Bob Cleek

There is at least one article on building cases in one of the Shipmodeler's Shop Notes volumes and perhaps a few posts about case making on the forum, but the search feature didn't help any when I looked for them. It's a simple enough project to make a case, although it helps to have three arms! A decent table saw is a must and you'll need to have a way of making very exactly accurate 45 degree angle cuts. This is where your Jim Saw will really come in handy!  A picture framer's 45 degree corner clamp is also very handy, although one can build their own jig for this purpose easily enough.
 
I've found the best-priced glass can be sourced from places like Michael's that do custom framing. Ask them to cut to the exact dimensions you specify and buy the picture framing glass with the UV-blocking filtering in it. I've also used simple window glass, which is a bit cheaper, but I've found a glazer's shop may not cut to the exact measurements you request and may not have the thinner glass you'd likely prefer.  
 
Construction is pretty simple and any article on building cases will give you the details. You can pick whatever method you prefer. I like glass because it doesn't scratch like the plastics can and it's less expensive. It's easier to clean, too.  I've found that you can't build a glued box plexiglas case unless you are a pro. They use special proprietary adhesives that dry to an invisible weld at the corners and if your adhesive (I've tried CA) goes anywhere that you don't want it, you'll have a mess that is relatively impossible to buff out unless you are using the professional proprietary adhesive which is only sold to licensees, I believe. If you prefer plastic, you can always build a wood frame case and glaze it with plastic.  Plastic out-gasses and that troubles me in terms of archival quality. Others' mileage varies in that respect, of course.
 
One can buy case kits, but they are expensive and the size selection is limited. Purchasing a professionally built case has always been prohibitively expensive in my estimation, although I have the tools to do it in house myself, so I'm biased in that respect. Most of the case kits on the market do not include the glass or plastic. Shipping the fragile built case from the manufacturer is quite expensive, as well. I expect the special handling and insurance is costly.
 
After trying a number of construction methods, I've settled on what I've found to be the most simple. I make two rectangles with 45 degree mitered corners. these define the shape of the top and bottom of the case frame. The top rectangle has a saw kerf cut into the inside sides of it, as well as on the bottom sides of it. (A table saw blade kerf just matches thickness of the glass I use. It should be a tight fit.) The top rectangle is assembled with the glass held in place in the saw kerfs. The corners are glued with thickened epoxy adhesive and allowed to set. Diagonal holes are then (carefully) drilled at right angles to the joints and a dowel or metal pin (or two, depending on the size of the case) is inserted into the hole(s) at each corner and glued with epoxy or CA. The bottom rectangle is assembled in the same fashion, but without the glass, of course, for which reason it will only need saw kerfs on its top sides. Then four posts are cut and saw kerfs run on the two inside sides of each post. (All this kerf cutting will take careful measurements to ensure the kerfs on the posts will be in line with the kerfs in the top and base.) The entire case is then assembled with the edges of its glass sides being captured by the saw kerfs in the top and bottom rectangles and the side posts and the side posts are glued with epoxy to the top and bottom rectangles. (Here again, fitting is critical. A little bit of extra depth in the saw kerfs is helpful. Do not force the glass panes into the kerfs. Don't ask me how I know this!) When this epoxy is cured, again carefully, drill one or two holes in the top and bottom rectangles at each corner and insert a dowel or metal pin cemented with epoxy or CA. The holes for the metal pins can then be filled with a bit of furniture refinisher's wax or putty and will be virtually invisible. If you use dowels, they can be sanded flush.
 
This wooden framed glass box is the top of the case. A base, upon which the model will rest, must be built to accept the "box" cover when it is placed over it. A rabet in the base board edge secures the case over the base and keeps it from slipping around. If one desires, holes can be drilled in the edges of the frame of the glass box and through into the edges of the baseboard rabet and a nail, brass escutcheon pin, or other unobtrusive fastener provided to slide into the holes with a "slip fit." these will prevent a disaster from occurring if someone attempts to lift up the case by the "box" instead of the baseboard, thinking it's all attached and whacks the model with the box! This is particularly relevant to small models that hamfisted cleaning ladies seem to think the can just throw around when they are dusting! 
 
