Bob Cleek

Ditto to that! Designed for Swiss military field mechanics, it's also known as the "Swiss Army Vise." My 30 year old Zyliss vise is one of my favorite tools. It will hold anything in darn near any position. It can even be used as a wood lathe driven by your drill motor. It's the closest thing to a good patternmaker's vise and far less costly. Portable, it can be clamped to a bench top or whatever's handy. Some time back, they subcontracted the casting to some Chiawanese outfit and went to pot metal.  Find an older one on eBay and forget the "70% off" sales. They are trying to unload the crappy Asian units that keep getting returned.
 

Or you can use it as a stationary disk sander or grinder (with a grinding wheel in the drill motor!)
 


 
If you have the luck to find one and the money to buy it, there's nothing better than an old fashioned patternmaker's vise.
 

 
The patternmaker's vise, while appearing like a conventional woodworking bench vise when "at rest," actually has the ability to be moved in all directions so as to provide a convenient angle of attack for the patternmaker's chisels and rasps. Really the ultimate in "planking vises."
 
For fine work, I prefer a jeweler's vise with a detachable head so the head can be mounted in a bench vise if you want both hands free to do the work and standard machinist's vises of various sizes that are also used on my drill presses, milling machine, and lathes. This somewhat unusual jeweler's vise has pegs that fit in holes on the face of the vise to hold irregularly shaped items and will screw off the handle and fit in a larger bench vise if you want. It's perfect for holding small pieces for very fine detail painting, too.
 

 
 
 

Thanks a million for the heads up, Jim! I just scored 'em.  They were just used once to make a motor mount and landing gear for a model airplane. The poor fella came down with a serious medical problem and isn't able to use his shop anymore. I'll have to drive a hour and a half each way to pick them up, but that's a lot cheaper than what the shipping would have cost.
 
What amazed me was that these had been on eBay for as long as they had, nearly a month, and hadn't been snapped up already. The seller told me he had dozens of offers at the asking price but they wanted to have him ship them and he didn't want to deal with the shipping so he turned them all down. Lucky for me, none of them thought to have somebody pick them up and ship the machines for them.
 
Like a lot of people, I had been sniffing around the fire plug to buy a "Jim saw" for a long time, but hadn't yet lifted my leg. However, time and tide wait for no man, so I grabbed these when the opportunity presented itself.  Don't worry, Jim. You may have missed this sale, but you'll be hearing from me in the near future. I'll be looking to buy tooling. He who dies with the most tools, wins!
 
Thanks so much for passing the word!

Thanks a million for the heads up, Jim! I just scored 'em.  They were just used once to make a motor mount and landing gear for a model airplane. The poor fella came down with a serious medical problem and isn't able to use his shop anymore. I'll have to drive a hour and a half each way to pick them up, but that's a lot cheaper than what the shipping would have cost.
 
What amazed me was that these had been on eBay for as long as they had, nearly a month, and hadn't been snapped up already. The seller told me he had dozens of offers at the asking price but they wanted to have him ship them and he didn't want to deal with the shipping so he turned them all down. Lucky for me, none of them thought to have somebody pick them up and ship the machines for them.
 
Like a lot of people, I had been sniffing around the fire plug to buy a "Jim saw" for a long time, but hadn't yet lifted my leg. However, time and tide wait for no man, so I grabbed these when the opportunity presented itself.  Don't worry, Jim. You may have missed this sale, but you'll be hearing from me in the near future. I'll be looking to buy tooling. He who dies with the most tools, wins!
 
Thanks so much for passing the word!

Ditto to that! Designed for Swiss military field mechanics, it's also known as the "Swiss Army Vise." My 30 year old Zyliss vise is one of my favorite tools. It will hold anything in darn near any position. It can even be used as a wood lathe driven by your drill motor. It's the closest thing to a good patternmaker's vise and far less costly. Portable, it can be clamped to a bench top or whatever's handy. Some time back, they subcontracted the casting to some Chiawanese outfit and went to pot metal.  Find an older one on eBay and forget the "70% off" sales. They are trying to unload the crappy Asian units that keep getting returned.
 

Or you can use it as a stationary disk sander or grinder (with a grinding wheel in the drill motor!)
 


 
If you have the luck to find one and the money to buy it, there's nothing better than an old fashioned patternmaker's vise.
 

 
The patternmaker's vise, while appearing like a conventional woodworking bench vise when "at rest," actually has the ability to be moved in all directions so as to provide a convenient angle of attack for the patternmaker's chisels and rasps. Really the ultimate in "planking vises."
 
For fine work, I prefer a jeweler's vise with a detachable head so the head can be mounted in a bench vise if you want both hands free to do the work and standard machinist's vises of various sizes that are also used on my drill presses, milling machine, and lathes. This somewhat unusual jeweler's vise has pegs that fit in holes on the face of the vise to hold irregularly shaped items and will screw off the handle and fit in a larger bench vise if you want. It's perfect for holding small pieces for very fine detail painting, too.
 

