Hand Made - Fittings ....Are Easy!
And You
don't need - a Metal Lathe Or Milling Machine, "But If You Got One -
Their Sure Nice!"
However mine is the 7" x 10" Mini - Lathe from
Homier.com
and exactly the same unit sold
by Harbor Freight, except mine is a different color. These things
will work = Metal, Brass & Aluminum, including Plastic & Hard
Woods too! And until recently, I used to hand-make most every part
for my scale models, but naturally - I've improved my skills - as I went
along too. So turning parts - by hand, or using my old electric
drill, clamped in a bench vice, I shaped lots of things with my old
Dremel tool - in the past. Plastic rod - for example, which I use to
make some very small parts, was a long drawn out process.. Until I
finally bought the mini - metal shop lathe,
and still learning to use the darn thing, but I'm getting better.
But I bought this thing, when "Homier Tools" visited my area with one
of thier big "2 - Day Truckload Sales. And after I checked their
prices and compared it - to others sources that sld the same model = I
bought it! Check'um out at
www.homier.com , the price is
bargain, the lowest that I could find on these tings, outside of used
ones. I bought the Homier, and a even considered the ones that
Harbor Freight
= for example, sells, which is the very same unit for a much higher
price - mind you. As it turns out, mine cost me - $369.00 at Homier
and that was a real Bargain. But Harbor Freight -
also sells a wider assortment of mini - metal
Lathe & vertical Milling Machine - TOOLS and parts for mini lathes.
So I ordered additional stuff for my lathe - From Them and it all evened
out - I guess. I'm a total novice - at this thing too, so I have to
learn and now I'm looking for somebody to teach me a few tricks on how
to run it. "Yeah Guys, even Ole River Bill - needs some help -
SOMETIMES!"
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Hand Carving - Parts
using
an Electric Drill ... Bench - Vice & Dremel Tool and Bitts!
Scratch Building parts = Air
Horns, Bitts, D-Rings, Buttons & Roller Chocks - for Barges & Workboats
and Other Models.
Whether made from Wood, Plastic, or Metal, you can carve parts and
fittings - like these, learning to shape them to scale sizes, with some
patience and practice.
Basic Tools - Needed =
Bench Vice & Work
Table, Hobby Saw, Or Dremel Tool & Cutting Wheels and Bitts, Electric -
Hand Drill, Sandpaper and Xacto Knife. Or a Shop Wood turning - Lath,
to turn parts of any size, with carving tools.
Materials =
Plastic / Wood & Metal materials in
varied sizes = Rods / Tubing & Dowel wood, plus some Plastruct
materials in various shapes = L's / Angles / C -Channel & I-Beam Stock.
Examples of - Bitts,
Chocks, Kevels, D-Rings & More!
Tap
Drawing To Enlarge
Simply save this drawing to a file on your pc, or
print the enlarged drawing - as you wish! .....
compliments of Old River - Bill!
If you can insert a short strip of
dowel wood or plastic rod into a drill chuck, tighten it down and pull
the trigger .... "You can make rather neat looking fittings!" For
example, lets say you need a set of "AIR HORNS" .... Just carve
their shapes into the material, mounted into your drill - chuck, by
using a "Dremel Tool" and Dremel Bitts to shape it. While its clamped
in the drill and the drill is clamped in your bench vice, you can slowly
shape the parts needed, using sandpaper to finish them after their cut
to shapes needed. And take advantage of the many bitts that come with
a "Dremel Tool" also, they easily shape small parts with some
practice. Copy or save these
drawings and build them - in whatever scale you may need, by enlarging
them on your pc & printer .... compliments of Old River - Bill!
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Working - Deck Winches
This diagram shows -
two methods, of making a Deck Winch - actually Work. Increasing the
interesting details on a model, when you flip a switch, and the winch
slowly - tightens up those loose lines!" Usually the first comment
from onlookers, is something like - "How The Hell Didja = Do Dat?"