It is important to provide a means for air circulation in a model case. Otherwise, an acidic atmosphere can be trapped in the case environment and cause deterioration of the model. The acid out-gasses from various sources within the case environment, including PVA adhesives and without air circulation, can reach destructive levels over time. Only a very small hole is required. A space of an eighth of an inch between the side of the baseboard rabet and the box bottom rectangle and a space of and eighth of an inch between the baseboard and the bottom of of the "box," provided by something like those adhesive felt "buttons" they sell for putting on the lower back edges of picture frames so they don't mark up the walls should be sufficient. The "rule of thumb" is that there should be one square inch of "hole" in a case for every one cubic yard of a case's interior volume, so it doesn't take much to provide enough circulation. An alternate method of providing ventilation is to make the base rectangle higher than the size of the rest of the framing rails and drill a few ventilation holes through the back of it. This "heavier" base rectangle side can also be more aesthetically pleasing, particularly if the baseboard plinth upon which the model is mounted is raised up a bit. See: Nautical Research Guild - Article - Ephemeral Materials in Ship Models (thenrg.org) for more details on preventing acid deterioration in ship model cases.
 
So, there you have it. It's not rocket science, but it does take care and accurate measurements and cutting. Building a case for a 36" model yourself can easily save you several hundred bucks!
 
Oak case with mahogany plinth made using the above-described method. Note the thicker bottom rectangle sides:

 
Detail of baseboard construction with glass box removed showing the mahogany plinth on a plywood baseboard with mitered oak trim around the edges:
 

The deeper you go into this hobby, and the more time you spend at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc. (including fabric stores) the more stuff you'll find you can use.  

Wow!  Michael’s is a goldmine of eyelets, wire and useful tools!  

I'll 'third" Allen's suggestion regarding the omission of the copper plate tacks: Please don't! We've got a whole generation of models with the "pox." Three hundred years from now, based on the few models then extant, modelers will be arguing on some other ship modeling forum that "contemporary" models in museums prove the fact that copper plate was held on by three-inch headed round-headed rivets!
 
A note about cutting copper sheet with a lever-action paper cutter (my preferred method) or with scissors:
 
You will likely find that in cutting strips of copper sheet on a paper cutter, the off-cut strip will curl to the side. A strip of cut copper sheet can easily be straightened out by placing one end in a vise and the other in a pair of pliers and pulling hard in a straight line away from the fixed side. When I have a bunch of strips to straighten, I place one handle of a pair of vise-grip pliers in my big bench vise with the grip  holding tension set to hold the strips, and then place one after the other into the vise-grips in succession for pulling without having to continually re-adjust the vise-grips in the vise to hold each strip. Using another pair of vise grips on the "pulling" end will also prevent hand-fatigue if you have a lot of strips to straighten. Squeezing an ordinary pair of pliers tight enough to hold the strip while you pull on it can put a lot of repetitive strain on your hand holding the pliers.

This thread shouldn't be eliminated. It should be preserved for posterity. It proves that determination and thought will provide the solution of most any daunting modeling challenge. As they say, "It shows you're thinking!" All to often, someone posts a question, gets the answer, and then argues about why it can't be done that way.  

An excellent approach! Thanks for sharing it.

This thread shouldn't be eliminated. It should be preserved for posterity. It proves that determination and thought will provide the solution of most any daunting modeling challenge. As they say, "It shows you're thinking!" All to often, someone posts a question, gets the answer, and then argues about why it can't be done that way.  

This thread shouldn't be eliminated. It should be preserved for posterity. It proves that determination and thought will provide the solution of most any daunting modeling challenge. As they say, "It shows you're thinking!" All to often, someone posts a question, gets the answer, and then argues about why it can't be done that way.  

Guess what, people!  I, like, totally cut the aluminum tubes all by myself!  It doesn't pay to look too close at the first one but it's usable.  I guess the moderator can eliminate this thread.

A number of years ago I bought a good quality paper cutter, the kind where a lever pivots and shears the paper.  It will cut thin copper and brass sheet cleanly.
 
I second Allen’s suggestion about trying to simulate nails in the plates: Don’t!
 
