[Newbie] Need Help With Soldered Tinplate Model Ship Project

We have a local electronic product recycler near by. I have made friends with him and he would give me anything before it was sent of.. Tonnes of microwave ovens etc. Perhaps you could go to one near by and check out all sorts of stuff and see if you can find something.

David
 
Here's a simple homemade rivet press that also can punch holes. I'm thinking of using these plans but modifying them to weld everything together

20151022_105327_resized.jpg
 
SE18 said:
Here's a simple homemade rivet press that also can punch holes. I'm thinking of using these plans but modifying them to weld everything together
Click to expand...

That is very cool. I still think that hardest part is ensuring accurate placement of the rivets. I really with the perforated sheet would've worked out and been more affordable. Still looking for the right substitution. It turns out microwave screen hole patters are diagonal and not straight. The search continues!
 
I know I am a bit late to the discussion, but I will toss in my thoughts anyway :)

I can't imagine taking on a project like this with out a sensitive drill.
So, my suggestion is to get a copy of George H. Thomas's "Workshop Techniques." In it he describes the very nice and very flexible Universal Pillar Tool. This tool was originally designed to be a device for riveting and stamping, he improved during the design stage to act as a sensitive drill (and a guide for taping). You can build it from bar stock or buy the castings.
Either way, it would greatly reduce the effort involved in making your rivets no matter what method you choose.
You could easily drill the half round hole suggested with a micro ball endmill with a sensitive drill (I like this idea the best).
You could make little rivets and stake them in, one guy I read actually staked over 15,000 little rivets on a model engine with the UPT.
You could form the rivets as you described from thin sheet and invert.

And too boot, you end up with a pretty nice tool that will be very handy for the entire project.
The tool is designed to be made by someone with a 7" lathe, though it will be easier if you have a mill as well.

http://modelenginenews.org/~modeng74/meng/upt/index.html
castings can be had from Gary at Martinmodel.com
http://martinmodel.com/MMPtools.html

-Josh
 
One comment to the OP going back to the soldering... have you considered using solder paste on the plates? It is applied in a paste form and you just add heat to form the joint. Of course, the materials have to be properly prepared first. I have never used it personally, but it is commonly used for manufacturing jewelry, which I imagine has similar characteristics to your application (thin sections, fine joints, etc.). I know it is available in different temperatures to minimize the chance of melting previously soldered joints. You start with the highest temperature paste, as a previous poster mentioned for wire solder. Just a thought...

Best of luck with a challenging project!
 
clevinski said:
One comment to the OP going back to the soldering... have you considered using solder paste on the plates? It is applied in a paste form and you just add heat to form the joint. Of course, the materials have to be properly prepared first. I have never used it personally, but it is commonly used for manufacturing jewelry, which I imagine has similar characteristics to your application (thin sections, fine joints, etc.). I know it is available in different temperatures to minimize the chance of melting previously soldered joints. You start with the highest temperature paste, as a previous poster mentioned for wire solder. Just a thought...

Best of luck with a challenging project!
Click to expand...

That's a good idea, Clevinski. I've only used the wire solder myself so I will look into the paste. It seems like it'd be really helpful when placing the plates to free up a hand and not hold the solder. Thanks!
 
joshua43214 said:
I know I am a bit late to the discussion, but I will toss in my thoughts anyway :)

I can't imagine taking on a project like this with out a sensitive drill.
So, my suggestion is to get a copy of George H. Thomas's "Workshop Techniques." In it he describes the very nice and very flexible Universal Pillar Tool. This tool was originally designed to be a device for riveting and stamping, he improved during the design stage to act as a sensitive drill (and a guide for taping). You can build it from bar stock or buy the castings.
Either way, it would greatly reduce the effort involved in making your rivets no matter what method you choose.
You could easily drill the half round hole suggested with a micro ball endmill with a sensitive drill (I like this idea the best).
You could make little rivets and stake them in, one guy I read actually staked over 15,000 little rivets on a model engine with the UPT.
You could form the rivets as you described from thin sheet and invert.

And too boot, you end up with a pretty nice tool that will be very handy for the entire project.
The tool is designed to be made by someone with a 7" lathe, though it will be easier if you have a mill as well.

http://modelenginenews.org/~modeng74/meng/upt/index.html
castings can be had from Gary at Martinmodel.com
http://martinmodel.com/MMPtools.html

-Josh
Click to expand...

I don't own a mill or lathe but that drill press is really cool. Looks to be a simple design and accurate. I won't get to the riveted plates for a while yet as I'll be starting to lay the hull plates from the keel outward up to the sheer line/super structure, which is where the riveted plates are. I'll check out that press design a bit more. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
Only practical way I can think of: Mark rivet pattern on flat pieces (before forming)
Make hardwood plates - single pass . Experment with carefully formed contour
punch and tiny hammer. Good luck, take lots of breaks!----BLJHB.
 
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