Aerials and Rigging for Ship Models

A recent thread on the cardmodeler�s e-mail list offered several suggestions for making ships� aerials (radio, radar, etc.). One writer noted, (a)erials on a ship are like fleas on a dog. They are dictated by their purpose, space provided and advances in technology.

To create the correct antennas for the ship you�re building, you�ll need good photos, drawings, or diagrams. Not all kits include adequate documentation so you�ll need to look for other sources books, magazines, and the Internet.

Once you�ve found the data you need, there are several ways to scratchbuild antennas and other rigging:

· Use cotton thread stiffened with glue.

· An old ship modeler�s trick uses beeswax to stiffen and waterproof cotton thread. Most craft stores carry beeswax in small blocks. (Mine is about half the size of a deck of playing cards and cost less than $1.) To coat the thread, press it between your thumb and the beeswax block and pull it across an edge or corner of the block. The wax will stiffen the thread and make it resistant to moisture and stretching/sagging.

· Use nylon monofilament fishing line. It�s available in several sizes and colors. It takes paint well and, for rigging small-scale ships, it looks good unpainted. You can also use invisible thread a fine monofilament sold in sewing stores.

· Use fine hairs or fibers cut from brushes or brooms.

· Cat whiskers are perfect for making delicately tapered antennas. Cats shed whiskers with some frequency. Just watch for them and when you find one, put it away for future use. No fair removing whiskers, though. Cats need those to get along.

· Use stretched plastic sprue . . . with some practice, you can make straight and tapered antennas, masts, pipes, and supports, even davits. (See below for more on stretching sprues.)

FineScale Modeler Magazine recently ran two articles on rigging antennas with fine wire: Rigging Wire Aircraft Antennas in the February 2004 issue, and Wire Ship Antennas in the March 2004 issue.

(Thanks to: Peter Henderson, Mike Stamper, Paul Bucalo, Jim Nunn, Cat, and Mathias Kersten -- DS)

Stretching Plastic Sprues
By Paul Bucalo

There are two basic ways that I know of stretching sprue to get a desired effect:

You�ll need:
· Plastic rod (parts trees from plastic model kits work well)
· A regulated heat source
· A well-ventilated area
Your heat source can be a small candle or oil lamp, or, for thin sprue, a soldering iron.
Candles are cheap and plentiful. A small oil lamp gives a wider, more controllable flame.

A well-ventilated area is essential because heated plastic gives off toxic fumes.
And, of course, remember that open flames and paper models don�t mix well.

Method #1:
Hold a piece of sprue over your heat source until the plastic begins to sag as it reaches melting point. Spinning the sprue in your fingers helps to heat it evenly all around its circumference.

When the piece begins to sag, remove it from the heat source and stretch it quickly and decisively until it reaches the diameter you want. The plastic will cool in 1-2 seconds, so work quickly. If you�re too slow, you can carefully reheat the same piece and stretch it further.

Keep trying. With practice, you should be able to create stretched sprues of a more or less consistent diameter most of the time.

If your arms are long enough, you can make quickly enough rigging, antennas, ratlines, etc., for many, many projects. Failed attempts are usually good for some other project you are working on or may work on in the future, so don't throw them away.
[You could use them to replace the whiskers you stole from the cat.DS]

If you are fortunate to have a lot of clear sprue, you can get make near-invisible guy-lines, aerial antennas, and so on. Stretched sprue is far superior to thread in that it can be chopped into smaller pieces and welded together with liquid cement to form ladders and ship railings, radar antennas, and other complex parts.

Method #2:
Instead of removing the sprue from the heat source and then stretching it, keep the sprue over the heat source while you stretch it. Work with the piece a little farther from the heat and work it slowly as you stretch it to the desired thickness.

Method #1 works best when you want finer, smaller diameters. Keeping the work over the flame will melt the plastic break the sprue.

Method #2 allows you to work more slowly and gives you better control for creating larger-diameter sprues with consistent sizes.

With the slew of cottage industry modeling supplies and detail kits for the plastic modeling genre, stretching sprue is fast becoming a lost art. It takes practice to get the results you want, but the results are rewarding and worth the time and effort. It is also a great use for that junk box full of old plastic parts trees in various colors.

With practice and experimenting, you can form coil springs, davits, and other shapes with stretched sprue. There might be other methods that work as well, but few are as inexpensive. And there is real satisfaction in mastering the techniques and making your own detail parts.

--Paul

Submit your own paper modeling Hints & Tips to sakrison@dotnet.com. Try to keep them reasonably short. Include any photos or diagrams you need, and your name and location (city/state/country).

Hints & Tips Editor David Sakrison (sakrison@dotnet.com) is a paper modeler, model railroader, Private Pilot, and professional writer & editor. He lives near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.