Seamless Paper Model construction

[cdavenport]

Basic Construction continued: the excellent kit instructions call for construction of the cockpit section first. Because I am using a different construction technique, I am going to hold off on the cockpit until I have the whole fuselage ready for sheeting.

In the meantime, I have taped a perfectly square piece of scrap board in place to keep that otherwise flimsy section nice and square until I can glue the fuselage skin in place.

Speaking of "squareness," as you build any model, it is critical to check to make sure each section is square as you build. There are any number of tools available at your local hardware store for this. In fact, with careful measurement, you can make your own try squares out of scrap plastic or illustration board.

For those of you unfamiliar with the term "square," I am not referring to a polygon with four equal sides. Instead, I am referring to any polygon whose sides are exactly 90 degrees to each other. In the case of a triangle, said triangle would commonly be referred to as a Pythagorean triangle because the adjacent and opposite sides meet at a 90 degree angle.

[Leif Ohlsson]

So, if I understand you correctly, the brownish set square thingamujig in the second photo is perhaps a home-made tool; perhaps a cut-off larger set square? Or is it a steel ruler with a detachable set square addition?

If so, that would be a good thing to have around.

- L.

[cdavenport]

Originally Posted by Leif Ohlsson

So, if I understand you correctly, the brownish set square thingamujig in the second photo is perhaps a home-made tool; perhaps a cut-off larger set square? Or is it a steel ruler with a detachable set square addition?

If so, that would be a good thing to have around.

- L.

Apologies; I often forget many modelers are not as familiar with these types of tools as I am.

1. This is a precision 3 inch try square. It is intended for use by furniture makers but comes in quite handy for modeling. Here are some sources I just checked.

Diefenbacher Tools Layout Tools 2

Engineer's Squares - Woodcraft.com

New USA made 2" premium engineer / machinist square | eBay

Steel Square 2" Jewelers tools Jewelry Engineers Tool | eBay

The type of square you referred to last is called a combination square of which there are several variants. All feature a sliding "blade" which has a rule etched into it. You can purchase protractor stocks, stocks for finding centers...just about anything your heart desires.

But, for just a few dollars, you can purchase a 2 or 3 inch machinist's square, which is all I have ever needed.

2. This is a standard steel 6" rule that you can purchase online or at a hardware store. They come in US and metric versions. I have a dozen or so different kinds. They, too are quite inexpensive.

3. Using my 3" try square for angular precision and my 6" rule for precise measurement, I made this illustration board "square" to fit precisely in the cockpit section.

Thanks for asking, Leif.

[Leif Ohlsson]

... and thanks for teaching me several new things, Charles! - L.

[rjm]

Back to blades for cutting.

Sharpness.

Has anyone ever tried obsidian blades?

They were used by Egyptians, Aztecs and even
more recently by surgeons for eye surgery and
plastic surgeons because it leaves less scarring.

Maybe too brittle, though. A quick check on Google
has some that are for doctors that are expensive,
but some cheaper ones that are larger blades for
knives.

Cheers

[65Cycl0ne]

subscribed

[calinous]

There's a "Thread tools" menu just above the first post in a page, you can subscribe from there.
As for the thread, this has already been highly educative and I can't wait for anything else

[milenio3]

Very informative tutorial, Charles!

It's good to go back to basics now and then.

[whulsey]

Excellent tutorial. After spending 25 years in graphics and pre-press with a lot of it doing the old school cutting overlays and rubylith lots of the info is in my head. But it is always good to see it put in a logical order from someones else's viewpoint. That's when you get the 'aha' moment of 'I knew that, but just hadn't thought about it for modeling'.

Keep it up!!

[cdavenport]

Basic construction: Foaming the substructure.

The "secret," if you will, to eliminating the seams, buckles and cupping in our paper models is to give the paper a more or less solid backing.

Taking a cue from the RC airplane crowd, I first tried applying a foam backing with my HL Hunley build a few years ago CSS Hunley It worked so well that I started using this technique on all my paper models.

1. In the first photo I have cut and applied blocks of foam to the spaces between the bulkheads and longerons. The foam is the kind found as packing support for computers, TVs, and other electronic components. Sometimes, I'll come across sheets of the stuff and use that, too. I cut the foam with a dedicated foam cutter, the plans of which I can supply if you are interested.

2. I use a special foam cutting wand to rough the foam to shape. But, you can do as well with a hobby knife.

The next step will be to sand the foam to shape and fill any gaps. I'll demonstrate those steps shortly.