Roger

Ciao Gabriele,
Welcome to MSW!!!  Qual è la tua citta o paese in Italia?
 
Per Goodwin in The Construction and Fitting of the English Man of War the plates are about 48" X 15" and weigh 8.75 pounds for most of the hull and up to 32 pounds in the areas receiving the most wear given above.  What thickness are you trying to use?  If you go with an average weight/thickness it should be so thin at scale that it is thinner than paper so you can cut it with  scissors.  Note that at your scale, the 1/4" nails which were the size used according to Goodwin,  will barely be visible and maybe best left off.   If you do want to show them they should be indented as they are nailed, not sticking up like the head of a bolt as seen on some modern models.  
 
Have you looked at the various builds here at MSW that show how those builders did the coppering?   
 
Allan

I use pieces of 1/32" brass rod to position the toe rail. Here's how I do it:
 
I place the forward end of the toe rail up against the stem (or wherever its final position is supposed to be). While holding it in place with one hand, I drill down through the toe rail into the deck beneath. (Be careful not to drill out the side of the hull but you want the brass rod to be in the deck deep enough that it won't easily fall out.)  I then stick a piece of 1/32" brass rod into the hole, through the toe rail and down into the deck, then snip the excess rod off leaving about a half-inch above the toe rail. No glue at this point.
 
Now, move aft along the hull and toe rail until you reach a point where the toe rail needs to curve inward. Hold the toe rail in place, drill a hole there through the toe rail and deck, and insert another piece of brass rod. Keep working your way aft inserting more rods as necessary to keep the toe rail conformed to the desired curvature. 
 
At this point, the toe rail should be lying nicely in place without you having to hold it at all. Carefully lift the toe rail off the deck a quarter inch or so, being sure that the brass rods don't come out of the holes in the deck. That will allow you to put your glue of choice on the deck or underside of the toe rail. Press the toe rail back down into place and wait for the glue to dry. I typically prefer small dots of medium CA for this purpose. I always put a dot on each of the pieces of brass rod where they go into the deck. If you prefer yellow glue, you may need to hold the toe rail tight to the deck with tape until the glue dries.
 
Once the glue has dried, snip off the remaining ends of the brass rod and file them down level with the top of the toe rail.
 
In the picture below, you can see a few of the brass rods I used for this particular boat after they had been filed down. No two boats are alike, so placement of the rods will vary.  If your toe rail has scupper holes, be careful not to put a piece of brass rod through the hole.
 

 
It is helpful if the hole you drill is just slightly smaller than the 1/32" brass rod. You want a snug fit but not so tight that you can't move the toe rail off the deck. Make a hole in a test piece before you start drilling into the model itself. This technique can work for rub rails as well. Figuring out just where to bend the rub rail can take a little practice, so you might want to do a test run on some scrap to get a feel for how it works  before you move to the model.
 
Hope this helps -
John

Excellent post!  The twisties work really well but as you mentioned the end diameter is to wide for some drilled holes.  Going to buy some round pliers.  

The twisted wire method of making eyebolts pictured above works wonderfully for small eyebolts. I find, however, that as the wire size increases, the twisted shaft's diameter increases as well and can easily require a drilled hole much larger than you want on your model. (Sometimes too large to work on a slim spar, making them too weak and likely to break.) Really, what you will find easier, and useful for many purposes, is a jeweler's round-nosed pliers such as Allan pictured in his post above. They are not expensive at all, although I'd urge you to buy the best tools you can afford because they will last you a lifetime and these will get used a lot. They come in various sizes, some with very slim points.
 

 

 
They are also made with stepped points which will ensure that you easily make the same sized diameter loop at each step.
 

 
And, last but not least, there are pliers which have a round point and a concave anvil point for making perfectly half-round bends which are really handy for making hooks:
 

 
Having the right tools for metal work is pretty important. This last tool is really what you want for eyebolts that are open. Cutting the "twisties" may work, but you'll probably end up with twisted shanks that are too fat and you don't need them, anyhow.
 
