core of my shop, which I've built over a period of fifty years and three or four versions is "old 'arn,." Like you, I started with early 1950's "hand me downs" from my Dad. Every one of his old Craftsman stationary power tools is still going strong. One thing I learned is that mass equals stability and stability equals accuracy. That's why cast iron tools are still so desirable. And they are out there if you are willing to spend the time searching for them. Local auction and "for sale" sites are a good place to keep an eye on. Every time a craftsman shuffles off this mortal coil, there's usually a widow who can't wait to get rid of his "junk" for peanuts. I envy the British modelers. England seems to have something of a culture of "model engineers," much more than we do in the U.S., so you have a lot of good used stuff floating around over there, or so it seems. Get yourself a well-tooled Unimat lathe to enjoy while you are waiting to find a nice lightly used, well-tooled Myford 7.   

The core of my shop, which I've built over a period of fifty years and three or four versions is "old 'arn,." Like you, I started with early 1950's "hand me downs" from my Dad. Every one of his old Craftsman stationary power tools is still going strong. One thing I learned is that mass equals stability and stability equals accuracy. That's why cast iron tools are still so desirable. And they are out there if you are willing to spend the time searching for them. Local auction and "for sale" sites are a good place to keep an eye on. Every time a craftsman shuffles off this mortal coil, there's usually a widow who can't wait to get rid of his "junk" for peanuts. I envy the British modelers. England seems to have something of a culture of "model engineers," much more than we do in the U.S., so you have a lot of good used stuff floating around over there, or so it seems. Get yourself a well-tooled Unimat lathe to enjoy while you are waiting to find a nice lightly used, well-tooled Myford 7.   

Yes, I found that the Panavise was a bit light for a lot of applications, but there really is a need for a range of vises in a well-equipped shop. I've got several from a big heavy six-inch jawed bench vise at one end, through an eight-inch woodworking vise, a couple of portable vises that clamp on the edge of workbenches, three or four machinist's vises of various sizes, an engraver's vise, a couple of jeweler's vises, a Black and Decker "Workmate," which is a sort of portable workbench that doubles as a vise, and a now somewhat-rare original (not the Asian copy) Zyliss "Swiss Army" vise, which is a wonderfully versatile patternmaker's style vise originally designed for field use by the Swiss Army.
 
 

You'd think so, but in my case, if they took one look at the white beard on this old phart, that would exclude me from the thug category.  

Yes, I found that the Panavise was a bit light for a lot of applications, but there really is a need for a range of vises in a well-equipped shop. I've got several from a big heavy six-inch jawed bench vise at one end, through an eight-inch woodworking vise, a couple of portable vises that clamp on the edge of workbenches, three or four machinist's vises of various sizes, an engraver's vise, a couple of jeweler's vises, a Black and Decker "Workmate," which is a sort of portable workbench that doubles as a vise, and a now somewhat-rare original (not the Asian copy) Zyliss "Swiss Army" vise, which is a wonderfully versatile patternmaker's style vise originally designed for field use by the Swiss Army.
 
 

The core of my shop, which I've built over a period of fifty years and three or four versions is "old 'arn,." Like you, I started with early 1950's "hand me downs" from my Dad. Every one of his old Craftsman stationary power tools is still going strong. One thing I learned is that mass equals stability and stability equals accuracy. That's why cast iron tools are still so desirable. And they are out there if you are willing to spend the time searching for them. Local auction and "for sale" sites are a good place to keep an eye on. Every time a craftsman shuffles off this mortal coil, there's usually a widow who can't wait to get rid of his "junk" for peanuts. I envy the British modelers. England seems to have something of a culture of "model engineers," much more than we do in the U.S., so you have a lot of good used stuff floating around over there, or so it seems. Get yourself a well-tooled Unimat lathe to enjoy while you are waiting to find a nice lightly used, well-tooled Myford 7.   

A woodworking bench vise of that size is a severely limited tool when it comes to versatility. A wood vise should not be used for metal, while a metal vise can be used for wood. It has no swivel capability. If one is into collecting miniature tools, it may be desirable, but not for serious work. At the present time, based on current reviews on a variety of sites, the Stanley 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base, at less than $50 is the apparent favorite. I don't have one myself, so this is just hearsay, but I plan to remedy that shortly.
 