 
 
 

Good sources of quality tools are medical and dental supply houses. Many jeweler's supply houses do carry good stuff, as well, but at a seriously high price. eBay can also be a promising hunting ground, if you know what to look for. Outfits like Micro-Mark have many hard-to-find tools, but sometimes at hugely inflated prices (wait for their sales) and often at a much lower quality. For example, MicroMark sells a cheaply made pair of 6" proportional dividers made by Tasco for around $100, or as low as around $60 on sale, but you can often find a cased 10" German silver Keuffel and Esser "Paragon" model with rack and pinion adjustment (their top of the line) on eBay for the same price, and seven and a half inch dividers of similar professional quality for much less. Notably, the K&E Paragon model 10" dividers have "universal decimal scaling," accurate to, IIRC, .005 using its Vernier scale adjustment.
 
Micro Mark 6" chromed steel:
 

 
Keuffel and Esser "Paragon" 10" proportional dividers:
 

 
 

Thanks a million for the heads up, Jim! I just scored 'em.  They were just used once to make a motor mount and landing gear for a model airplane. The poor fella came down with a serious medical problem and isn't able to use his shop anymore. I'll have to drive a hour and a half each way to pick them up, but that's a lot cheaper than what the shipping would have cost.
 
What amazed me was that these had been on eBay for as long as they had, nearly a month, and hadn't been snapped up already. The seller told me he had dozens of offers at the asking price but they wanted to have him ship them and he didn't want to deal with the shipping so he turned them all down. Lucky for me, none of them thought to have somebody pick them up and ship the machines for them.
 
Like a lot of people, I had been sniffing around the fire plug to buy a "Jim saw" for a long time, but hadn't yet lifted my leg. However, time and tide wait for no man, so I grabbed these when the opportunity presented itself.  Don't worry, Jim. You may have missed this sale, but you'll be hearing from me in the near future. I'll be looking to buy tooling. He who dies with the most tools, wins!
 
Thanks so much for passing the word!

I saw a "waxing" sign in the window of a beauty parlor the other day and asked them if they did ship model rigging and all I got was a blank stare.
 
You should wax because:
 
It eliminates the "fuzz" so your rigging will appear true to scale.
 
It tends to seal the thread and prevent its holding moisture ambient in the air.
 
It makes the thread stiffer, which can be a help in forming catenaries when portraying slack lines.
 
It can make threading the thread through holes easier as it makes the thread stiffer, although dipping the end of a thread in CA glue these days will turn the end of a thread into its own "needle" and is easily clipped off when the threading is done.
 
Beeswax will eventually dry to a hard surface which won't hold dust, but if you don't put your model in a case, it probably isn't going to last long enough for dust to be a problem.
 
I simply draw the thread over a block of pure beeswax several passes and then between my thumb and forefinger to remove any excess and even out the application.  Always has worked for me.

Have you tried canting the Unimat headstock towards you and supporting the tailstock end of the work with your hand for use in tapering spars "free-hand?" 
 
Another option is to remove the tailstock, cant the headstock to obtain the desired angle, support the end of the work in whatever creative fashion suits your fancy, and use the cross-slide with an appropriate wood-cutting tool to cut an exact taper. (Gently, gently...)
 
I expect you probably have, and these are somewhat funky ways to do it, but I mention them in case you haven't tried them. Truth be told, my 10" Atlas is my usual go-to weapon for attacking spar tapering, as well as milling, given that I've got the tool post milling attachment for the Atlas.

Have you tried canting the Unimat headstock towards you and supporting the tailstock end of the work with your hand for use in tapering spars "free-hand?" 
 
Another option is to remove the tailstock, cant the headstock to obtain the desired angle, support the end of the work in whatever creative fashion suits your fancy, and use the cross-slide with an appropriate wood-cutting tool to cut an exact taper. (Gently, gently...)
 
I expect you probably have, and these are somewhat funky ways to do it, but I mention them in case you haven't tried them. Truth be told, my 10" Atlas is my usual go-to weapon for attacking spar tapering, as well as milling, given that I've got the tool post milling attachment for the Atlas.

Before you get into things like lacquer thinner and paint strippers, try denatured alcohol. Back in the day, I believe a lot of that sort of coil wire was insulated with a coating of shellac and the color of the wire suggests this. If it's shellac, you're in luck. Just soak to soften and wipe off with a rag soaked in alcohol.

Before you get into things like lacquer thinner and paint strippers, try denatured alcohol. Back in the day, I believe a lot of that sort of coil wire was insulated with a coating of shellac and the color of the wire suggests this. If it's shellac, you're in luck. Just soak to soften and wipe off with a rag soaked in alcohol.

Before you get into things like lacquer thinner and paint strippers, try denatured alcohol. Back in the day, I believe a lot of that sort of coil wire was insulated with a coating of shellac and the color of the wire suggests this. If it's shellac, you're in luck. Just soak to soften and wipe off with a rag soaked in alcohol.

