Making Brass Masts for 1/700 warships

[dcicero]

I’ve seen a lot of really fine masts on 1/700 steel navy warships, but I’ve not been able to find any guidance on how to actually make them

 

Anyone got a suggestion?

 

Dan

[Roger Pellett]

I have thought about this since the model that I am building has steel masts, and for some reason modeling a metal object from metal always looks better.

 

My idea would be to stack telescoping sizes of brass tubing soft soldered together, and then taper them.  I am not nearly to the point where I need to try this.

 

1:700 scale?  That’s a whole different world!

 

Roger

[wefalck]

The technique to use depends on the technology available to you.

 

Personally, I would use steel, but then I have a watchmakers lathe and made fixed steadies for use with them.

 

If you don't have a lathe, you could use a small rotary tool, place the material onto a piece of flat wood into which you cut a shallow groove to keep the material from whipping. You can work on it with fine files or sanding sticks. Using steel would make the mast stiffer, but it may be difficult to work it with such tools. Brass might be an easier option in such case.

 

Scale doesn't matter, but the absolute length of the part and in particular its diameter ...

Edited November 15, 2021 by wefalck

[Roger Pellett]

Wefalk,

 

I like your grooved board idea.   This could be used in conjunction with my Sherline lathe to taper a stack of telescoped tubing.  The two masts for my lake freighter Model will be thin in relation to their length.  The trick is to avoid whipping of the stick while getting a smooth taper.  

 

This problem is is at least a year away so I still have plenty of time to mull it over in my head.

 

Roger

[wefalck]

With a (Sherline) lathe, I wouldn't bother with telescoped tubing, but would turn it from a steel rod. The point is to have a fixed or moving steady to keep the rod in place. Sherline does sell both types of steadies, but one can also improvise steadies. Old-time mechanics fixed pieces of wood or even thick card-board to the lathe bed with appropriate holes at centre-height. Of course, one can take very light cuts only, preferably with a very sharp HSS-tool.

 

Here I am turning a 2 mm diameter boom, which is about 60 mm long, between centres. I used the flexing of the steel rod to get the curvature of the boom. With a steady, on can turn straight sections.

 

Edited November 15, 2021 by wefalck

[Bill Hudson]

Fairly accurate tapering can be turned  on the Sherline.  These tiny oil cans (copies of actual full size cans), about 1/4" diameter at the can's base, were completely turned on my Sherline  Lathe.  For turning tapers I use the step method. The material is divided segments. I calculate the diameter of the taper at the base of each step. I start with the stock back in the headstock protruding about two inches beyond the chuck jaws. I make the first turning to near the diameter of the taper at that  point.  I continue this until have cut alter taper points.  Then I finish it off with a file. 

Edited November 20, 2021 by Bill Hudson

[Roger Pellett]

Bill,

 

Beautiful work!  For my last model, I used the step method on my Sherline to turn belaying pins from brass.  It worked well.  My telescoping tube idea is a variation of this method.  I don’t like the Sherline’s system for turning tapers; rotating headstock.  With the headstock rotated, of course you can’t use the alignment key so the headstock doesn’t want to accept Sid loads from turning.

 

What is your experience trying to turn tapers?

 

Roger

[CGN39BCO]

Dan -  All of the above is excellent advice, but perhaps mostly applicable to larger workpieces.  In 1/700 we're talking about, what, roughly .050" at the bottom of a battleship mast and length maybe as long as 2".  Less for smaller ships. 

 

As an occasional 1/350 modeler, I've had success in tapering brass wire by pinching it in a fold of wet/dry automotive sandpaper of 400 and higher grit and turning it with a variable speed shop drill.  If the drill chuck won't close down on your wire, there are microchucks with hexagonal shanks available, or you can hold the wire in a pin vise and place the pin vise in the drill chuck.  Light finger pressure and repeated passes will produce a taper reasonably quickly.  There's little chance of bending/whipping the this size stock at the rpm available with a shop drill.  If you have a high speed rotary tool, such as a Dremel with a chuck, the wire can be placed directly in the chuck and turned.  For that approach I'd recommend the v-groove technique discussed by wefalck, using a shallow groove and downward pressure on the sandpaper, to give you more control at the higher speed.

 

Bill

[RGL]

The other option is but a 1/700 mast set and there are also the correct fittings available for them. Go to Hobbyeasy and have a dig around

[wefalck]

That's too 'cheap' way out and does not improve one's modelling skills

 

[amateur]

But may be a more feasible solution for all of us not in the possession of a watchmakers lathe

 

Jan

 

 

 

[wefalck]

As noted above, no lathe is needed: just make a shallow V-groove in a piece of wood, chuck up the wire into your mini-drill and work away on the way with a sanding stick with, say, 600 grit 'wet-n-dry' paper. Not even a mini-drill is needed, you can just hold the wire between your fingers, turn it by, say, 30° and count the number of strokes with the sanding stick to achieve roundness.

[Landlubber Mike]

Why not just get something like this from Five Star (this is available from Free Time Hobbies or on eBay):

 

[Canute]

Generic masts and the builder adds the yards. Good idea and your inner craftsman gets some needed work.

[Bill Hudson]

On 11/20/2021 at 4:38 PM, Roger Pellett said:

Bill,

 

Beautiful work!  For my last model, I used the step method on my Sherline to turn belaying pins from brass.  It worked well.  My telescoping tube idea is a variation of this method.  I don’t like the Sherline’s system for turning tapers; rotating headstock.  With the headstock rotated, of course you can’t use the alignment key so the headstock doesn’t want to accept Sid loads from turning.

 

What is your experience trying to turn tapers?

 

Roger

Roger,  for short tapers I find Sherlines  taper attachment works fine.  It mounts on the cross slide and cuts from the back side (tool upside down). Here again I use the step method and have cut some longer tapers.

 

[Roger Pellett]

Bill, 

 

Sherline is Lionel Trains for big boys!😁. You can never have too many accessories.  I’ll add that to my list.  Thanks.

 

Roger

[Bill Hudson]

I am fortunate that I was able to accumulate many accessories for both the Sherline lathe and mill. Had a Sherline dealership until they cut all dealers off. I guess they felt our discounts cut into their profit.