#1
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Sailing ship model tools
These are some useful tools for sailing ship models.
From a sewing shop I got a needle threader and collapsable eye needles which are great for getting rigging thread through an otherwise unreachable place. I removed the temper from long "doll making needles" by heating the eye red hot on my kitchen stove and then letting cool slowly. While wearing googles (eye protection) I used rotary tool to grind eye to U shape and hook shape and mounted needle on long narrow dowel. These are useful tools for pushing and hooking and pulling rigging thread through narrow place. Tiny clothes pins are good for keeping track of end of many loose rigging lines. The metal spatula is for spreading glue or scraping off glue when too much was applied. Self clamping tweezers are good for holding parts together while glueing, weighting rigging line, making coils of line, ect. ect. I like Asian style scissors with their big handles and shorter blades better than Western style scissors. The big handle loops are more comfortable and give better control than the small finger loops on Western scissors. I tend to use these for most of my paper cutting. Small Curved Scissors for cutting loose threads. Box cutter. I touch up the tip of the cutting blade with a fine Diamond hone, and except for very small cuts use these instead of an Excto Type knife for routine cutting. I find the heavier blade easier to use. Scoring tool for making folding scores or embossing paper. Chain nose pliers for bending wire and narrow metal strips into loops, hooks ect. Alligator forceps for reaching into model. "WAVE RAGE". This is a battery operated hair braider or plaiter. It has three heads that rotate and twist three hair strands one way, and then the large head rotates the other way and twists the individual strands together into a single strand. I saw this and thought "rope walk". I have used this to make my own rope or line. Cotton and Cotton/Polyester thread twists up to make nice line. Nylon thread made a very stretchy line, which I have found useful for standing rigging. A little pre stretch keeps the line tight even if other lines are later tightened up. I had some KEVLAR thread I got at a sporting goods store in the fly (fishing) tying department. It makes a very hard, utterly non stretching rope. Good for Standing Rigging and Shrouds that you want to remain ridgid. Cut Kevlar Thread with wire cutters, it will damage scissors. Be careful, you can cut your fingers with Kevlar thread. Last edited by John Wagenseil; 10-18-2010 at 07:04 AM. |
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#2
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Thanks for the tool tips. A friend of mine introduced me to the idea of cutting off the eye of a needle or the head of the pin, inserting the sharp end into a dowel handle, and flattening the other end by pounding it with a hammer on an anvil, producing a tiny spatula good for cyano-acrylate glue.
I've got to look for that "Wave Rage". |
#3
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Awesome tool selection! Thanks.
CT
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My models are available here http://ecardmodels.com/index.php?manufacturers_id=62 |
#4
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Lots of excellent information here. Many thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Don |
Tags |
rigging, sailing ship model tools, ship, tools |
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