Yes, it's easy to do the math to get a decimal equivalent, but there are a lot of other settings where the chart is really handy.  Older K&E 10" Paragon decimal scaled proportional dividers came with a fabric-hinged folding cardboard chart (which is often lost and missing) and the later models have the settings "cheat sheet" on a piece of metal attached to the bottom of the case.  If all else fails, a bit of googling should turn up a copy of the "cheat sheet" easily enough, or, at worst, a photo of the bottom of the case with a readable settings plate.

Yes, it's easy to do the math to get a decimal equivalent, but there are a lot of other settings where the chart is really handy.  Older K&E 10" Paragon decimal scaled proportional dividers came with a fabric-hinged folding cardboard chart (which is often lost and missing) and the later models have the settings "cheat sheet" on a piece of metal attached to the bottom of the case.  If all else fails, a bit of googling should turn up a copy of the "cheat sheet" easily enough, or, at worst, a photo of the bottom of the case with a readable settings plate.

Yes, it's easy to do the math to get a decimal equivalent, but there are a lot of other settings where the chart is really handy.  Older K&E 10" Paragon decimal scaled proportional dividers came with a fabric-hinged folding cardboard chart (which is often lost and missing) and the later models have the settings "cheat sheet" on a piece of metal attached to the bottom of the case.  If all else fails, a bit of googling should turn up a copy of the "cheat sheet" easily enough, or, at worst, a photo of the bottom of the case with a readable settings plate.

I was rather surprised that some modelers weren't familiar with the proportional dividers.  I find them essential. I suppose because I do a lot of scratch work and I find myself redrawing lines published in old books (Chapelle, etc.) that will be prints of larger drawings reproduced without regard to scale.  With a good set of proportional dividers, all you need is a single identified measurement (a non-fractional measurement is best) and with your dividers set to your working scale, away you go!  Just take a distance from the page in the book and the other side gives you the distance to the scale you've set.  There are, as mentioned, a lot of other things you can do with them as well, such as drawing a square with the same area as a particular circle and vice versa, but I've yet to learn who really needs to do that.
 
I collect fine drafting instruments for my own use.  Most I've bought on fleaBay and I check for listings frequently.  I'll pass on that the prices do vary wildly, depending on condition, quality and rarity.  Condition may not always be a relevant factor if you are looking for a "user."  Some oaf may have scratched his name into the instrument and/or the case may be in rough shape.  That can mean a $100 or $150 reduction, leaving what would be a "mint" $200 instrument going for only $50, yet be entirely satisfactory for use nonetheless.
 
The proportional dividers that you want to look for are the 10" pairs with "110 scaling" or "decimal scaling."  This scaling permits setting proportions in "decimal equivalents" (e.g. 1/2 = .50)  These instruments will have rack and pinion geared adjustment and Vernier adjustment to decimals out to .0005 (If memory serves... perhaps there's an extra zero in there... don't hold me to it.)  These instruments will be manufactured by Keuffel and Esser and Bowen in straight point configuration and right angle point configurations (as pictured above.)  You will likely never see a right angle pointed set on fleaBay.  They are extremely rare.  I expect that at some time Dietzgen made decimal equivalent scaled proportional dividers, but I've never seen a set on fleaBay.  The most commonly offered are the K&E 10" "Paragon" decimal scaled models.  "Paragon" was K&E's top of the line series of instruments and the "110" decimal equivalent scaled dividers were only offered in the "Paragon" line.  They are made of "German silver," which is an alloy of nickel and copper, much similar to monel.  Their "Parogon" were made of cold rolled German silver and hand fitted. (Each will bear matching part serial numbers.  They were sold in silk velvet lined cases. The back of the case in newer production has a metal plate on the bottom with all the various decimal equivalents etched in it, which is quite helpful.  Older models have a cardboard insert (often missing) that has the same information. (The information is easily found on line in any event.)
 
There are also commonly 6" and 7.5" proportional dividers.  The 7.5" models do come with rack and pinion adjustment but not with the more accurate Vernier adjustment feature.  They are, however, useable.  The 6" models do not have rack and pinion adjustment and neither do some of the 7.5" models.  Don't waste your money on anything that does not have rack and pinion adjustment.  While useable, the "slide" adjustment models aren't anywhere near as accurate.  Similarly, pay the few extra bucks for the "110" decimal scaling.  The other proportional dividers have scaling that corresponds to fractions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and so on, and settings in between are "by guess and by golly."  Also, you will see "Russian Navy" and "Weems and Plath" proportional dividers offered.  Take a pass on these because they are "navigational dividers" and, although they work the same and are useable, they are scaled for "time" and "distance" proportions for use on maps and their scaling isn't useful for modeling measurement conversions. (You can adjust them for plans measurement conversions by comparison to a rule and/or tick strips, but this is rather tedious)
 
In summary, what you want to look for on eBay is a Keuffel and Esser 10" "Paragon" proportional divider with "110" decimal scaling.  They are relatively common because they were the "professional's choice" for many years.  A "mint" example with an excellent case will sell for as much as $225, but very "clean" examples regularly go for around $125 at the moment.  Examples that are a bit "rough," mainly due to a worn case, can be had for $75 or even $50.
 
