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[tonyp398]

I like how model ships are displayed on a holder with brass holders… but I can’t get it to stay up correctly . Looking for recommendations: 

The opening is about 1 mm wider than the ship. I’ve tried wedges and little shims, no luck. 
 

Someone recommended drilling holes then using screws. 

[CPDDET]

Thin brass shims to narrow the slot? . Wide variety of thicknesses available. CA glue to bond the shim to the standoff.

[ERS Rich]

Hello,

 

Agree with, and have had success with holes and screws. They provide the support needed to keep the ship straight up, without the need for shims in the pedestal slots.

 

Ideally the holes are best made after the frame is made and before planking.  

 

The holes need to be made in a location on the keel below a bulkhead, so the screw makes it into the bulkhead.

 

To get it done, mark the hole locations on the keel.  Suspend the ship over the edge of the bench, so the hole location is off the edge, from below hand drill a pilot hole, with a small bit, if it works out, the hole will go into the frame, if not, shift the bit and try again.  Using a small bit will allow a hole to be easily filled in.  Use progressively larger bits to expand the hole to its final size.

Use a small square or a block of wood to make sure the bit is perpendicular to the keel.

 

Good luck!

[wefalck]

Not that I particularly like this 'after-though' solution, but I have seen often in museums brass wire-struts midships on both sides that are meant to keep the model from falling over.

 

My personal approach would be to epoxy two nuts (say M3 or M4 for Europeans) above the keel, drill an appropriate hole through the keel (which may need to be doubled-up at this point). The pedestals need to be hollow to run threaded rods through them that screws into the nuts. There needs to be a space drilled out in the baseboard to accomodate a nut and a washer. The latter serve to tighten down the model onto the pedestals.

 

This arrangement can also be used to temporarily hold the model onto a building stand/jig for further work after the planking is finished.

 

This solution has the advantage over wood-screws that the model can be screwed down/unscrewed any number of times without losing grab. 

Edited September 19 by wefalck