Archive-name: ship-models-faq/part05
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Expires: Fri, 2 February 1996 00:00:00 GMT
Last-modified: 29 December 1995

This is the Frequently Asked Questions FAQ (part 5) on ship modeling.

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The questions being addressed are listed in part I of the FAQ.


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33.     Does anyone have any experience and/or tips on how to use slide
        cover glass to make windows? I have read about using microscope
        slide covers to model windows. This sounded great until I tried
        to figure out how to cut the pieces to the proper shape. Every
        time I try, I just end up destroying the delicate little square
        of glass. <Dan Sullivan>
   A.   I have not specifically tried to cut slide glass but I have a
        stained glass company and at times we have been called on to
        repair lead light windows 1mm thin.
         Use a good quality glasscutter & make sure the wheel is well
        lubricated (dip into thin oil or kerosene if it is not the type
        with a reservoir in the handle). You will also need a pair of
        grozing pliers obtainable from any specialised glass shop.
         For such thin glass make sure it is well supported, like on a
        thick wad of newspaper. Glass is a solid but has the properties
        of a liquid and will break irrationally if there is uneven
        pressure.
         Mark with a felt tip where you want to cut (can be straight or
        curved). Make one even score preferably without stopping. Never
        go over the score twice. Exert just enough pressure to hear a
        faint scrunching sound. You are not trying to cut the glass,
        just to break the surface tension.
         With score facing up, hold the glass in one hand and snap off
        the piece you have scored with the grozing pliers by placing the
        squared off jaws parallel and close to the score. The pliers
        have a right and wrong way up. Instructions are usually on the
        back of the pack or ask the assistant to explain as wrong way up
        will break the glass unpredictably. The movement is downward
        away from the score.
                               score
                                  |
                hold          V     pliers
         ------------------v-------------------
                                           |
                                           |      break
                                           V     downward

         This is very hard to explain without a pen in my hand so if you
        don't come right please send a fax number and I will sketch the
        above. Or contact a local Tiffany or stained glass manufacturer.
        You can also buy little glass saws like a miniature bandsaw but
        they are pricey and we don't use them as the above method works
        fine with practice. <Paul Wilson>
        ***Place the cover slip on a piece of glass, score lightly with
        a diamond tipped pencil and break abruptly over the edge of the
        glass. Usually works. Any little peninsulas can be ground off
        with a small diamond or abrasive wheel in Dremel tool.
        <Clayton Feldman>
        ***Try cutting the glass underwater. I know that this sounds
        strange, but it works. The reason that glass shatters is the
        breaking of the glass sets up vibrations in the glass that are
        transmitted throughout the glass. These vibrations cause the
        glass to shatter. If the glass is underwater, the vibrations are
        damped out and the glass will not shatter. Believe it or not, I
        once cut a piece of glass with a pair of sissors! The cut was
        not clean, but the glass did not shatter. <Tim Philp>
        ***The best and easiest technique that I have seen and used
        successfully is contained in an article by N. Roger Cole,
        "Seaway's Ships in Scale", Vol. VI, No.1, page 15.  The pattern
        is drawn on a piece of scrap wood, the roughly cut coverglass is
        secured to that pattern with double sided sticky tape and then
        the glass is finished to final shape with a disk sander.  Wear
        eye protection, avoid brerathing the glass dust.
        <mailto:WHannan506@aol.com>
        ***I just use 10 thousands plastic sheet for windows. Works
        great. <Ben Lankford>
        ***Put the glass on a very hard surface (I've used a steel
        plate) and scribe with a diamond or similar point...then finish
        the edges smooth on a fine carborundum paper...you'll still get
        a lot of "scrappers".  You'll find that, when putting them in
        place, a fleck of sawdust in the frame may be enough to crack
        the glass.
         I now use mica instead; it's flexible, can be split to any
        desired thickness, can be cut with scissors, and - being a
        mineral that is already millions of years old - is unlikely to
        decompose.  Unfortunately, it's hard to find - check out your
        local "rock-hound" shop.  (Many of the admiralty models were
        glazed with mica, and it's lasted hundreds of years.)
        <John O. Kopf>
        ***Please be very careful when grinding the edges of glass with
        an abrasive (diamond or carborundum) Eye protection is an
        absolute must. <Peter Law>
        ***Thank you all for many excellent suggestions. After some
        experimentation, I have found that the "scribe and break" method
        works very well as long as the glass is well supported (I have
        been using a steel rule as a base). I use the edge of a sharp
        chisel pressed along the desired line to support the glass from
        above.
         Lacking either a diamond scribe or a Dremel, I resorted to
         using the tip of a needle file (the hardest tool I have) to do
         the scribing. With care,  this makes a nice sharp line, and the
         glass breaks off very cleanly.
         I would never have figured this out myself; thanks again for
         all of your inputs. <Dan Sullivan>