If you work from drawings to the scale you are building (i.e. as with kit plans,) you can live without a proportional divider, but if you are working from plans in one scale (or no scale, as in many lines drawings found in old books,) you will be amazed at how you ever before lived without them.  Yes, you can measure a distance and then punch that into a calculator and then measure off the result, over and over again, or you can set your dividers once and then simply measure the drawing at one end of the dividers and have the proportional distance simultaneously provided between the points of the other end of the dividers.  It doesn't get any faster or simpler than that.                                                          

There's no such thing as too many tools and those pictured above are very nice, but before those were available, I just used a plain "cheapo" pin vise (the ones without the rotating knobs on the ends, etc.) into which I chucked the bit and then just chucked the whole pin vise in my drill press chuck.  It worked like a charm.  Unless precision drilling is required, as with very small holes to be threaded or where depth and perpendicularity is critical, I usually do all small diameter drilling by hand.  I save a lot on drill bits that way!
 
I also made up a ring clamp holder for my Foredom hand-pieces which mounts on the tool-post of my 12" Craftsman/Atlas lathe.  The hand-pieces will accommodate fine size drill bits in collets or small chucks.  The Foredom foot pedal can keep speeds down for delicate work (avoiding broken bits) and with the hand-piece in the cross-slide on the lathe, you can drill fine work very precisely and even use it as a tool-post grinder.
 

I was rather surprised that some modelers weren't familiar with the proportional dividers.  I find them essential. I suppose because I do a lot of scratch work and I find myself redrawing lines published in old books (Chapelle, etc.) that will be prints of larger drawings reproduced without regard to scale.  With a good set of proportional dividers, all you need is a single identified measurement (a non-fractional measurement is best) and with your dividers set to your working scale, away you go!  Just take a distance from the page in the book and the other side gives you the distance to the scale you've set.  There are, as mentioned, a lot of other things you can do with them as well, such as drawing a square with the same area as a particular circle and vice versa, but I've yet to learn who really needs to do that.
 
I collect fine drafting instruments for my own use.  Most I've bought on fleaBay and I check for listings frequently.  I'll pass on that the prices do vary wildly, depending on condition, quality and rarity.  Condition may not always be a relevant factor if you are looking for a "user."  Some oaf may have scratched his name into the instrument and/or the case may be in rough shape.  That can mean a $100 or $150 reduction, leaving what would be a "mint" $200 instrument going for only $50, yet be entirely satisfactory for use nonetheless.
 
The proportional dividers that you want to look for are the 10" pairs with "110 scaling" or "decimal scaling."  This scaling permits setting proportions in "decimal equivalents" (e.g. 1/2 = .50)  These instruments will have rack and pinion geared adjustment and Vernier adjustment to decimals out to .0005 (If memory serves... perhaps there's an extra zero in there... don't hold me to it.)  These instruments will be manufactured by Keuffel and Esser and Bowen in straight point configuration and right angle point configurations (as pictured above.)  You will likely never see a right angle pointed set on fleaBay.  They are extremely rare.  I expect that at some time Dietzgen made decimal equivalent scaled proportional dividers, but I've never seen a set on fleaBay.  The most commonly offered are the K&E 10" "Paragon" decimal scaled models.  "Paragon" was K&E's top of the line series of instruments and the "110" decimal equivalent scaled dividers were only offered in the "Paragon" line.  They are made of "German silver," which is an alloy of nickel and copper, much similar to monel.  Their "Parogon" were made of cold rolled German silver and hand fitted. (Each will bear matching part serial numbers.  They were sold in silk velvet lined cases. The back of the case in newer production has a metal plate on the bottom with all the various decimal equivalents etched in it, which is quite helpful.  Older models have a cardboard insert (often missing) that has the same information. (The information is easily found on line in any event.)
 
There are also commonly 6" and 7.5" proportional dividers.  The 7.5" models do come with rack and pinion adjustment but not with the more accurate Vernier adjustment feature.  They are, however, useable.  The 6" models do not have rack and pinion adjustment and neither do some of the 7.5" models.  Don't waste your money on anything that does not have rack and pinion adjustment.  While useable, the "slide" adjustment models aren't anywhere near as accurate.  Similarly, pay the few extra bucks for the "110" decimal scaling.  The other proportional dividers have scaling that corresponds to fractions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and so on, and settings in between are "by guess and by golly."  Also, you will see "Russian Navy" and "Weems and Plath" proportional dividers offered.  Take a pass on these because they are "navigational dividers" and, although they work the same and are useable, they are scaled for "time" and "distance" proportions for use on maps and their scaling isn't useful for modeling measurement conversions. (You can adjust them for plans measurement conversions by comparison to a rule and/or tick strips, but this is rather tedious)
 
In summary, what you want to look for on eBay is a Keuffel and Esser 10" "Paragon" proportional divider with "110" decimal scaling.  They are relatively common because they were the "professional's choice" for many years.  A "mint" example with an excellent case will sell for as much as $225, but very "clean" examples regularly go for around $125 at the moment.  Examples that are a bit "rough," mainly due to a worn case, can be had for $75 or even $50.
 
