New Member cry for help

[Les Brown]

Hi Guys, I am new to modelling and I am building HMS Fly by Amati, perhaps a little difficult for my first build but there are reasons for this that I will not bore you with.

 

Ok down to business.    How do I fasten the eyelets/eyebolts to the deck, channels and all the other places.  

They are 0.42  -  0.45mm dia and the smallest drill that I have is 0.50 and it drills holes of about 0.60 and that is not tight enough.

I have done well getting this far but now I need help.

So Help !!!

How do I fit them without spoiling the model with glue marks ?

 

I have enclosed pics of the eyelet and a shot of my project thus far

[Paul Jarman]

Hi les, welcome to MSW.

That's a nice job for a first time build. I have similar problems with these eyelets. You can buy drill sets on Amazon that go down that small and even smaller.

I drill the hole slightly smaller then needed. I then use CA glue to hold the eyelet in place. I  use a fine needle and apply a tiny ammount of glue to the hole.

Or I apply a thin coat of glue to the eyelet and once it is pushed in that works fine with either method. 

The only problem I've had are the driil bits are so fragile at such a small size. I've lost count of how many I have bent out of shape applying to much pressue when drilling the holes. You might also want to consider starting a build log. You will find that you will get lots of good advice with any questions you may have.

Paul

Edited August 18, 2022 by Paul Jarman

[Dr PR]

Les,

 

First, you need a tight fit into the hole. You need to get a smaller drill bit - 0.39 mm or 0.40 mm. As you noticed, they will drill slightly larger diameter holes than the bit diameter.

 

I usually bend slight curves into the shaft so the part goes in with a press fit. You can use needle nose pliers to push the part into the hole. I have also just used the shaft of drill bits slightly smaller diameter than the hole (1 mm) in the eye. It depends upon how much clearance you have around the place the part is being fitted.

 

I use a needle point to put a small amount of glue into the hole and immediately wipe off any excess. I also wet the shaft of the eye bolt with a small amount of glue before inserting it into the hole. I wouldn't use CA because it will soak into the wood around the hole. This doesn't matter if you are going to paint the wood, but it will prevent stain from soaking in and leave a discoloration around the hole. I use Duco cement, white glue (Elmer's) or PVA. Whatever can be wiped off without staining the wood. Epoxy is even better because if fills the hole with a solid plug that is stronger than the wood.

 

The combination of glue and a tight fit will hold against moderate tension on the rigging - but don't press your luck! Rigging doesn't need to be very tight, just enough to pull it taut.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Dr PR

[allanyed]

Welcome to you and your band of renown!  Lots of good ideas above to try Les-   

For good quality bits (you get what you pay for, so avoid the cheap crap from China) there are adequate sources out there.  You do not mention where you reside so hard to pick a specific source.  If you are in the US 

https://www.mcmaster.com/drill-bits/system-of-measurement~metric/drill-bits-11/size~0-42-mm/   They have smaller and larger.  Get two or three as this small size is prone to breakage no matter the quality.

 

If you are outside the US just look for good jobber bits.  There are average quality hobby bit sets down to #80 that work well in wood.  Sounds like you need a number 78 or perhaps 79 that would be in those sets.   A good quality pin vice instead of an power drill is another consideration.   

 

Allan

Edited August 18, 2022 by allanyed

[mtaylor]

As others have suggested, look for small drill bits.   Depending on what company you look at, the bits might be available as a set.  For example, MicroMark used to sell and maybe still does sell a box set with 20 small sizes of bits.  And each size came with 10 of that size.  I bought mine a long time ago and still have it.  

 

The other thing to think about is collets.  Some of hand drills and also some small size power towels have the smaller collets that will hold these bit.

[Jim Lad]

G'day Les, and a warm welcome to the forum.

 

Numbered drill bits down to No. 80 (0.343mm) are fairly readily available at model and jewelry supply shops.  The really small ones need careful handling, but are very effective.

 

John

[Les Brown]

Thanks guys you have been incredibly helpful. Now I have different options and I will be trying/exploring each one of them.

 

I live in Thailand and getting good tools here is difficult, most everything comes from China.  Saying that I use Amazon USA and UK but have problems ordering from AUS.

 

I am looking online now and I will let you know what I find best for a beginner ( an OLD beginner !!! )  . Never too old to be young hey?? lol

 

TTFN

[glbarlow]

Two rules of modeling, if you think you have enough clamps, buy more clamps.  Not relevant here but the same applies to drill bits. As everyone has suggested find a good source and get smaller bits. They inevitably will break or dull at this size so buy several. 
 

After drilling the right size hole I just pool a little CA on a piece of paper, dip the end of the eyelet in the CA, generally with a small needle nose pliers that has a smooth face so as not to mar the eyelet, and insert it in the hole. It doesn’t need much to hold, I’ve yet to have one pull out even years later. As someone also noted, rigging only needs to be taunt not tight, which also helps. 
 

Jewelry hobby stores are a good source of the tools we use. I have nice flush cutters and other tools from this store and have been working my way through this set of bits for a while now. Rio Grande drill bit set
 

Have fun and welcome to modeling and this great forum.

Edited August 20, 2022 by glbarlow

[Roger Pellett]

It seems that everything that we buy comes from China too!😁  At least you’re closer to the source.

 

One of the first things that you need in your ship modeling tool kit is a set of small drills and a fixture to hold them.  Here in the US, these are called Wire Sized Drills and are designated by numbers; #80 being the smallest.  Similar sized metric drills are also available in fractional millimeter sizes.  

 

Drills are made from either steel or carbide. I would avoid the carbide as they are very brittle and not necessary for drilling wood.  Look for drills offered as HSS (high speed steel).

 

To hold the drills you need a Pin Vice.  These come in sets and are fitted with interchangeable Collets.  Each collet fits a small range of drill sizes.  The pin Vice is turned by hand.  It is possible to use a powered rotary tool to hold the drills, provided that you have the correct sized collet and the rotary tool can be turned at low speed.  The high RPMs that rotary tools turn for polishing and grinding are too fast for drilling.

 

Roger

[allanyed]

On 8/18/2022 at 2:32 PM, mtaylor said:

MicroMark used to sell and maybe still does sell a box set with 20 small sizes of bits. 

Maybe I had a bad batch Mark, but these were the worst bits I have ever had.  I wound up replacing them with good jobber bits but  kept the box with holding tubes for each size as it was actually the best part of the set.  The originals went in the garbage as they would not drill through even softened brass.   Caveat emptor!

Allan

[mtaylor]

30 minutes ago, allanyed said:

Maybe I had a bad batch Mark, but these were the worst bits I have ever had.  I wound up replacing them with good jobber bits but  kept the box with holding tubes for each size as it was actually the best part of the set.  The originals went in the garbage as they would not drill through even softened brass.   Caveat emptor!

Allan

 

Very possible they changed suppliers of the bits.   I think I bought mine probably 15-20 years ago when I first started modeling ships.  Thus, my statement about about "maybe they still do" as I haven't bought any micro bits since then.