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Chapter 3
Making Small Parts
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In addition to a carefully shaped hull, a ship model requires many small parts for the deck and rigging. While the model maker can display his own ingenuity and inventive ability in making these small fittings, there are certain methods, devised by experts, that will serve as a fine starting point for the work.
Three questions confront the ship modeler as he begins each small part. What material should be used? What does the particular part look like? And how shall it be made the easiest, quickest, and best way. The answer to the second question, depending as it does on the type, period, and nationality of the ship, generally will be found on the plans detailing the model. If no complete plans are being followed, an idea of the general size and shape often can be obtained from the colored prints of early sailing ships that are on file in most public libraries.
As to material and method, the beginner can be guided by the following:
Deck Houses
Deck houses, skylights, and similar parts usually are made from solid blocks of wood. Of course, in the case of large cabins, they can be built up from plywood or stiff cardboard (see Fig. 1). If made from a solid block, the sides should be finished with a file rather than sandpaper as the file will give a smoother surface. If the roof projects beyond the side walls, make it a separate piece. If the deck is cambered (crowned), the bottom of the deck house can be made to fit by laying a piece of sandpaper on the deck and rubbing the block on the sandpaper until it matches the curve of the deck (Fig. 2).
Large deck houses can be built up, the windows being pierced and backed with cellophane as in Fig. 3. The walls and ends of the deck house can be made of three-ply. By rabbeting two plies at each end of the front and back pieces, the sidepieces can be set in to make an almost invisible joint (Fig. 4). Bars can be put across the windows, if necessary, by boring down from the top and inserting thin wires as in Fig. 6.
To make a circular-topped skylight, cut away the top bar, bore down through the skylight, and thread wire through the holes as suggested in Fig. 5. Then groove the top bar to take the wires and refasten it in place with glue.
If, as in many models of early ships, the deck houses are to be fitted with leaded glass windows, these can be simulated by drawing lines with draftman's ink on photographic negatives after the emulsion has been removed. Simply soak the negatives in hot water and rub them to loosen the coating. When they are clear, hang them up to dry. To make the ink take on the smooth surface of the film, rule the lines first with a pin or other sharp point, being careful not to cut all the way through, and then apply the ink.
Stanchions
Taffrails around the stern are somewhat tricky to fit. They can be made from chair-caning spline, hard rubber, or celluloid, steamed and bent to shape, but are better when made from thin fiber board cut to shape as in Fig. 7. In either case, lay it on the poop edge and bore through for the stanchions or posts. The stanchions can be turned to shape from square brass stock with points above and below to stick into the upper and lower rails, or they can be turned from wood with a homemade forming tool shaped as in Fig. 8. On small models, two or three beads threaded on a 1/2-in. pin will give a realistic effect.
For the stanchions of iron-bar railings, several methods can be used, the best, of course, being the process of actually turning them from brass rod in imitation of the real thing (see Fig. 13). To do this, however, requires a precision lathe and a well-made boring jig two tools that are not found in every model maker's tool kit.
A good imitation of turned brass stanchions, however, can be made by using spring cotter pins as shown in Fig. 16. Spring cotter pins can be obtained in a large variety of lengths and diameters so that you should have little difficulty in finding the size best suited for almost any model. If two rails are wanted, a thin strip of tin may be used to represent the lower rail. Or, if loops are bent in the legs of the cotter pin with a small jig used in your vise, a wire instead of a strip can be used in the lower rails. Either two- or three-rail stanchions can be made in this way.
Another simple substitute is to drive 1/2-in. pins into the deck and hitch two or more plain threads along them, using clove hitches at the ends and half hitches between (Fig. 9). Another, and perhaps more realistic, method of rigging the rails, is to use two threads, twisting them together between stanchions as in Fig. 12. In either method, a drop of cement put on at the junctions will hold the thread in place and form a ball.
Steering Wheels
To be accurate and authentic, a steering wheel should have an iron hub with a brass cap. From the hub should project eight or ten turned hardwood spokes into which are mortised the sections of the hardwood rim. In actual use, aboard a ship, the rim is strengthened with brass faceplates, before and abaft.
As with every other part, however, the model maker can imitate and improvise. The most primitive wheel, and one that should be used only on small models, is the sprocket wheel of a watch.
To make a good imitation wheel (Fig. 14), one must turn or file a hub and axle. These may be shaped from a single piece. Then drill part way through for the spokes and make a brass rim, which is bored all the way through to receive the spokes. Finally, turn the spokes and handles in one piece, making them a tight fit for the hub and rim holes. The wheel should hold together without solder, but for safety either hot or liquid (cold) solder may be used if applied sparingly.
When no tools are available for shaping the rim and hub from brass, thick sheet lead that can be purchased at any plumber's supply store can be used.