If you work from drawings to the scale you are building (i.e. as with kit plans,) you can live without a proportional divider, but if you are working from plans in one scale (or no scale, as in many lines drawings found in old books,) you will be amazed at how you ever before lived without them.  Yes, you can measure a distance and then punch that into a calculator and then measure off the result, over and over again, or you can set your dividers once and then simply measure the drawing at one end of the dividers and have the proportional distance simultaneously provided between the points of the other end of the dividers.  It doesn't get any faster or simpler than that.                                                          

I was rather surprised that some modelers weren't familiar with the proportional dividers.  I find them essential. I suppose because I do a lot of scratch work and I find myself redrawing lines published in old books (Chapelle, etc.) that will be prints of larger drawings reproduced without regard to scale.  With a good set of proportional dividers, all you need is a single identified measurement (a non-fractional measurement is best) and with your dividers set to your working scale, away you go!  Just take a distance from the page in the book and the other side gives you the distance to the scale you've set.  There are, as mentioned, a lot of other things you can do with them as well, such as drawing a square with the same area as a particular circle and vice versa, but I've yet to learn who really needs to do that.
 
I collect fine drafting instruments for my own use.  Most I've bought on fleaBay and I check for listings frequently.  I'll pass on that the prices do vary wildly, depending on condition, quality and rarity.  Condition may not always be a relevant factor if you are looking for a "user."  Some oaf may have scratched his name into the instrument and/or the case may be in rough shape.  That can mean a $100 or $150 reduction, leaving what would be a "mint" $200 instrument going for only $50, yet be entirely satisfactory for use nonetheless.
 
The proportional dividers that you want to look for are the 10" pairs with "110 scaling" or "decimal scaling."  This scaling permits setting proportions in "decimal equivalents" (e.g. 1/2 = .50)  These instruments will have rack and pinion geared adjustment and Vernier adjustment to decimals out to .0005 (If memory serves... perhaps there's an extra zero in there... don't hold me to it.)  These instruments will be manufactured by Keuffel and Esser and Bowen in straight point configuration and right angle point configurations (as pictured above.)  You will likely never see a right angle pointed set on fleaBay.  They are extremely rare.  I expect that at some time Dietzgen made decimal equivalent scaled proportional dividers, but I've never seen a set on fleaBay.  The most commonly offered are the K&E 10" "Paragon" decimal scaled models.  "Paragon" was K&E's top of the line series of instruments and the "110" decimal equivalent scaled dividers were only offered in the "Paragon" line.  They are made of "German silver," which is an alloy of nickel and copper, much similar to monel.  Their "Parogon" were made of cold rolled German silver and hand fitted. (Each will bear matching part serial numbers.  They were sold in silk velvet lined cases. The back of the case in newer production has a metal plate on the bottom with all the various decimal equivalents etched in it, which is quite helpful.  Older models have a cardboard insert (often missing) that has the same information. (The information is easily found on line in any event.)
 
There are also commonly 6" and 7.5" proportional dividers.  The 7.5" models do come with rack and pinion adjustment but not with the more accurate Vernier adjustment feature.  They are, however, useable.  The 6" models do not have rack and pinion adjustment and neither do some of the 7.5" models.  Don't waste your money on anything that does not have rack and pinion adjustment.  While useable, the "slide" adjustment models aren't anywhere near as accurate.  Similarly, pay the few extra bucks for the "110" decimal scaling.  The other proportional dividers have scaling that corresponds to fractions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and so on, and settings in between are "by guess and by golly."  Also, you will see "Russian Navy" and "Weems and Plath" proportional dividers offered.  Take a pass on these because they are "navigational dividers" and, although they work the same and are useable, they are scaled for "time" and "distance" proportions for use on maps and their scaling isn't useful for modeling measurement conversions. (You can adjust them for plans measurement conversions by comparison to a rule and/or tick strips, but this is rather tedious)
 
In summary, what you want to look for on eBay is a Keuffel and Esser 10" "Paragon" proportional divider with "110" decimal scaling.  They are relatively common because they were the "professional's choice" for many years.  A "mint" example with an excellent case will sell for as much as $225, but very "clean" examples regularly go for around $125 at the moment.  Examples that are a bit "rough," mainly due to a worn case, can be had for $75 or even $50.
 
