1/98 scale eyebolts

[g8rfan]

 I am currently working on the BlueJaket USS Constitution and ready to move inside and get started on the gundeck. Before laying the deck, I wanted to get all the eyebolts taken care of for the guns. The eye bolts supplied by BJ have 1/32" i.d. which equates to 3" at full scale - 2to 3 times what they should be. I made eyebolts from 28 gauge (.014") wire that were more suitably sized, and although not terribly difficult to do, I will need 14 per gun or 448 total (plus all the ones for the carronades). Definitely not thrilled about tackling that.

My question - does anyone out there know of a source for eyebolts smaller than 1/32"? I've looked everywhere and that is the smallest size I have been able to locate.

[GrandpaPhil]

Tichy makes really nice eyebolts for HO scale models (1/87) that correspond to about the right size at 1/98 scale, but they are plastic.

 

I usually make my own eyebolts from annealed steel wire that I got at Lowes.

Edited February 4 by GrandpaPhil

[g8rfan]

Thanks GP, I'll take a look. I've given a go at making my own from wire as you described. I can gt it done and can actually make about 100 in an hour and a half. Problem is, the ship is going to need probably close to 800 total. It seems a pretty arduous task. Plastic might not be too bad.

BTW, would you mind sharing how you make the eyebolts. The way I have been doing it is to wrap the wire around a post that I made by mounting a 24 ga needle into a wood board. After trimming this, I get what looks like a "P" shape. Then I insert this into a hole and use fine tip tweezers to bend the eye outward so that it is perpendicular to the stem. Bit of a process  Here's the final outcome compared to the 1/32" eyebolts that came with the kit

[popeye2sea]

Your hooks look fine.  Gear up; your going to need hooks, too!

 

Regards,

Henry

[petervisser]

Hi G. I went through this dilemma a while back and tried to source the self same eyebolts. Like you, none were small enough so I tried fabicating my own. The results were less than ideal as each one was slightly different than the one before. And the length of time to produce a single eyebolt seemed quite time consuming. Not sure where or how I came up with this method but it has been a game changer for me. Below are the steps taken to manufacture these little fittings consistently and quickly. The size of the eye will vary with the size of the needle and gauge of the wire. Just experiment to get the size down to your satisfaction.

Cheers,

Peter

 

[GrandpaPhil]

It is repetitive and tedious but worth it to me.  I usually make what I need at a given time to avoid overwhelming myself with as many at one time.

[g8rfan]

Thanks GP, I know what you mean there. I typically will work for about an hour and then give myself a break. I figure to do everything I need is going to take close to 12 hours total.

 

Peter, thanks for sharing your method. I like the twist idea, because it keeps the stem centered and since it is going to be buried in the wood, it doesn't really matter what the final diameter is. I am also using 28 ga. wire and wrapping it around a 24 ga needle to get a final eyebolt that has1mm od.   Your approach will definitely save some time. 

 

Henry - already thought about that  AND they have to be small enough to fit through these tiny eyebolts......ugh. And we do this for fun, right?

[DavidG]

Caldercraft makes PE eyebolts, I used them and they are really small.

Link

[g8rfan]

Hi David

Thanks for the link. These are a little bit larger than what I was able to make, but smaller than the 1/32" and I like that they come in packs of 250. It's unfortunate that they are out of stock. Might have had to give this some thought. Appreciate the input.

[Jim Lad]

I find Peter's method a very quick and easy way to make multiple strong eyebolts that certainly will never pull out.

 

A variation is to use one of those craft knife handles that have a four-jaw type chuck for holding the blade. Easy, peasy!

 

John

[DavidG]

it seems the photoetched ones ar avaliable on the Caldercraft strore here, should you give them a try.

[g8rfan]

Thanks David,

Thats a great site. I would love to buy one pack just to see how they are, but the shipping from the UK is more than the eyelets. Will have to think about whether to go ahead and spend $30 for three or just make my own. Thanks again for the link.

 

I gave Peter's method a try last night and it actually works really well. After getting the hang of it, I could make about 1 per minute. I wrapped the wire around a 24 ga. needle and grabbed the ends with a hemostat. With one finger through the grip on the hemostat, I could just hold the needle end tight and twirl the hemostat. The toughest part is judging when the eye is tight against the needle. Still, a very nice approach. Of course, at a minute each,  it will still take about 7-8 hours to make all that I need for the whole ship. 😆

 

Thanks again Peter. I'll be sure to give you credit in my build log. By the way, where did you get the black wire?

 

Frank

[petervisser]

Hi Frank. I bought the wire at a hobby store a long while ago. My source for wire are bead stores or craft shops. They have they a wide variety of gauges I use. We have Michael’s here in Canada. Their wire is normally copper or a matte silver but some black paint can be used. Hardware stores might be another place for purchasing the wire you’re after. 
Cheers.

[vossiewulf]

On 2/5/2025 at 8:34 AM, g8rfan said:

By the way, where did you get the black wire?

You can get it on Amazon in all the relevant gauges.

[paul ron]

why not cut the eyes of fishing hooks? they come in many sizes from tiny fly tying to big monster shark sized hooks. they are cheap, sold in bulk and come in gold, silver, blackened steel, brown... and even red green n blue these days.

 

making your own for custom sized eyes does take time and after a few, you get the knack of it. you will make them by the dozens in no time at all. ive made eyes using 34ga ni cr wire wrapped around a sewing needle only because at that size, its the only way to do it. the bigger eyes are fishing hooks.

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by paul ron

[g8rfan]

Thanks Paul. Not sure even very small fish hooks would be the size I'm looking for, but for even the 1/32" I bet your right and probably cheaper than buying scale eyebolts