[Newbie] Need Help With Soldered Tinplate Model Ship Project

[Guitylerham]

Thanks for those suggestions. The ball bearing idea is pretty cool and would give nice rounded heads but still drilling just a divot and soldering that much through the thin 0.010" tinplate would be damn near impossible at first glance. I hadn't thought of it before so I'll keep that idea up my sleeve now. Thanks.

Those decal strips are an option too. I might buy a sheet and see what's up with them. Thanks for that suggestion.

It looks like photo-etching or punching the rivets are what folks have done in the past. Both look fuuun.

 

[REdington]

I also have a riveter that work super great and the rivet detail is outstanding, but is very time consuming. I just bought the riveter, punch and die set and use my mill instead of the press that is sold separately. I think the small punch and die would work for your project.
It is on page 2 of this link.

http://www.nwsl.com/uploads/chap1_TOOLS_09-15.pdf

Rodney

 

[SE18]

micro fasteners I think it is, sells very very tiny brass or copper rivets, which are basically just tiny cylinders. There are a very very few hobbyists (not me) who have designed die and punches for these. They drill tiny tiny holes and press these rivets in place, which is about as real as you can get and take lots of practice and lighted magnifiers

 

[Guitylerham]

Here's what I think I'll end up doing. This was created using an automatic center punch. The deeper divots were from the spring actuation but the shallower ones were just using the tip and applying hand pressure, no spring action. I think I prefer the more subtle ones. My plan is to source a sheet of perforated sheet metal with round holes at the same spacing I want the rivets, then to place my hull plate over the sheet and punch the divots into the holes. This would keep the divots as flat as possible around the rivet to minimize mounding and distortion around each bump. The only challenge is to make sure I punch the hull plate exactly over each hole in the perforated sheet below. Might premark the hull plate or use another perforated sheet on top, sandwiching the hull plate and alligning the two perforated sheets. I can use the top one as a template.

 

[REdington]

You could bolt 2 pcs of the perforated metal together so that they indexed to each other. Then slide your part between them.


Rodney

 

[rmack898]

Since you sheet is only .010 perhaps you could make a pattern tracing wheel with the right spacing for the rivets and just run it across the sheet with the right amount of pressure to give the indentations on the opposite side of the sheet. It might take a little bit of trial and error to get the right effect but once you get it figured out, you could rivet a whole sheet in seconds,

 

[Guitylerham]

Since you sheet is only .010 perhaps you could make a pattern tracing wheel with the right spacing for the rivets and just run it across the sheet with the right amount of pressure to give the indentations on the opposite side of the sheet. It might take a little bit of trial and error to get the right effect but once you get it figured out, you could rivet a whole sheet in seconds, View attachment 111872

Yeah, that's definitely an option worth looking into. Thanks! Trial and error is the name of the game.

 

[Guitylerham]

So I've been having difficulty sourcing a relatively small bit of perforated screen like below:


I think it'd be perfect to use as a riveting template. The only problem is they only sell it in 3' x 10' sheets for over $400!! So that's out of the question. The only other option is to find some sort of manufactured item that uses similar material such as desktop speakers or something that has a this material as the grill. It's too bad that I only need less than a square foot at most since this is as close to scale as I'd find.

Does this by chance jog anyone's memory of something I could start looking for with a screen like this? I'm just throwing it out there for the hell of it! I will continue my search. Thanks for everyone's continuing input. It is much appreciated!
-Tyler

 

[brino]

Hi Tyler,

Microwave ovens use a precision mesh screen on the door. They need to let you look thru, but keep the microwaves from penetrating your skull. I know the space/gap will be a function of the microwave frequency, but I do not know what the spacing is exactly...... it's regular, but may not meet your size/spacing needs.

Many other parts of the ovens are useful too; the transformers for homemade spot welders(converted from high-voltage to high-current), many micro-switches for the door safety interlock, even the power cords are usually heavy gauge.

Note however, that the high-voltage capacitor in a microwave oven can hold a high-voltage charge long after it is unplugged!
Play safe!

-brino

 

[Guitylerham]

Hi Tyler,

Microwave ovens use a precision mesh screen on the door. They need to let you look thru, but keep the microwaves from penetrating your skull. I know the space/gap will be a function of the microwave frequency, but I do not know what the spacing is exactly...... it's regular, but may not meet your size/spacing needs.

Many other parts of the ovens are useful too; the transformers for homemade spot welders(converted from high-voltage to high-current), many micro-switches for the door safety interlock, even the power cords are usually heavy gauge.

Note however, that the high-voltage capacitor in a microwave oven can hold a high-voltage charge long after it is unplugged!
Play safe!

-brino

Oh yeah! That's where I've seen that screen before. I'll check out some used ones and see what I find. Thanks for the tip regarding uses for theories parts too. Might have to build myself a resistance solderer at some point. Thank you.