Does it have to be wood?

[src]

That is some nice work Micheal. What are the threaded brass items next to the corian in the top picture?

 

A supporting rod might help. I have never worked solid surface or acrylics at the scale we work at but my suspicion is that the slightest bit of chatter and the part will break. I dont have a mill or a lathe that can work at these sizes so I will have to watch and learn. I do know somebody who has successfully turned pens out of solid surface materials but other than the area where the ferule (?) attaches they are smooth.

Sam

[Moxis]

Wonderful engine Michael. Could you tell more about it? I used to build some small steam engines and love micro machining!

[Ulises Victoria]

I am a late comer to this topic.

The question asked was : Does it have to be wood?

 

In my opinion, if it was wood in the original, then yes! It has to be wood. Unfortunately this is not always practical in ship modeling.

Making belaying pins at 1/90 or smaller scale is almost impossible. I would love to see (and I am yet to see)  a kit where everything that was wood in the original, is wood in the kit.

My other hobby and part business is turning pens. Wood is my favorite media. I turn acrylics only because they are much more colorful and some people likes the reds and blues and yellows and sparkling goldens. I have also turned some corian, but it comes out very dull. There are not bright colors in corian,

So to me, wood is wood and by far, my preferred material to both make ships and turning pens.

[druxey]

Silly question: looking at those spark plugs, I wonder if Corian is also an electrical insulator? (Not that I'd consider using Corian for the purpose!)

[michael mott]

What are the threaded brass items next to the corian in the top picture?

 

Sam the brass pieces are part of the cylinder head that form the section that the spark plug threads into this cross section shows the brass insert the comment that the spark plug is integrated is wrong.

 

 

The steel plug threads into the brass one which is part of the head.

 

Druxey yes the Corian is an insulator I have tested the plug using a Piezoelectric current it sparks very well across the core to the case at the business end of the plug.

 

Moxis there is a comprehensive description of the engine here

 

Michael

[Modeler12]

In my opinion, if it was wood in the original, then yes! It has to be wood. Unfortunately this is not always practical in ship modeling.

Making belaying pins at 1/90 or smaller scale is almost impossible. I would love to see (and I am yet to see)  a kit where everything that was wood in the original, is wood in the kit.

Good luck, Ulises. I concur with your desire, but doubt that it will ever happen.

Models are just that; a representation of what the original looked like (perhaps how it behaved, how it was built, etc.). But that should not restrict the modeler as to what to use in a much smaller scale.

As I mentioned before, there are parts that will never be made 'the way it was', even full scale. Kontiki tried but had lots of compromises.

 

Rope is not made from the same materials nor the way it was plied. Neither are cannons, chimneys, and anchors to give a couple of examples.

So, you don't like the following?

 

[Ulises Victoria]

Oh yes! I do like those and have profound admiration for the craftsmanship involved in making them. But I would never attempt to do something like that. Besides being outside my level of skill by a mile, I would rather invest my time and effort in making something more closely similar to the original.

But as you said... that will never happen in a kit!

Edited August 24, 2016 by Ulises Victoria

[Modeler12]

Michael that is some fantastic work.

 

Now that I see what you did with Corian, I will have to give it another try.

Like I said before, I could use brass, but that is another media that I am not familiar with when it comes to turning tiny parts.

In either case, I will have to experiment some more.

[src]

Jay,

Looking at your picture of the cannon that fractured got me thinking. As I mentioned above, corian does not like to be cut with impact type blades - table saws, jig saws etc. When you were turning your piece, as you rounded of the corners fromm square to round you were in essence using an impact cutter. as the corners came around they hit the knife. I suspect that you may have introduced micro fractures in your material that later failed. Maybe try chucking a hole saw up in your tail stock to remove the corners and then turning? I imagine you would remove the center bit first. That would eliminate the impact question, keep in mind the end of your cut will be a stress riser and will want to break there. I am not familiar with metal lathes, perhaps there is a way after you could remove the square edge at the end of the cut. Do that then turn your piece. boar your muzzle at the very end. I think I would hesitate to put too much pressure with a live center, maybe just enough to keep the end from wobbling.

 

Even after all that, it is possible that a solid surface part that small and detailed will just want to break, after all it was never designed for this.

 

Good luck if you revisit and keep us posted.

Sam

[Modeler12]

SFC you bring up some good points. 

As I mentioned, the material is very uniform at first glance and it machines well when all goes well. The impact problem is what did me in.

I know that others have used it to make pen blanks, for example, but the fellow who did this had the Corian supported with a metal sleeve on the inside.

To get around the 'round' issue, I might start with power sanding the square piece with numerous flats (octagon or so) and then carefully turn it to a cylinder.

I am not totally giving up, but for now it is on a back burner.

[bluenose2]

Hello Les here. Interesting case study. I have been a scratch builder for years. When I couldn't get a kit or supplier supplied part, I kit bashed my own. When painted who knows. As a test for what you can do with a material, good stuff. However with what you can purchase from the many suppliers now, I buy when I can and make when I can't. I have been building for 54 years. I recently purchased some cannons and ships boats on line and was so happy with the quality as apposed to the kit supplied white metal parts. However if you can spin a gun or whatever go for it. This is what makes a hobby great. People who take non traditional materials and make them work. Keep calm and carry on.

[bluenose2]

Hi Les calling back. So you can see what non traditional materials can do. I purchased the book Ship Models, The Thomson collection from the Art Gallery of Ontario. If you are remotely interested in this hobby you will find the section of photographs of prisoner of war models by French naval prisoners during the Napoleonic war to be captivating at best. They made sailing ships of beef bones, human hair and straw. Amazing stuff. I could download some pics if anyone is interested so you can see for yourself.