Pilot Cutter by Michael Mott - 1:500 scale

[JesseLee]

Looking great Michael. I love small builds. I got started in wood ship modeling when I was a teenager doing small builds from scratch. I had books with ships plans & I would pick up scraps of wood people were trowing out & see what I could make. Back in those days I had nothing but a pocket knife & some sandpaper!

[michael mott]

Jesse, thanks you and welcome, I suppose I really must do a little work on the model before it gets completely buried in dust.

perhaps today I will squeeze in an hour or two.  After all it is something I can work on in the warm comfort of the kitchen table now that I have a small portable workbench.

 

Michael

[Padeen]

You did not model a scale pencil, did you? I had not seen this version of the cutter yet but I am truely amazed!

Keep on the good work, Michael!

[michael mott]

Adeline, the pencil is a regular full size drawing one. your comment reminded me that I did make a couple of yellow pencils for a customer survey station about 15 years or so ago, My son has those pencils now they are about 5 feet long about 3 inches in diameter.

 

Thinking about fine line for rigging it occurred to me that most threads are made from a number of smaller strands.

 

I first took some .025mm nylon canvas thread and unraveled it (tricky) but once the end is spayed you can pull out a strand with a pair of fine tweezers. the brown and sharp gauge puts the .0014 at 47gauge

 

 

I have a bench micrometer that is metric but the charts I have for wire gauges are all in imperial so I made a small stand for my imperial Moore and Wright 1" micrometer I need a fixed micrometer to measure the tiny stuff this way I can adjust the micrometer until the thread just slips between the anvils. The metal strands in the background are 35 gauge.

 

 

I laid one of the strands on the deck and it looks right for the fine standing rigging plus 500 times .0014" is .7 of an inch at full size so it is still a tad on the large size.

 

 

The key will be tying a knot. I have not tried that yet.

 

 

 

Time for some shut eye.

 

Michael

[captainbob]

.0014" !   You should hire a spider it would have been easier.  Pluse he could tie the knots.

 

Bob

[Jim Lad]

Michael,

 

Most miniaturists use fine copper wire or human hair for their rigging.  The copper wire has the advantage of being able to be tied by simply twisting. 

 

John

[druxey]

From the sublime to the ridiculous in scale, Michael. You excel at both ends of the spectrum!

[michael mott]

Bob, it is funny you should mention that, I was wondering about the amazing work of some of our companions on the wonderful journey through life as I was working out how to get really small threads.

 

John I just found some 36 gauge copper wire and it looks pretty fine, I am wondering if there is a smaller diameter wire easily available. it would definitely be easier.

 

Druxey, thank you very much.

 

Today I sorted out a new filing jig for working with very small diameters, taking a cue from the world of watchmaking I made a small guide to rest the dowel in and using a sanding stick with 600 grit

am able to easily work on the wood.

 

some of course will recognize the salvaged black key. lovely ebony that no doubt was part of some wonderful music in its earlier life.

 

 

twirling the boom in the pin vice at the same time as using the sanding stick.

 

 

A fair way to go yet, drilling the hole in the mast was a bit fiddly I really must get one of those magnifying lights or a good visor. the pin in the end of the boom is some 38 gauge hard wire basically .004" I am thinking that I need a better mast and then I can bend the wire in the end of the boom and drop it into a goosneck formed from a couple of wraps of wire on the mast.

 

 

That's it for now.

 

Michael

[Jim Lad]

A good idea with that little guide for very fine sanding, Michael.

 

I would think the best source for very fine wire would be an electrical supplier - they use extremely fine wire for some windings.

 

John

[michael mott]

Thanks John.

 

I think with a little bit more fiddling I can get this goosneck looking reasonable.

 

 

definitely need a visor.

 

michael

[druxey]

Mini electrical transformer wire can go down to extremely fine gauges.

[mtaylor]

Rip apart an old USB cable.  The insulated wires are shielded and individual strands might get you what you need.  As Druxey said, there's also mini-transformers.  And also an old set of headsets has pretty fine wire in the earpieces.

[michael mott]

Druxey thanks for that I will check what I have tomorrow, I do have a bunch of old telephone switching coils, That i remember having some very fine wire.

 

Mark thanks for the usb and ear bud ideas I did have an old set of buds and just measured the wire in them and the strands are 39gauge or. 00351inches, which translates to 1.75 inches, did check fly tying wire and the ultra fine Nano wire is .1mm or .003937inches. I looked at the wire on one of the old telephone coils and it is .0028" which is 41 gauge, I think that this might be just the ticket. I will see what I can do with it in the morning. it works out to 1.4 inches in scale which is still large by real life standards for a boat this size.

 

I will see what I have in the way of small transformers and even the coil in a cheap quartz clock mechanism might be thin enough.

 

I did find this source for fine wire which tells me that it is available

 

Michael

[molasses]

I've been following this build because of its similarity in scale to most of my projects - and to learn from the wonderful work you're doing.

 

I found a source for enameled winding wire as fine as 45 gauge in small amounts. Google "Temco". A two ounce spool of 45 gauge is 7 miles long! according to their website. Bare wire should be .0017, this enameled wire measures .0035 as near as I can tell.

 

I also un-lay fly tying thread. The easiest way I've found is to feed a length of the thread through a wire loop (I use about an inch in diameter) fixed horizontally, then separate the three strands for about an inch so each lays over the loop, about equally spaced. Clamp a small weight (mini clothespins work well) to each of the strands and the bottom end of the thread. These weights will un-lay the thread for you, completely hands off. Just watch to keep the spinning thread and weight from tangling with the spinning strand weights.