If you work from drawings to the scale you are building (i.e. as with kit plans,) you can live without a proportional divider, but if you are working from plans in one scale (or no scale, as in many lines drawings found in old books,) you will be amazed at how you ever before lived without them.  Yes, you can measure a distance and then punch that into a calculator and then measure off the result, over and over again, or you can set your dividers once and then simply measure the drawing at one end of the dividers and have the proportional distance simultaneously provided between the points of the other end of the dividers.  It doesn't get any faster or simpler than that.                                                          

I was rather surprised that some modelers weren't familiar with the proportional dividers.  I find them essential. I suppose because I do a lot of scratch work and I find myself redrawing lines published in old books (Chapelle, etc.) that will be prints of larger drawings reproduced without regard to scale.  With a good set of proportional dividers, all you need is a single identified measurement (a non-fractional measurement is best) and with your dividers set to your working scale, away you go!  Just take a distance from the page in the book and the other side gives you the distance to the scale you've set.  There are, as mentioned, a lot of other things you can do with them as well, such as drawing a square with the same area as a particular circle and vice versa, but I've yet to learn who really needs to do that.
 
I collect fine drafting instruments for my own use.  Most I've bought on fleaBay and I check for listings frequently.  I'll pass on that the prices do vary wildly, depending on condition, quality and rarity.  Condition may not always be a relevant factor if you are looking for a "user."  Some oaf may have scratched his name into the instrument and/or the case may be in rough shape.  That can mean a $100 or $150 reduction, leaving what would be a "mint" $200 instrument going for only $50, yet be entirely satisfactory for use nonetheless.
 
The proportional dividers that you want to look for are the 10" pairs with "110 scaling" or "decimal scaling."  This scaling permits setting proportions in "decimal equivalents" (e.g. 1/2 = .50)  These instruments will have rack and pinion geared adjustment and Vernier adjustment to decimals out to .0005 (If memory serves... perhaps there's an extra zero in there... don't hold me to it.)  These instruments will be manufactured by Keuffel and Esser and Bowen in straight point configuration and right angle point configurations (as pictured above.)  You will likely never see a right angle pointed set on fleaBay.  They are extremely rare.  I expect that at some time Dietzgen made decimal equivalent scaled proportional dividers, but I've never seen a set on fleaBay.  The most commonly offered are the K&E 10" "Paragon" decimal scaled models.  "Paragon" was K&E's top of the line series of instruments and the "110" decimal equivalent scaled dividers were only offered in the "Paragon" line.  They are made of "German silver," which is an alloy of nickel and copper, much similar to monel.  Their "Parogon" were made of cold rolled German silver and hand fitted. (Each will bear matching part serial numbers.  They were sold in silk velvet lined cases. The back of the case in newer production has a metal plate on the bottom with all the various decimal equivalents etched in it, which is quite helpful.  Older models have a cardboard insert (often missing) that has the same information. (The information is easily found on line in any event.)
 
There are also commonly 6" and 7.5" proportional dividers.  The 7.5" models do come with rack and pinion adjustment but not with the more accurate Vernier adjustment feature.  They are, however, useable.  The 6" models do not have rack and pinion adjustment and neither do some of the 7.5" models.  Don't waste your money on anything that does not have rack and pinion adjustment.  While useable, the "slide" adjustment models aren't anywhere near as accurate.  Similarly, pay the few extra bucks for the "110" decimal scaling.  The other proportional dividers have scaling that corresponds to fractions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and so on, and settings in between are "by guess and by golly."  Also, you will see "Russian Navy" and "Weems and Plath" proportional dividers offered.  Take a pass on these because they are "navigational dividers" and, although they work the same and are useable, they are scaled for "time" and "distance" proportions for use on maps and their scaling isn't useful for modeling measurement conversions. (You can adjust them for plans measurement conversions by comparison to a rule and/or tick strips, but this is rather tedious)
 
In summary, what you want to look for on eBay is a Keuffel and Esser 10" "Paragon" proportional divider with "110" decimal scaling.  They are relatively common because they were the "professional's choice" for many years.  A "mint" example with an excellent case will sell for as much as $225, but very "clean" examples regularly go for around $125 at the moment.  Examples that are a bit "rough," mainly due to a worn case, can be had for $75 or even $50.
 
If you work from drawings to the scale you are building (i.e. as with kit plans,) you can live without a proportional divider, but if you are working from plans in one scale (or no scale, as in many lines drawings found in old books,) you will be amazed at how you ever before lived without them.  Yes, you can measure a distance and then punch that into a calculator and then measure off the result, over and over again, or you can set your dividers once and then simply measure the drawing at one end of the dividers and have the proportional distance simultaneously provided between the points of the other end of the dividers.  It doesn't get any faster or simpler than that.                                                          

I was rather surprised that some modelers weren't familiar with the proportional dividers.  I find them essential. I suppose because I do a lot of scratch work and I find myself redrawing lines published in old books (Chapelle, etc.) that will be prints of larger drawings reproduced without regard to scale.  With a good set of proportional dividers, all you need is a single identified measurement (a non-fractional measurement is best) and with your dividers set to your working scale, away you go!  Just take a distance from the page in the book and the other side gives you the distance to the scale you've set.  There are, as mentioned, a lot of other things you can do with them as well, such as drawing a square with the same area as a particular circle and vice versa, but I've yet to learn who really needs to do that.
 