Being soft, the lead can be cut and shaped easily, and pins or brads, cut to the right length, can be used for the spokes and handles. To hold the wheel together, simply compress the lead wherever a grip is needed.
One temptation in making a model steering wheel is to make the rim too large and out of proportion to the hub and spokes. On an actual wheel, the rim is fairly narrow and little, if any, thicker than the spokes at their widest part. Full size, they generally are from 3 to 4 in. thick.
Pumps
Although the actual design of pumps will vary with the type and period of ship, there are many general hints on pump construction that should be of value. The wooden man-o'-war style was to have the pumps on the gun deck, worked with long pump handles or brakes. On merchant ships, the outlets were on the main deck just abaft the mainmast. Since the 1850's, or thereabouts, cranks with handles and flywheels similar to those shown in Fig. 15 have taken the place of the brakes. The crank shaft rests on the fife rails while the flywheels are almost invariably inside the pinrails with the handles, of course, outside. Full size, the rims of the wheels are about 4 ft. in diameter, 4 in. thick, and oval in cross section. The spokes are usually curved instead of straight.
Here again, while brass is used by many experts for the rims and hubs, the amateur may have better success with soft sheet lead. The spokes and pump rods in either case can be soft wire.
LaddersThere are all sorts of ways of assembling the variety of ladders needed in ship models. Wooden ladders actually can be made of wood as shown in Fig. 18, using a simple gluing jig of four pins, or they can be simulated with stiff cardboard.
One way of making iron ladders is to take a block of pine larger than the ladder to be made and rule lines across it at the spacing required between the rungs. Along the two top edges, make thin knife cuts where the cross lines meet the edges (Fig. 19). Along the length of the block, rule two parallel lines spaced to the width of the ladder. About ½ in from each end, drive brads on each parallel line. Stretch wires between each set of brads, arranging them so they rest about ¼ in. above the surface of the block. Put soldering paste along these wires. Tie a knot in one end of the wire to be used for the rungs, catch it in a knife cut, and proceed to wind the wire around the block, catching each turn in the knife cuts. Align the rungs according to the ruled lines and finally solder them in place. Then, when the solder has hardened, snip off the rung wires near the edge cuts, remove the ladder uprights from the brads, and trim them with scissors. When you are finished, be sure to save the block, as it can be used over and over again whenever ladders of that size are needed.
Spars
Since masts, yards, and booms (Fig. 17b) must stand considerable strain, they should be made of some wood that has longitudinal strength and that will not split easily. Many model makers prefer lemonwood because of its strength and ability to take a fine finish. It is, however, inclined to split easily and for this reason many experts use birch exclusively. Birch also had the advantage of being easily obtained in dowels of a large variety of sizes. Only the best, whitest, straight-grained dowels, of course, should be used; a plane should slip easily and smoothly along all sides.
A Mizzenmast B Mainmast
C Foremast D Mizzen top-mast
E Main top-mast F Fore top-mast
G Mizzen top-gallant mast H Main top-gallant mast
I Fore top-gallant mast J Mizzen Sky-sail mast
K Main Skysail mast L Fore Skysail mast
M Bowsprit (outboard) N Jib boom
0 Flying jib boom P Spanker boom
Q Spanker gaff S Mizzenyard
8 Mainyard T Foreyard
U Mizzen top-sail yard V Maintop-sail yard
W Fore topsail yard X Mizzen top gallant yard
Y Main top-gallant yard Z Fore top gallant yard
AA Mizzen royal yard BB Main royal yard
CC Fore royal yard DD Mizzen skysail yard
EE Main sky-sail yard FF Fore sky-sail yard
GG Spritsail yard 1 Tops
2 Crosstrees 3 Topgallant crosstrees
4 Caps 5 Martingale boom ami cap
If you have the right kind of lathe, spars can be turned. However, they also can be planed and sand papered to shape without much difficulty. Use a fine set plane and a true surface to lay them on (Fig. 17a). Plane an entire mast or one end of a yard before cutting it from the long stick so you will have something to hold.
FIG. 17 A
When planing small spars, hold the plane, face up, between your knees and draw the spar with a diagonal cut over its face.
Yard Fittings
The various fittings that are required on the yards should be placed before the spars are put in position. On models of approximately 1/8-in. scale, the jackstays (see Fig. 20) can be made from No. 24 brass wire. It should be threaded through eyebolts on the yard just abaft of the center line. The eyebolts can be made from 1/2-in. pins bent to shape or, for a neater job, they can be fashioned by flattening the pinhead and punching or drilling a hole through it.
Although cord can be used for the footropes, it will be limp and flimsy and difficult to keep in place. A good substitute that is stiffer is No. 32 or smaller silk covered magnet wire. Just bend the ends back for the splices and wind on a little silk sizing to hold them.
