More bitts

This may look like the same picture from a previous post, but it is the revised forecastle.  I wasn't happy that the bollards (small posts in pairs) looked oversized so I replaced them with smaller versions.  I think it looks much better.

Much of the detail work is a compromise as I am limited to the sizes of the styrene shapes available from the company.  I have been using Evergreen styrene rods, tubes and sheets as this is all I can get locally.

The stern is nearly finished.  Still need to do the stairs and a few really tiny vents.  I put a penny on the deck to show the scale.  All of the little deck hardware that I made for the stern can easily fit on a penny. 

Punch and Bend

I want to show a couple of the latest tools I've picked up for my workbench that I am using to build the Queen.

The first tool is a Hold and Fold photo etched bending tool.  You would simply loosen the two black knobs and the silver plate raises up and you put your photo etched piece under the silver top where you want it bent.  Tighten the knobs and using a straight edge bend the piece.  All the little fingers accommodate different shapes of photo etched parts.

The second tool is a punch set which will make small round discs out of styrene in 8 different sizes. You slide your sheet of plastic into a groove on the side and choose the right size punch and hit the end of the punch with a small hammer.   This set will create small discs from 0.6mm to 3.0mm in diameter.  The discs can be used as rivets, tiny wheels or in my case bollard and capstan tops.

Bollards, Capstans and Fairleads

Just a single picture update to show that I have still been working on the Queen. I've been working on all the small deck details and in the process learning about the little things on the deck of a ship. 

The objects with the gold tops are capstans which mooring lines go around and I think are motorized. The small black mushroom objects are bollards.  They are fixed metal posts that lines are wrapped around.  The small rows of posts along the edge of the deck in sets of 3 or 4 are rolling fairleads and mooring ropes are fed through them to guide them.  They are simply horizontal rollers.  All of the parts on deck have been scratchbuilt with styrene. 

The deck looks really busy and I think a couple things may be a tad out of scale. (bollards and anchor captsans)

I will continue to work my way down the ship adding vents, captstans, bollards, bitts and widgets.