I collect fine drafting instruments for my own use.  Most I've bought on fleaBay and I check for listings frequently.  I'll pass on that the prices do vary wildly, depending on condition, quality and rarity.  Condition may not always be a relevant factor if you are looking for a "user."  Some oaf may have scratched his name into the instrument and/or the case may be in rough shape.  That can mean a $100 or $150 reduction, leaving what would be a "mint" $200 instrument going for only $50, yet be entirely satisfactory for use nonetheless.
 
The proportional dividers that you want to look for are the 10" pairs with "110 scaling" or "decimal scaling."  This scaling permits setting proportions in "decimal equivalents" (e.g. 1/2 = .50)  These instruments will have rack and pinion geared adjustment and Vernier adjustment to decimals out to .0005 (If memory serves... perhaps there's an extra zero in there... don't hold me to it.)  These instruments will be manufactured by Keuffel and Esser and Bowen in straight point configuration and right angle point configurations (as pictured above.)  You will likely never see a right angle pointed set on fleaBay.  They are extremely rare.  I expect that at some time Dietzgen made decimal equivalent scaled proportional dividers, but I've never seen a set on fleaBay.  The most commonly offered are the K&E 10" "Paragon" decimal scaled models.  "Paragon" was K&E's top of the line series of instruments and the "110" decimal equivalent scaled dividers were only offered in the "Paragon" line.  They are made of "German silver," which is an alloy of nickel and copper, much similar to monel.  Their "Parogon" were made of cold rolled German silver and hand fitted. (Each will bear matching part serial numbers.  They were sold in silk velvet lined cases. The back of the case in newer production has a metal plate on the bottom with all the various decimal equivalents etched in it, which is quite helpful.  Older models have a cardboard insert (often missing) that has the same information. (The information is easily found on line in any event.)
 
There are also commonly 6" and 7.5" proportional dividers.  The 7.5" models do come with rack and pinion adjustment but not with the more accurate Vernier adjustment feature.  They are, however, useable.  The 6" models do not have rack and pinion adjustment and neither do some of the 7.5" models.  Don't waste your money on anything that does not have rack and pinion adjustment.  While useable, the "slide" adjustment models aren't anywhere near as accurate.  Similarly, pay the few extra bucks for the "110" decimal scaling.  The other proportional dividers have scaling that corresponds to fractions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and so on, and settings in between are "by guess and by golly."  Also, you will see "Russian Navy" and "Weems and Plath" proportional dividers offered.  Take a pass on these because they are "navigational dividers" and, although they work the same and are useable, they are scaled for "time" and "distance" proportions for use on maps and their scaling isn't useful for modeling measurement conversions. (You can adjust them for plans measurement conversions by comparison to a rule and/or tick strips, but this is rather tedious)
 
In summary, what you want to look for on eBay is a Keuffel and Esser 10" "Paragon" proportional divider with "110" decimal scaling.  They are relatively common because they were the "professional's choice" for many years.  A "mint" example with an excellent case will sell for as much as $225, but very "clean" examples regularly go for around $125 at the moment.  Examples that are a bit "rough," mainly due to a worn case, can be had for $75 or even $50.
 
If you work from drawings to the scale you are building (i.e. as with kit plans,) you can live without a proportional divider, but if you are working from plans in one scale (or no scale, as in many lines drawings found in old books,) you will be amazed at how you ever before lived without them.  Yes, you can measure a distance and then punch that into a calculator and then measure off the result, over and over again, or you can set your dividers once and then simply measure the drawing at one end of the dividers and have the proportional distance simultaneously provided between the points of the other end of the dividers.  It doesn't get any faster or simpler than that.                                                          

I was rather surprised that some modelers weren't familiar with the proportional dividers.  I find them essential. I suppose because I do a lot of scratch work and I find myself redrawing lines published in old books (Chapelle, etc.) that will be prints of larger drawings reproduced without regard to scale.  With a good set of proportional dividers, all you need is a single identified measurement (a non-fractional measurement is best) and with your dividers set to your working scale, away you go!  Just take a distance from the page in the book and the other side gives you the distance to the scale you've set.  There are, as mentioned, a lot of other things you can do with them as well, such as drawing a square with the same area as a particular circle and vice versa, but I've yet to learn who really needs to do that.
 
I collect fine drafting instruments for my own use.  Most I've bought on fleaBay and I check for listings frequently.  I'll pass on that the prices do vary wildly, depending on condition, quality and rarity.  Condition may not always be a relevant factor if you are looking for a "user."  Some oaf may have scratched his name into the instrument and/or the case may be in rough shape.  That can mean a $100 or $150 reduction, leaving what would be a "mint" $200 instrument going for only $50, yet be entirely satisfactory for use nonetheless.
 