Stanley 83-069M $46.95 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base | Zoro.com

I purchased one of these in the outset of wooden ship building. My father was an engineer and we stocked out a full workshop with a 1907 belt driven Drummond lathe + other stuff from the early 30s and 40s in my youth (1980s), so I got to appreciate quality.  This vice is heavy, but pretty good/ sturdy.  Grip can be a little fierce, needs some thought on pads for gripping softer materials   I have supplemented with a jewellers vice to hold really small parts.  I would love to be able to get out and pick up some “ old” kit from auction etc.  Amazon purchases have shown how dreadful some of the modern builds are.  I’m after a traverse table to supplement my Dremmel set up, and reviews are a little dire….

A woodworking bench vise of that size is a severely limited tool when it comes to versatility. A wood vise should not be used for metal, while a metal vise can be used for wood. It has no swivel capability. If one is into collecting miniature tools, it may be desirable, but not for serious work. At the present time, based on current reviews on a variety of sites, the Stanley 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base, at less than $50 is the apparent favorite. I don't have one myself, so this is just hearsay, but I plan to remedy that shortly.
 
Stanley 83-069M $46.95 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base | Zoro.com

A woodworking bench vise of that size is a severely limited tool when it comes to versatility. A wood vise should not be used for metal, while a metal vise can be used for wood. It has no swivel capability. If one is into collecting miniature tools, it may be desirable, but not for serious work. At the present time, based on current reviews on a variety of sites, the Stanley 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base, at less than $50 is the apparent favorite. I don't have one myself, so this is just hearsay, but I plan to remedy that shortly.
 
Stanley 83-069M $46.95 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base | Zoro.com

You'd think so, but in my case, if they took one look at the white beard on this old phart, that would exclude me from the thug category.  

A woodworking bench vise of that size is a severely limited tool when it comes to versatility. A wood vise should not be used for metal, while a metal vise can be used for wood. It has no swivel capability. If one is into collecting miniature tools, it may be desirable, but not for serious work. At the present time, based on current reviews on a variety of sites, the Stanley 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base, at less than $50 is the apparent favorite. I don't have one myself, so this is just hearsay, but I plan to remedy that shortly.
 
Stanley 83-069M $46.95 2-7/8" Light Duty Multi-Angle Vise with Swivel Base | Zoro.com

Lee Valley... The Franklin Mint of tool companies?
 
 

That's odd.  I'm always looking for a clerk to tell me where what I'm looking for is located. Try dressing like you were going to church and see if that helps. Definitely do not wear a hoodie! You may be the victim of "retail security profiling." Is it possible you're setting off the "shoplifter alarms" every time you walk into the store?     

Metal wire of many kinds can be found in stores that carry beading supplies. I suppose it may be a regional thing, but in my area there are a few "bead stores" that carry nothing but supplies for "hobby beaders." They have lots of types of wire and beads that can be useful for ship modeling.
 
Also, I've found some electrical parts are wound with salvageable copper wire, often in very fine gauges, which may be useful. You often have to clean off insulating coating, sometimes simply shellac, which is soluble in alcohol. The wire can be stripped by running it through a draw plate. 

That's odd.  I'm always looking for a clerk to tell me where what I'm looking for is located. Try dressing like you were going to church and see if that helps. Definitely do not wear a hoodie! You may be the victim of "retail security profiling." Is it possible you're setting off the "shoplifter alarms" every time you walk into the store?     

Metal wire of many kinds can be found in stores that carry beading supplies. I suppose it may be a regional thing, but in my area there are a few "bead stores" that carry nothing but supplies for "hobby beaders." They have lots of types of wire and beads that can be useful for ship modeling.
 
Also, I've found some electrical parts are wound with salvageable copper wire, often in very fine gauges, which may be useful. You often have to clean off insulating coating, sometimes simply shellac, which is soluble in alcohol. The wire can be stripped by running it through a draw plate.