Lower yards and lower topmast yards require trusses on which they can swing vertically and horizontally. Trusses of various forms are found on real ships, but the type shown in Fig. 21 will serve for most models. The arm is No. 16 soft wire, hammered flat at the ends and slightly flattened at the middle, where it is drilled for a No. 20 escutcheon pin. This is put through and the center of the truss flattened and drilled vertically for another pin. Two bands with projecting ends are made to fit around the yard and the ends of the arm are soldered between these lugs. The fitting and soldering operations should be done on a dummy arm. Fin-ally, a band to go around the mast is made and a U-shaped piece to hold the pivot pin is soldered to it. A lower topsail yard truss is similar, but with the smallest possible distance between the mast and yard.
Mast Fittings
Most important of all fittings for the masts are the caps, tops, and crosstrees. The caps (Fig. 26) can be cut from hardwood, but fiber board or celluloid is more satisfactory. If the cap is inclined to split, file a groove and wind two turns of thin wire tightly around it.
Caps usually have various eyebolts in them. Drill through into the mast for these, if necessary, to gain a more secure hold.
A top on a small, simplified model can be cut from one piece of fiber or celluloid as in Fig. 24, but is better, of course, built up with regular crosstrees and trestletrees as in Fig. 26. The trestletrees lie fore and aft and are bolted to the mast, while the crosstrees lie across the trestletrees and are half-lapped into them. A rim is built touching the ends of these and the middle is partly planked in. Note that tops lie horizontal, not at right angles to the mast. Crosstrees (Fig. 25) are like tops, but without the rim or flooring. Holly or gum is good for making such parts.
Punch Made By Grinding Square End On Nail
Almost every model requires a grating of some sort. These can be made by punching square holes in a sheet of fiber cut to the desired size (Fig. 23). The fiber should be placed on the open jaws of a vise and a large nail filed to a square point used as the punch.
Deadeyes
All sailing vessels, except the more modern type, require a great many deadeyes. Being used in large numbers, these small fittings will have a great deal to do with the final appearance of your model. To be ship shape, they must be neatly formed and uniform.
The easiest to make, but not the best, can be cut from celluloid rods such as knitting needles (Fig. 27). With a file or a fret saw, or in a lathe, cut grooves the right distance apart to give the proper thickness; then with a sharp knife slice off sections at every other groove so that each will have a groove around its middle. Although it is better to drill the holes, they can be made with a hot needle. As a finishing touch, the flat sides then should be rounded.
Completed For Completed
Deadeye Block Block
If you have no lathe, your boxwood deadeyes can be made in the following manner: First, turn or cut the boxwood stock into round sticks or dowels of the required diameters. Then take a piece of hardwood not less than 3/4 in. square and 1 in. long and drill a hole straight through the center to form an easy fit for the boxwood dowel (Fig. 28). A second piece of hardwood, either round or square, also is drilled through its center to receive the dowel. Drill another hole from one edge of this second piece to take a locking screw, which is an ordinary screw filed flat at its point.
The block first mentioned is clamped in a vise or otherwise held firmly. Insert the boxwood dowel through both pieces until the end projects a shade beyond what is to be the middle of the deadeye. Fix it there by turning in the screw while both pieces are held tightly together. Now, slightly crown or round the end of the dowel by holding a file or knife to it while turning the outer handle piece with the left hand.
Then, with a knife held to the face of the stationary square block, cut the groove, not too deeply and slightly V-shaped. Instead of a knife, a very fine hack saw may be used if the set of the teeth is filed off and then the edge is honed to a V-shape.
Move the dowel along the desired amount to give the proper thickness and mark another score. This is for the cutting off, which may be done more easily after the entire dowel is marked. A block may be fastened to the face of the square block to act as a gage. The cutting off must be done very gently and carefully or the wood will chip.
Move along to the next score, and so on. When all the deadeyes have been cut off, the other faces can be crowned, although many model makers are content to leave flat faces on the inside of the deadeyes.
The drilling comes next. As already suggested, this should be done in a jig, the drill being held in a pin vise. The finished deadeyes should have three clean holes arranged in a triangle.
Blocks
A tackle block can be made in many different ways. Most model makers use boxwood as the stock, but holly, gum, or other semi-hard woods will serve.
To shape the blocks by hand, first cut an oblong strip of wood a trifle wider than the width of the blocks and to a thickness equal to the desired thickness of the block. Remember, of course, that double blocks are about one and one-third times as wide as single blocks, and proportionately thicker.
With a V-gouge, knife, file, or woodworker's marking gage, cut a groove right down the center of two opposite edges. These form the strap grooves (Fig. 31). Then lay the strip down and mark off intervals equal to the desired length of the blocks, allowing for a thin section of scrap equal to the width of your finest saw. At one-third of the length from each mark, bore a hole or holes (one for single blocks, two for double), of suitable size. This hole should be large enough to take the rigging cord that is to be used with the blocks. For a 3/8-in. block, a No. 60 twist drill will be suitable.