34.     I have a 24-inch wood scale model of a Baltimore clipper that
        has accumulated a layer of dust, etc, over the past three
*NEW*   years.  Is there any way to clean this (full rigged) model.
        One way I was told was to immerse the model in warm soapy
        water, then in warm rinse water.  However, I have used non-
        waterproof glue in building this model.  Any one out there have
        alternative suggestions? Thanks <mailto:radioop99@aol.com>
    A:  NO NO!  Don't immerse it!  There are three main regions you
        need to clean, and each requires a different technique.
         1) Hull.  This is usually not the worst anyway, but a damp (not
        wet, damp) rag with just a drop of soap is fine here.
         2) Decks, Deckhouses.  If you have an airbrush, use it with
        just the jet of air.  Simultaneously, sweep surfaces VERY
        carefully with soft camel hair brush.
         3) Rigging.  Use airbrush as above.  Only very reluctantly, use
        a small brush for any really stubborn pieces of lint or dust.
        But be even more careful than for deck areas.
         If you do not have an airbrush, go to a photo store and buy
        one of those cans of compressed air used to clean negatives
        before printing. <Don Stauffer;
        mailto:stauffer@htc.honeywell.com >
         ***I have been watching conservators working on ship models in
        the museum I work at.  They use one of the cheapest cleaning
        fluids available - saliva.  Basically, you use a cotton swab on
        the end of a toothpick (Q-tip), roll it on your tongue and wipe
        the model gently.  It takes a while, but you will find it works
        amazingly well.  It also will prevent water from destroying
        your wooden model that may (probably will) happen if you
        immerse it in water.  I would say that a few hours of
        saliva/cotton swabs would be well worth the effort if the model
        is valued by you and I bet it is.
         These are my views and not the museums.
        <mailto:acolwell@mi.net>
        ***I would be concerned that the enzymes in the saliva  might
        eventually do harm to organic materials...remember the 5th
        grade science demonstration where we were each handed a cracker
        and told to chew it up and then hold it in our mouth for 5
        minutes?  The enzymes started turning the starch into sugar.
        Might not the same thing hold for cellulose (perhaps working
        slower)? <mailto:kopfj@aimnet.com>
*NEW*   ***The enzymes in the saliva break down relatively quickly.
        When you use this technique, you only use a "very" thin layer
        of saliva.  (I'd hate to see a big old greener on the ship).
        The saliva dries in a matter of seconds and leaves only minute
        quantities of enzymes.  The enzymes themselves only attack
        starch molecules and convert the starch to simple sugars.
        Saliva should not pose any harm to wood if used in application
        I described earlier.  As long as the paint is not water based,
        (or used starch) there should be no damage.
         Interesting comment though.  I might see what our conservator
        has to say about about a lot of expectorate on a wooden ship
        model. <mailto:acolwell@mi.net>
*NEW*   ***Just a reminder:  Few if any animals have cellulose. Both
        bovines and termites depend on microorganisms in their gut to
        turn cellulose into simple sugars. The likely problem with
        using saliva instead of water (deionized or distilled) is that
        a dried mucous film may make the next layer of dust cling a bit
        more tenaciously and tap water (like the hard water here in KY)
        may leave a mineral haze. <mailto:sirdean@iglou.com>

35.     How do you paint and mask camouflage detail?            *NEW*
        Okay:  How do you do it?  I can see that once I assemble my
        1/350 DD, BB, and CVE and add all the details, adding the
        camouflage measures will be very difficult.  How do you mask
        fine photo-etched details without breaking them?  Is it
        necessary to cave in and use a brush (which will reach around
        some of the obstructions)?  I am a new air-brush user trying to
        plan ahead, and I'm darned if I can see how it's done.  I want
        to add three- and four-colored 1944 camouflage measures to a
        Fletcher DD and a Casablanca CVE but I cannot see how to do it
        without marring the result, either by over-spray or by pre-
        spraying sub-assemblies and then "touching up" after final
        assembly.  Please, a few hints for a newbie from some of the
        more experienced hands?
        <mailto:rrobin@astro.ge.com (Rob Robinson,776-7237,WC-3)>
        ***I don't do modern warships myself, being more the sailing
        man-of-war fan, but from what I have read in magazines etc on
        the subject, I guess that the best thing to do is to complete
        the basic structure of your model (hull, funnel, superstructure,
        gun turrets and so on) and camouflage it *before* adding all
        the fancy detail.
         Of course, this leaves you with the problem of painting the
        fancy details...:) <mailto:sstale@sn.no (Staale Sannerud)>
        ***Pretty easy, you paint the "fancy details" with a fine brush
        after you've airbrushed the rest.
        <mailto:pizzi@crl.com (Paolo Pizzi)>



Final notes:  If you build a model for display or sale, always sign it
in a hidden or at least non-obvious location.  Never sell yourself
short.   Log your hours building.  Never charge less than 3xCurrent
minimum wage per hour plus materials.  If your work is quality, it will
sell at those prices, and usually at a premium. If your work doesn't
meet standards (retail, decorative or museum) you will never sell
regularly.  Document sources and techniques on everything you build for
(possible) sale or "prestigeous" display. Good Luck
-- mailto:ralcorn824@aol.com (RAlcorn824)