Check out online jeweler's tool and orthodontic instrument retailers. You can get these various pliers for as little as five or six bucks apiece, on up to fifteen or twenty bucks in brushed stainless steel for the fancy ones. "He who dies with the most tools wins!"

I’m afraid this post has gotten off track. I was only asking about the controls on the airbrush I bought.  I’m not looking for a a different compressor, a different airbrush, or different paints. 
 
Thank you, I’d like to close this post. I have the answers I was looking for regarding the controls of the airbrush I have. If you read my replies I have only a small limited interest or use for an air brush. I appreciate the extra info, perhaps others will find it helpful.

The twisted wire method of making eyebolts pictured above works wonderfully for small eyebolts. I find, however, that as the wire size increases, the twisted shaft's diameter increases as well and can easily require a drilled hole much larger than you want on your model. (Sometimes too large to work on a slim spar, making them too weak and likely to break.) Really, what you will find easier, and useful for many purposes, is a jeweler's round-nosed pliers such as Allan pictured in his post above. They are not expensive at all, although I'd urge you to buy the best tools you can afford because they will last you a lifetime and these will get used a lot. They come in various sizes, some with very slim points.
 

 

 
They are also made with stepped points which will ensure that you easily make the same sized diameter loop at each step.
 

 
And, last but not least, there are pliers which have a round point and a concave anvil point for making perfectly half-round bends which are really handy for making hooks:
 

 
Having the right tools for metal work is pretty important. This last tool is really what you want for eyebolts that are open. Cutting the "twisties" may work, but you'll probably end up with twisted shanks that are too fat and you don't need them, anyhow.
 
Check out online jeweler's tool and orthodontic instrument retailers. You can get these various pliers for as little as five or six bucks apiece, on up to fifteen or twenty bucks in brushed stainless steel for the fancy ones. "He who dies with the most tools wins!"

The twisted wire method of making eyebolts pictured above works wonderfully for small eyebolts. I find, however, that as the wire size increases, the twisted shaft's diameter increases as well and can easily require a drilled hole much larger than you want on your model. (Sometimes too large to work on a slim spar, making them too weak and likely to break.) Really, what you will find easier, and useful for many purposes, is a jeweler's round-nosed pliers such as Allan pictured in his post above. They are not expensive at all, although I'd urge you to buy the best tools you can afford because they will last you a lifetime and these will get used a lot. They come in various sizes, some with very slim points.
 

 

 
They are also made with stepped points which will ensure that you easily make the same sized diameter loop at each step.
 

 
And, last but not least, there are pliers which have a round point and a concave anvil point for making perfectly half-round bends which are really handy for making hooks:
 

 
Having the right tools for metal work is pretty important. This last tool is really what you want for eyebolts that are open. Cutting the "twisties" may work, but you'll probably end up with twisted shanks that are too fat and you don't need them, anyhow.
 
Check out online jeweler's tool and orthodontic instrument retailers. You can get these various pliers for as little as five or six bucks apiece, on up to fifteen or twenty bucks in brushed stainless steel for the fancy ones. "He who dies with the most tools wins!"

The distinction between primer and sanding undercoat is often overlooked. Primer is thin and soaks into the bare wood surface. It can be thinned paint or shellac. I prefer shellac as it is thinned with alcohol and dries quickly to a hard coating that sands easily while penetrating the wood well. For those using water-based acrylics, you should not use a water-based primer on bare wood because the water will raise the grain on the bare wood surface. For this reason, among others, my standard primer is shellac. (Which is also cheap and readily available!)
 
Applying repeated coats of thin primer will take much longer to fill grain and other imperfections, as will applying repeated costs of finish paint. Sanding undercoat is a huge time-saver. Also note that filling imperfections with sanding undercoat has its limitations. It isn't intended for filling a 1/32" gap in planking. For that use surfacing putty (sometimes called "fairing putty",) which is a peanut-butter consistency acetone-thinned material similar to sanding undercoat that is used for filling larger imperfections. Surfacing putty should be covered with primer or sanding undercoat after sanding fair and before applying any finish paint because it may absorb some of the later-applied coating and create a visible difference in the later coat, often a "flat finish" that sticks out like a sore thumb on a gloss finish coat.
 