The proportional dividers that you want to look for are the 10" pairs with "110 scaling" or "decimal scaling."  This scaling permits setting proportions in "decimal equivalents" (e.g. 1/2 = .50)  These instruments will have rack and pinion geared adjustment and Vernier adjustment to decimals out to .0005 (If memory serves... perhaps there's an extra zero in there... don't hold me to it.)  These instruments will be manufactured by Keuffel and Esser and Bowen in straight point configuration and right angle point configurations (as pictured above.)  You will likely never see a right angle pointed set on fleaBay.  They are extremely rare.  I expect that at some time Dietzgen made decimal equivalent scaled proportional dividers, but I've never seen a set on fleaBay.  The most commonly offered are the K&E 10" "Paragon" decimal scaled models.  "Paragon" was K&E's top of the line series of instruments and the "110" decimal equivalent scaled dividers were only offered in the "Paragon" line.  They are made of "German silver," which is an alloy of nickel and copper, much similar to monel.  Their "Parogon" were made of cold rolled German silver and hand fitted. (Each will bear matching part serial numbers.  They were sold in silk velvet lined cases. The back of the case in newer production has a metal plate on the bottom with all the various decimal equivalents etched in it, which is quite helpful.  Older models have a cardboard insert (often missing) that has the same information. (The information is easily found on line in any event.)
 
There are also commonly 6" and 7.5" proportional dividers.  The 7.5" models do come with rack and pinion adjustment but not with the more accurate Vernier adjustment feature.  They are, however, useable.  The 6" models do not have rack and pinion adjustment and neither do some of the 7.5" models.  Don't waste your money on anything that does not have rack and pinion adjustment.  While useable, the "slide" adjustment models aren't anywhere near as accurate.  Similarly, pay the few extra bucks for the "110" decimal scaling.  The other proportional dividers have scaling that corresponds to fractions 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and so on, and settings in between are "by guess and by golly."  Also, you will see "Russian Navy" and "Weems and Plath" proportional dividers offered.  Take a pass on these because they are "navigational dividers" and, although they work the same and are useable, they are scaled for "time" and "distance" proportions for use on maps and their scaling isn't useful for modeling measurement conversions. (You can adjust them for plans measurement conversions by comparison to a rule and/or tick strips, but this is rather tedious)
 
In summary, what you want to look for on eBay is a Keuffel and Esser 10" "Paragon" proportional divider with "110" decimal scaling.  They are relatively common because they were the "professional's choice" for many years.  A "mint" example with an excellent case will sell for as much as $225, but very "clean" examples regularly go for around $125 at the moment.  Examples that are a bit "rough," mainly due to a worn case, can be had for $75 or even $50.
 
If you work from drawings to the scale you are building (i.e. as with kit plans,) you can live without a proportional divider, but if you are working from plans in one scale (or no scale, as in many lines drawings found in old books,) you will be amazed at how you ever before lived without them.  Yes, you can measure a distance and then punch that into a calculator and then measure off the result, over and over again, or you can set your dividers once and then simply measure the drawing at one end of the dividers and have the proportional distance simultaneously provided between the points of the other end of the dividers.  It doesn't get any faster or simpler than that.                                                          

If you are going to accurately "weather" a ship model that has a copper sheathed bottom, there won't be any copper color to be seen.  Even a new coppered bottom will, within a few weeks, turn to a verdigris green color.  Once the vessel has been in the water for a few months, that will remain to some extent at the waterline, but below that it will be fouled with a lot of dark green and dark brown growth which will look almost black from a distance.  For modeling purposes, if one wants the "used" look, rather than a pristine "as built" presentation, one might as well use paper sheets rather than the fancy copper foil the kit makers sell and paint it accordingly.  Trying to achieve a "patina" on a copper bottom by treating the copper is a lot harder than just painting it.  Even left alone, new copper will turn a pleasant, and accurate, brown color after it's been in the case for a few years.  Take a look at the pennies in your pocket.

"Yellow metal" guns were made of what came to be called "naval brass," which is actually a bronze. (Copper and tin.)  Never brass. (Copper and zinc.)  Bronze oxidizes to a dark brown color and needs no further maintenance.  While bronze can be polished, it is quite a job and given the good looks of "natural bronze" in the marine environment, it's hard to believe any captain would paint a bronze cannon.  Iron cannon might be painted black (or "blacked" with lampblack and oil,) but as bronze cannon were prized as "finestkind," I doubt anyone would ever want to conceal that fact by painting it black.  At small scale, however, (or at a distance,) cannon would appear black in any event.

I have developed the habit of using "orange" shellac on all wood in a model, both as a primer or alone to depict bare wood.  It protects against moisture as well as just about anything.  "Orange" shellac will have a slight brownish tint, like a stain, and will darken, ultimately to a chocolate brown, with successive coats.  The first coat will be flat, but additional coats will built up a gloss finish if desired.  If the brown isn't to one's taste, there is also colorless "white" shellac. Shellac is dirt cheap, BTW, and thins with denatured alcohol. It can be wiped up, even after drying, or brushes cleaned, with alcohol. It can be buffed with an alcohol soaked rag and can be rubbed to a perfectly smooth finish with fine steel wool.  Shellac was what the master furniture makers of old used, and likely the guys who build the Admiralty models as well, so you can't go too far wrong with it.