 

 

I added this photo of a sample set-up with a short piece of 16/0 size, 2 strand fly tying thread. I usually start with about 3 feet (1 meter) of the thread and hang it over the edge of my table almost to the floor. As soon as I release the large clothespin gravity will take over and un-lay the thread. It goes rather quickly - I tried to get a photo without the large pin but that short thread un-layed before I got to the shutter button.

 

Also, definitely invest in an Opti-Visor. You will wonder how you ever managed without one. I use diopter #3 (1.75X magnification). That magnification gives me a comfortable focal distance of around a foot (30cm). Higher magnification requires closer focal distances and lighting the work becomes a problem.

Edited December 9, 2013 by DFellingham

[hexnut]

I'm really glad to see this build back up and running. Incidentally, my favorite source for small-diameter wire is "HO" scale slot car armatures. (any small wound DC motor will do.) One will last a while...

[michael mott]

Dave, thanks for the tip regarding the hoop and pegs.

 

Bob, I am pleased that you are following along. I did look at the windings on a couple of very small motors today both were a larger Diameter than the telephone coil wire, which is .0028"

 

Early this morning while reaching for a piece of wire I caught the top of the mast and snapped about 1/4 inch off, so I had to make a new mast. I decided to use some of the Lilac so stripped off a 1/16 x 1/16th square of it, then filed it round in the new mini dowel filing jig.

 

 

next is a shot of the telephone coils

 

 

And a close up of the wire with the thread coating.

 

 

I needed to make a modification to the filing jig so that I could also use it as a drilling jig, to that end I added an adjustable saddle for the pin vice with an elevating screw to counteract the taper on the mast or other spars. there is also a second V groove for the initial shaping. for the shaping of the mast I made a couple of paddle sanding sticks so that the taper was even they are 400 and 600

 

 

Drilling the .008' holes was a bit nerve wracking, I pushed the mast down onto the v groove which stopped it from rotating while I drilled the hole with a watchmaking pivot drill in another pin vice.

 

the next picture shows the .0028 wire through the hole at the top of the new mast the diameter at the top is .030 which is a bit heavy but looks OK.

 

 

the next picture shows filing down the shoulder on the mast to fit the hole in the deck. I really like the way this new jig works.

 

 

The next **** shows the goosneck fixed into the mast the wire is 36 gauge wrapped around some .011 hard wire then closed up a little more with a couple of pairs of pliers.

 

 

the next two show the current state of the build, with the old mast being salvaged and being used as the bowsprit.  I am going to take a break from the micro it is hard on my nerves, and get back to the Bristol cutter for a bit.

 

 

 

 

Michael

 

Edited September 21, 2014 by michael mott

[Jim Lad]

I caught the top of the mast and snapped about 1/4 inch off

 

Ouch!    Glad to see that you took it in your stride, Michael!

 

John

[mtaylor]

Wow, that is tiny.  Hopefully Santa will bring you an optivisor for Christmas.  Beautiful recovery on the broken mast.

[egkb]

This build puts a smile on my face every time I look in.

The smile just gets bigger when you put a photo up that shows her in relation to something else (tweezers or a hand drill for example)

 

Loving it

 

Eamonn

[popeye the sailor]

looking very nice Michael    

[Sailor1234567890]

I can't imagine working to that scale. Impressive.

[captainbob]

Words fail me so I just click   "Like This".

 

Bob

[Timothy Wood]

Outstanding!

[DSiemens]

I love the hinge.  Great work!

[NenadM]

Michael

 

WOW

 

I can not do such a small thing even in this, and next three life times

Edited March 12, 2014 by Nenad M

[Chasseur]

Michael,

thanks for posting this! As well, your tip posted in this build has inspired me regarding how to do the bulwarks on my Preussen build. I will definitely explore the heated exacto blade technique. Also it was great to meet you in person at the club. I was inspired by your work. I will watch this thread closely.

Jeff

[Omega1234]

HI Michael

 

I've just come across your build log for this little beauty.  I'm absolutely gob-smacked at how talented a craftsman you are.  The more I see your work, the more I strive to even get the basics right.  Your bar is set very, very high!

 

Wonderful, simply wonderful!

 

All the best.

[Bedford]

Michael, I just found this and read through it and I guess I can just refer you to almost every comment I have made on your 1/8th cutter.

 

A few things that may be worth considering, I used to wind electric motors in another life and if you use a varnish coated wire of that small size you can very easily remove the varnish by running the wire slowly through a cigarette lighter flame, anything hotter will break the wire.

 

Also I once made a very crude miniature of the "Schooner for Port Jackson" which I bottled, don't know where it got to, but I planked the deck by taking a very thin cut from soft radiata pine with a plane. It curls but if the blade is sharp and the cut is short it doesn't curl much, you can then use good sharp scissors to cut it into planks.

[Chasseur]

It was good to come and finally see your new Man Cave and all of the cool stuff you have.  I was blown away literally! 

 

Thanks again for the neat trick with the shim stock technique. I forwarded the pics of your live steam layout to a model railroad buddy of mine and he was greatly impressed. I also told him about the Model Engineer website.

 

I had a chance to peruse the Rio Grande website so thanks for the tip-off. I didn't see the fine cloth sandpaper there... was that possibly Rock and Gem? I forgot.

 

I am going to try your bulwark technique on my Wivern. The link to the build is here: http://www.bottledshipbuilder.com/topic/423-hms-wivern-by-chausseur/?tab=comments#comment-5094

[Moab]

Michael; I'm VERY VERY late to this build but everything you do is superb. When I start complaining about my large scale build I'll remind myself of your build and forge onward...Moab/Allan