Once primed, a sanding undercoat is used to fill the small imperfections and grain. This undercoat paint is relatively thick and contains a fair portion of talc (chalk) which is what thickens it so it will fill the low spots and makes it very easy to sand. The undercoat, when fully dried, is sanded smooth. If some imperfections remain, another coat is applied and sanded again, and so on until the surface is perfect. Close examination under good light is preferred, and for final examination running the fingertips lightly over the surface is recommended because your fingertips are more sensitive for judging smoothness than your eyes.  Only after the surface is prepared in this fashion, should one apply the finish coats thinly until the desired finish is achieved. 
 
Oil-based sanding undercoat can be covered by water-based finishes because it is sufficiently flat to provide a mechanical bond, although if one is using  a water-based finish coat, it's safer to use water-based sanding undercoat. Oil-based paint and varnish are preferred for fine finishes due to their more durable harder surfaces which are easier to sand and polish. However, many prefer acrylics for their faster drying time and other more user-friendly qualities.
'
And the one rule that must often be followed and is rarely mentioned is to always, always, always, test every paint or varnish you are going to use on a scrap of the same material you are going to finish before you start applying it to the finished workpiece! This may be difficult for the impatient, but the additional time taken will ensure you avoid tremendous grief. Finishing is sometimes a mysterious process. Sometimes the smallest differences in the mixing of materials, their age, or the ambient environment can result in a failure, usually in adhesion or drying. It's often difficult to know why and frequently unpredictable. It's far better to know that before you've an applied incompatible or defective coating to an entire hull or to small, detailed parts that are nearly impossible to strip and start over on.

Using heat from a clothes iron or other suitable device, bend your toe rail to shape first, then glue it in place. 

The distinction between primer and sanding undercoat is often overlooked. Primer is thin and soaks into the bare wood surface. It can be thinned paint or shellac. I prefer shellac as it is thinned with alcohol and dries quickly to a hard coating that sands easily while penetrating the wood well. For those using water-based acrylics, you should not use a water-based primer on bare wood because the water will raise the grain on the bare wood surface. For this reason, among others, my standard primer is shellac. (Which is also cheap and readily available!)
 
Applying repeated coats of thin primer will take much longer to fill grain and other imperfections, as will applying repeated costs of finish paint. Sanding undercoat is a huge time-saver. Also note that filling imperfections with sanding undercoat has its limitations. It isn't intended for filling a 1/32" gap in planking. For that use surfacing putty (sometimes called "fairing putty",) which is a peanut-butter consistency acetone-thinned material similar to sanding undercoat that is used for filling larger imperfections. Surfacing putty should be covered with primer or sanding undercoat after sanding fair and before applying any finish paint because it may absorb some of the later-applied coating and create a visible difference in the later coat, often a "flat finish" that sticks out like a sore thumb on a gloss finish coat.
 
Once primed, a sanding undercoat is used to fill the small imperfections and grain. This undercoat paint is relatively thick and contains a fair portion of talc (chalk) which is what thickens it so it will fill the low spots and makes it very easy to sand. The undercoat, when fully dried, is sanded smooth. If some imperfections remain, another coat is applied and sanded again, and so on until the surface is perfect. Close examination under good light is preferred, and for final examination running the fingertips lightly over the surface is recommended because your fingertips are more sensitive for judging smoothness than your eyes.  Only after the surface is prepared in this fashion, should one apply the finish coats thinly until the desired finish is achieved. 
 
Oil-based sanding undercoat can be covered by water-based finishes because it is sufficiently flat to provide a mechanical bond, although if one is using  a water-based finish coat, it's safer to use water-based sanding undercoat. Oil-based paint and varnish are preferred for fine finishes due to their more durable harder surfaces which are easier to sand and polish. However, many prefer acrylics for their faster drying time and other more user-friendly qualities.
'
And the one rule that must often be followed and is rarely mentioned is to always, always, always, test every paint or varnish you are going to use on a scrap of the same material you are going to finish before you start applying it to the finished workpiece! This may be difficult for the impatient, but the additional time taken will ensure you avoid tremendous grief. Finishing is sometimes a mysterious process. Sometimes the smallest differences in the mixing of materials, their age, or the ambient environment can result in a failure, usually in adhesion or drying. It's often difficult to know why and frequently unpredictable. It's far better to know that before you've an applied incompatible or defective coating to an entire hull or to small, detailed parts that are nearly impossible to strip and start over on.

