MODEL AEROPLANE NOTES and General Hobbicrafts

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 150, 26 June 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

MODEL AEROPLANE NOTES and General Hobbicrafts

GREAT SCOPE FOR ORIGINAL IDEAS

Since the galleon plans were presented in the column some' two years back there has been a steady stream of inquiries with regard to small details. You will quite imagine that there is no chance of me being able to give too all the more intimate parts of the construction, builders being expected to think out quite a lot of these for themselves. However, the sketches given this week may be of some help, especially to those who have got ae far as the sails. The sails on most boats, that is, replica models, are usually fairly terrible. They look saggy and unreal, and very often I have seen a fine model completely spoiled in appearance by the bad lit, bad cut and bad conception of the sails. There are several ways to get rial ism. One way is to make the sails of heavy drawing wper soaked in tea to gi\e it that old look. Another way is to make the sails of Mlk, similarly coloured, and use wire round all the I'dges. This wire should be soft copper so that it will take and keep a bend.

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EFFECTIVE HANDLING OF MODEL BUILDING INCREASES REALISM

then with clear model aeroplane dopn, keeping the corners attached bv cottons. The dope will dry stiff, and if properly done the sails will have exactlv Dm right amount of "belly." In the "drawin? given here the" sails have been designed so that they can be removed, and the mechanical process used te arrange this is very obvious. One other matter that model builder* find very difficult is the getting of fine drills. Small "wire size"' drills of the straight shank twist drill type are, of course, available from ironmongers at a small price, usually about fid each, but the trouble is that often these are broken or cannot be found when the

The steps in making a drill oat of an ordinary needle.

model maker most want? them, so a substitute must Ik? found. Mother's needle case is a fine place to look first. The small sketch shows how an ordinary needle is made into an efficient drill. The following procedure should l>e adopted. Heat the pointed end red hot and flatten with a hammer on some small metal surface. If allowed to cool slowlv after another heating the end will he soft and car. be filed to the shape shown. Then •rrind the bevels on the flattened end as shown or they can be bevelled on ma oilstone. Then reheat the point and plunpe it into a candle. This should jrivc just about the correct temper. And yon have a dandy drill just the rifjht sir*. If you are in a great hurry, however, pay a visit to mother's sewing machine drawer and select a needle of the correct thickness. With a pair of pliers break off the needle just halfway down the "eye."' This will pive you a drill which will bore tiny holes through very light spars, etc without any chance of splitting. By the way. there is a small archimedian drill used bv watchmakers which i« invaluable for small model work. It is short four inches long, and takes the tinie=t of drills. It can be nsed in one hand. too. which is often most nsefnl when working on a delicate subject.