Idiots guide to brass

While there look out for me and "Nannie" and her tail....😜👍

These are just drilled blocks of wood so still suffer from being ugly as hell out of scale and tend to snag the lines just at the wrong time. Only to release them again when you think it's all done

This is basically what I've done for the test model it's the repeatability that I'm concerned about.

Lots of great ideas for me to try which is what.

Thanks a million well 700 plus...

Izack Your comment about solid blocks being tricky to adjust is correct but that is tiny compared with the trouble of making the blocks far more complicated than they need to be.

I didn't find getting the tension on the rigging to be a problem.

Edited By norman valentine on 25/05/2015 13:15:15

Hi,

Your right they do have all I need but at $23 for fifty it's more than I want to spend really

Hi,

I fully understand what your saying and mainly agree. But it's the same as "why make the model" in the first place. Because... And as I'm unable to work it gives me something to aim for. You could say the same of people who make steam engines with hundreds of scale rivets. Plus the one I've made which is always the slowest. Only took five mins. And looks ten times better than any I've seen. I may not do it but I had the tube. And decided to try. Especial as mine look better than some hand made ones on the MSW. Forum which are just cubes of wood with holes in.

But as I put into action all the great ideas and see if it's at all practical then let thing develop from there. Thanks Norman and all the rest of you.

Izack

With GREAT care using a knife edge needle file WITH hopefully a plastic handle rather than a sharp end - hold said tube in some form of electric drill at a moderately slow speed.

You could jig this up to form a lathe of sorts - drill a hole in some piece of wood to suite the tube OD, saw in half. Lay tube in the wood as a support and drive it with the drill and file away. This should give you nice clean cuts. A knife probably will too,

John

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Izack, I agree with your philosophy of wanting to make it because you can. My ship model has all of the interior detail that could only be seen if you were to break it open. I did it because I wanted to. The blocks that I used were awful, little cubes with holes in them but in the overall scheme of things you don't even notice them in the mass of rigging, and I only did the fixed rigging and left the running rigging off!

It was my first ship model and I got huge satisfaction from building it. It is now on display in the museum in the Falkland Islands.

Enjoy your model.

I'm finding it hard to imagine how small pieces of brass tube are supposed to represent Wooden Blocks. Can't help thinking it's not going to look very good. I understand some of the issues but folks that build ship models either make or buy wooden blocks or use the plastic "blocks" supplied in some kits. What are you going to do for Deadeyes?

Not everyone uses the ready made versions. As there is a chap, Dafi, over on MSW. making his own block right now.

The brass tube is for the pulley wheel inside the block. Which the rope will slide over. It should be grooved around the edge. But the metal is slick enough without that much detail.

Hi,

Thanks for the comments. I think we've reached the main sticking point between wooden tops and tin tacks. That of exact terms and accuracy. 😜 if we can ignore are own specialities for a moment and use the vernacular, what I need is a means of cutting lengths of tube repeatedly, simply, easily, and with enough accuracy so as to make the sizes "look" the same. I'm not like split cane rod makers, working to a precise 1/75". So as I can create the wooden parts the same and know that they should hold the pulley wheel without binding. So if some are mildly smaller that's fine. It's a maximum that is the main critical point.

Hope this makes sense.

I don't envy you with the De-piping 👎

Maybe make something like this with a stop to set your lengths, slot to take a knife or razor saw and simple clamp to hold the work.

Similar design here

Edited By JasonB on 26/05/2015 12:16:49

Thanks for that as its something that I can recreate shall we say without any special equipment and even out of timber. Defiantly something I'll be trying as its so simple yet potententialy very useful not just tubes. And no chance of loosing fingers

Edited By jason udall on 26/05/2015 15:37:11

Edited By jason udall on 26/05/2015 15:43:03

Simple block of wood with two strips of hardwood fixed to the top to make a channel to take the tube, stop cut from thin material with a slot for two screws to lock it. if the strips were shallower than the tube OD you could just press it down by hand while cutting so no need for a clamp.

Either roll a knife blade over the tube guided by teh slot or use a razor saw

Edited By JasonB on 26/05/2015 15:55:11