The distinction between primer and sanding undercoat is often overlooked. Primer is thin and soaks into the bare wood surface. It can be thinned paint or shellac. I prefer shellac as it is thinned with alcohol and dries quickly to a hard coating that sands easily while penetrating the wood well. For those using water-based acrylics, you should not use a water-based primer on bare wood because the water will raise the grain on the bare wood surface. For this reason, among others, my standard primer is shellac. (Which is also cheap and readily available!)
 
Applying repeated coats of thin primer will take much longer to fill grain and other imperfections, as will applying repeated costs of finish paint. Sanding undercoat is a huge time-saver. Also note that filling imperfections with sanding undercoat has its limitations. It isn't intended for filling a 1/32" gap in planking. For that use surfacing putty (sometimes called "fairing putty",) which is a peanut-butter consistency acetone-thinned material similar to sanding undercoat that is used for filling larger imperfections. Surfacing putty should be covered with primer or sanding undercoat after sanding fair and before applying any finish paint because it may absorb some of the later-applied coating and create a visible difference in the later coat, often a "flat finish" that sticks out like a sore thumb on a gloss finish coat.
 
Once primed, a sanding undercoat is used to fill the small imperfections and grain. This undercoat paint is relatively thick and contains a fair portion of talc (chalk) which is what thickens it so it will fill the low spots and makes it very easy to sand. The undercoat, when fully dried, is sanded smooth. If some imperfections remain, another coat is applied and sanded again, and so on until the surface is perfect. Close examination under good light is preferred, and for final examination running the fingertips lightly over the surface is recommended because your fingertips are more sensitive for judging smoothness than your eyes.  Only after the surface is prepared in this fashion, should one apply the finish coats thinly until the desired finish is achieved. 
 
Oil-based sanding undercoat can be covered by water-based finishes because it is sufficiently flat to provide a mechanical bond, although if one is using  a water-based finish coat, it's safer to use water-based sanding undercoat. Oil-based paint and varnish are preferred for fine finishes due to their more durable harder surfaces which are easier to sand and polish. However, many prefer acrylics for their faster drying time and other more user-friendly qualities.
'
And the one rule that must often be followed and is rarely mentioned is to always, always, always, test every paint or varnish you are going to use on a scrap of the same material you are going to finish before you start applying it to the finished workpiece! This may be difficult for the impatient, but the additional time taken will ensure you avoid tremendous grief. Finishing is sometimes a mysterious process. Sometimes the smallest differences in the mixing of materials, their age, or the ambient environment can result in a failure, usually in adhesion or drying. It's often difficult to know why and frequently unpredictable. It's far better to know that before you've an applied incompatible or defective coating to an entire hull or to small, detailed parts that are nearly impossible to strip and start over on.

Be sure to save the box and packing materials. You will need them for sending it back.  
 
Tubed quality artist's oils and acrylics properly thinned as they have recommended are fine for airbrushing and also for brush painting. They are intended to be thinned as the user requires. While you may have to acquire the skill to mix colors which perfectly match 1942 Wehrmacht armor paint as opposed to 1943 Wehrmacht armor paint, as some require, tubed paste artist's colors are far less expensive than the small containers of model paints and particularly so the small premixed bottles of "airbrush paint" for modeling. The tubed colors are also far less likely to dry up on your shelf.

I think you meant Teredo worm, Ron: Torpedo worm damage is much more serious!

It looks like your planking job gave you a nice fair hull- Well Done!
 
I would fill any large nicks and gaps with a sandable filler, one that will completely harden.  I would not try to fill the pores in the wood.  Then sand thoroughly.  Many modelers consider the first coat of primer to be sacrificial. Then prime again. It may take more than one additional sand and prime cycle to get the results that you are looking for.
 
Roger

If it were me I would fill, sand, prime again. It looks good now and will look even better when painted.