From the grooves along the edges, round the faces slightly with a file or sandpaper. At each of the marks on both sides, make a V-cut with a knife and then saw the blocks apart, using a fine fret saw or a jeweler's hack saw.
Finally take each block between the thumb and finger of the left hand and with a very small file (a diesinker's three-cornered file is best) file the V-cuts at the ends into smooth curves, so as to make the faces oval in section. Using the same file, continue the score for the strap around the ends of the block. With a V-gouge or the point of a knife, make a nick in the sides of the block from the holes to the heel. This is to represent the opening or openings filled with the sheave (wheel) or sheaves.
Many model makers find that they can hasten and simplify the work of making deadeyes and blocks for ship models by molding them from plastic putty of the wood type sold in cans at hardware and paint stores for mending cracks.
As shown in Fig. 32, the mold is made by boring holes in a piece of 1/4- or 3/8 in. lumber. When the point of the drill just shows through, reverse the drill and bore from the other side so that the edges of the hole will be clean. The holes for the deadeyes are left round; those for the blocks are made oblong with a rattail file. When the required number of holes have been drilled, melt and pour some hot lard through them, making sure that each hole is well coated. Wipe the surplus lard from the surfaces, clamp the board tightly to another smooth board, making sure that there is perfect contact at all points, and fill in the holes with the wood putty. Scrape off the surplus flush with the top surface.
The holes in the deadeyes and blocks should be punched with a small brad while the putty is soft. When the composition has hardened, the pieces can
be pushed out with a small stick. The deadeyes will be at least twice as thick as required, but they can be cut in two or to the thickness desired with a sharp razor blade. When cut to thickness, the grooves can be filed around them.
Casting Metal Parts
Although metal fittings, such as anchors, bollards, chocks, and propellers, can be purchased ready for use from ship model making supply houses, many ship modelers desire to make everything themselves. Of course, such parts can be cut from soft lead, but it is sometimes easier and better to cast them.
To make an anchor, for example, first prepare a pattern cut from close-grained wood. Build a 1/2 in. high wall of wood or modeling clay on a square scrap of wood and fill it with a soft mixture of plaster of Paris and water. Grease or oil the pattern, lay it on the mixture, and press it in until just one half is submerged as in Fig. 33. Leave it until the plaster dries.
Then remove the pattern and countersink several holes in the margin of plaster. Replace the pattern, build the walls up another 1/2 in., grease the top surface of the hardened plaster mold, and fill with newly mixed plaster of Paris. Place a thin piece of wood on top and leave until dry. Then carefully separate the two sections, remove the pattern, and cut a gate or spout from the crown or heavier end of the anchor impression to the edge of the mold. This will serve as an entrance hole for the molten metal. Also, make hair-line scratches from the ends of the flukes and shank to the mold edges to serve as air vents.
As a backing top and bottom for the mold it is well to use two pieces of thin wood such as 1/4-in. three-ply not much larger than the mold, allowing the plaster to remain attached to them.
To make a casting, lightly clamp the two parts of the plaster mold together. Melt some lead in a ladle or an old saucepan and pour it into the mold through the gate. Until the mold gets thoroughly hot, the first few castings may be pitted and unusable.
Incidentally, blocks and deadeyes also can be cast from metal, if desired. A compound mold consisting of several deadeye impressions connected by runners leading to a single pouring gate will speed up the work. When the tiny parts have been cast, they can be smoothed with steel wool and emery and finally enamelled.
Intricate Designs and Fretwork
Intricate fretwork for ship models can be cut from wood without splitting if an ordinary nonwaterproof three-ply panel is used (Fig. 34). Draw the design, score around it with the point of a sharp knife, and remove the waste wood down to the second ply or core stock, leaving the ornamentation in relief. Then soak the plywood in warm water to loosen the glue and free the fretwork, which will require only a little sandpapering before it is applied to the model. It should, of course, be dried before applying it.
Delicate designs also can be made by burning through 1/16-in. plywood with a hot needle (Fig. 35). The shank of the needle can be ground to conform to the general shape and design of the tiny angles that go to make up the figures.
Many ship models require a number of small boats. Although these can be cut from solid blocks of soft wood, such a procedure requires careful, time-consuming shaping. A simpler way, that is equally effective, is to make them of stiff cardboard as in Fig. 36. With a little practice, you will be able to cut the blanks to just the right shape to give the required length, beam, and curve. The two ends of the boats can be bound with paper, glued in place. If keels, oars, and rudders are desired, they also can be simulated with cardboard. When finished with a coat of paint, they give the effect of "in-scale”sturdiness combined with lightness that is so important in accurate models.
STIFF CARDBOARD
BEND DOWK CENTER
CARDBOARD SEATS
BIND WITH HEAVY PAPER
FIG. 36
