The Ship Model Forum

Thx Dan! :thumbs_up_1:

Love that prop guard.

Thanks Marijn! :cool_2:
[quote="marijn van gils" post_id=1094166 time=1769939918 user_id=1733]
If you ever take this model to a show, how are you going to display it? Under some kind of magnification, I guess?
[/quote]

Oh, no idea. Too early to say :big_grin:

0,01 mm brass sheet... That's a whole new level of finesse!

If you ever take this model to a show, how are you going to display it? Under some kind of magnification, I guess?

Thank you Joelle! :thumbs_up_1:

I am amazed by this fantastic, meticulous work in this microcosm. :thumbs_up_1:

Thanks, that's interesting approach :thumbs_up_1:

A few years ago bought some assorted shim from a company named Pendragons, if i remember well. The thinnest shim is 0.02-ish mm. When i need a lesser thickness i sand it down to 0.01 mm with 1500-grit sandpaper, checking time by time with a digital caliper until i reach an even 0.01mm thickness (never went further, not sure the digital caliper can measure less than that). Then i polish it with 2000 and 5000-grit sandpaper. i place the small strips of shim to be sanded on double-sided adhesive tape to make sure they don't move. After the polishing phase i accurately clean the shim(s) of the adhesive residuals in pure alcohol. Very time consuming and feasible for limited surfaces only. Effective in my case because i only need minimal surfaces for my projects. The good thing is that differently from Aluminium foil, very thin brass doesn't crumple when manipulated.

[i]Addendum.[/i] Found the link: https://vintagepensacsandparts.com/products/assorted-brass-shims

Just out of curiosity, where did you find 0.01 mm brass shim? I think the thinnest I have seen was 0.05 mm thick.

Propeller guard test-fitted. Prepared the ring out of 0.01mm-thin brass shim (1.2 mm diameter, 0.25mm large)

Thank you very much Vladi, EJ and Eberhard!

[quote=wefalck post_id=1092628 time=1768563865 user_id=10282]
Perhaps he needs to call in Spider Man for some webs :big_grin:
[/quote]
:big_grin: :big_grin: :big_grin:

[quote=EJFoeth post_id=1092624 time=1768562951 user_id=3582]
The mesh in front of the prop needs to be built from the tiniest wire?
[/quote]

The theoretical idea is to build a jig for the rigging of 4 propeller guard grid sections and use the thinnest non deforming wire i know, such as 10/0 (0.02 mm) nylon ophtalmic suture as I am not mastering the sprue-stretching technique despite the excellent tutorials by JB and practice. Used that nylon wire in the past for the 1/400 88mm German naval gun and proved to be very useful. I know of the existence of 11/0 nylon sutures but don't have any experience with those, don't even know where to get them. Am still not convinced that representing that grid in such a small scale might be feasible though. Must experiment and see. If unfeasible i'll rely on Eberhard's tip :big_grin:

[quote=EJFoeth post_id=1092624 time=1768562951 user_id=3582]
Well, airbrush might actually leave that a hole!
[/quote]

I thought of brush-painting because was really impressed by the excellent results on very small parts by Marijn, Joelle and Jim Baumann. But you really have to be something else to pull this off. Still puzzled on what to do.

Perhaps he needs to call in Spider Man for some webs :big_grin:

Superb work Stefano... 0.06mm hole? Well, airbrush might actually leave that a hole! Glad to be nominated after our shared December Hospital experience, not the best place to be until it is :big_grin: The tail section looks fantasic and very well aligned, and also, yes, very small! The mesh in front of the prop needs to be built from the tiniest wire?

Well, yes, that [b]IS[/b] small :thumbs_up_1:

Well, this is absolutely insane you know? Congrats! :wave_1:
Do you think the inner tail section would be later inaccessible to aibrushing, too?

Hi, tail superstructures are finally in place.

It took me several months to complete the assembly. A matter of trial and error to compensate the inevitable imperfections of the hand-tapered tail cone. It required tailored sub-assemblies to look convincing. Each superstructure had to be assembled, test fitted/dismounted, adjusted by shortening fins or L-arms a few tenths of mm and then glued to the SLC tail. Unfortunately no standard sizes of the single components could be used.

The vertical superstructures have shorter fins and distal insertion points of the rudder supports to the tail cone, the horizontal ones longer fins and proximal insertion points of the hydroplane supports, just like the real thing had. The upper fin sported a hole at the top portion (a) and the lower didn't (b), as the perfect shot by Rui Matos revealed (A propos THANK YOU for taking and sharing that impressive and clarifying walkaround Rui :cool_2: ). Am very proud of the 0.06 mm hole on the top fin, it's the result of punching, sanding (to open up the hole), pressing the microscopic fin and then calibrating the hole with a dental root canal file. The minimal alignment imperfections that the merciless magnification shows looking from behind won't be noticed once rudder, hydroplanes and propeller guard are added. Naked eye can't catch them :big_grin: . The smear of CA on that horizontal fin has been taken care of already with a combination of glue debonder and 2000-grit sandpaper shaped as a very small pointy triangle operated with tweezers.

Now, before adding the propeller guard a choice imposes: should i paint the tail section? it makes sense as those areas would be impossibile to reach for painting and might stand out if left unpainted once the juxtaposed ring and grid are added. Any suggestions? Brushed Humbrol enamels? Am all ears.

I would like to dedicate this achievement to fellow modeller EJ Foeth and toast to mutual, unforseen circumstances conspiring against modelling :big_grin: . Cheers, EJ!

Thank you for the superlative inspirational boost, Gentlemen! :cool_2:

Fantastic work.

Good to see you back at the workbench! :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

Microscopic madness continues...

Geez, this is really something... Fingers crossed!