Tap
Drawing to Enlarge
( Top Example - In Drawing ) works by using a
small dc motor & gear drive to power the winch lines. ( Bottom
Example ) uses a very simple system of "Rubber Bands" that stretch to
tighten the winch - lines. I prefer not to operate winches - via the
R/C Radio, due to radio RF - interference. Which can actuate a winch
system - unexpectedly, and damage it, or the boat or whatever your
towing. Here, if the winch is to be electrically powered, I prefer to
simply hide its controls, someplace on the model ( like - inside a Door
or Hatchway ), where I can easily operate them manually - by hand.
Using a Small 9 volt battery as their power source
- for example, which is easy, with a 3-way switch. Meaning a switch
that has Off Position - in the Middle, with In / Out functions applied
to its other two terminals!
NOTE - On some large - Towboats,
there may be as many as 6
to 8 different - Deck Winches. So you may have to make several
different types of Deck Winches, to insure the model is true in every
detail. And sometimes boats use combinations of "Hand Operated"
winches, along with Electric or Electric / Hydraulic - versions of winch
systems.
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Two Types of
"Hand Operated" - Winches
used on Towboats &
Barges too!
Depending on required
scale - which these are built, you may find the "Hand Wheel" is easily
obtained from parts left over from some past "HO - Model Railroad
project" or from some Lionel or Garden - Scale parts? Here also, some
model boat fittings parts suppliers, may offer the correct scale - Hand
Wheel, for your to add - in building these for a model boat or barge.
Tap
Photos to Enlarge
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The Electric
Powered - Deck Winch
Tap
Photos to Enlarge
Colors commonly
used on winches, are BLACK & RED. But on Barges, they can be pained
the same color as the decks, so take note of this in your detailing.
I've also seen the Wheel Control - of the winch, painted bright "Yellow"
and danger or cauton yellow or white painted lines around the winch on
the deck. These painted caution lines, just indicate to crewmen,
where they should avoid walking, whenever the winch is in operation, or
its lines are taught for safety.
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The Hydraulic /
Electric Powered - Deck Winch
Tap
Photo to Enlarge
Generally, Small
boats use electric powered = Deck Winches, and larger boats use these
Hydraulic / Electric - versions, but occasionally you even find them on
small towboats like the Tender, harbor or Trip Boat - for example.
Their very powerful, probably the most powerful system available for
such small units, so their use is commonplace on many types of vessels -
even self propelled barges - Sometimes!
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Make A Working - Capstan
Winch
Or this
idea can be used for a "Gear Drive" for Models, like Cranes & Lifeboat -
Booms & Sail Winches too
Gear
Ratio's used & Types of Gears chosen are optional to the builder!
Tap
Drawing to Enlarge
This drawing shows the drive system, used to operate a
radar. But with a few added parts = extra gears to slow it down
further, it could function as a drive for a Sail Winch. If it was
built with a switching system, to be driven in either = Reverse or
Forward. And in some cases, you might even be able to make a
miniature drive, by using a standard = Servo.
Here, an old Servo, with its Motor &
Drive which has had its electronics' = gutted, will easily make a drive
for a Capstan Winch or can be used in other applications. Easily
powered by a small 9 volt battery ( or pair of them ), or with the
models - main battery. Note wiring diagram shows a switch to provide
both directions = controls, with Off = Located in the center position of
the 3 position switch. NOTE .... A lot of the parts needed here, can
be obtained from Radio Shack or other Electronics' Parts suppliers, even
the gears to - in some cases!
Special Notes ..... This simple system could be enlarged in
numbers of gears, to make this a system for a Working - Deck Crane's,
needed Boom & Cable Drives too. Which could be easily operated via
R/C - if you desired, making a very neat looking - Operational Crane
with its own effects. The system depending upon needs for the Crane,
would operate the Cab, swing it Left or Right, or the raise or lower -
the Boom, or feed the Boom Cables - In or Out. Depending on how
realistic you wanted make the model crane operate!
I'll Add More - Later, so
check back Often
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Last Updated
On 06/29/23 .
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