Suggestions for a scratchbuild part on the Spirit of St. Louis

Take a look at this article, toward the end you will see how he scratched built one in 1/48. Granted, its a different from the Spirit of St. Louis, but sure gives a lot of details to think about. Good luck.

http://www.internetmodeler.com/2004/june/aviation/DII.php

Waikong,

That is actually quite helpful.  I'll have to check my spares stash, but don't think I have a spare control wheel. Thank you.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Oh-Kay, first, let’s look at the real thing:

An anemometer like this is basically a pipsqueak windmill. Most of it probably should be done in brass, but the cups make me think “steel”, specifically “tin” can lids. You’ll want something that passes for an anvil. If you don’t have one, think “hard”, “flat”, & “heavy” as you look around. Get yourself a selection of ball-bearings you can use as forms. Final piece of the tool set: a ball-peen hammer — you need a hammer that’s designed for hitting malleable metal. Then “malleable” the heck out of your recycled material. Once you’ve fabricated a selection of dimples, you should be able to select four identical wind cups.

Thanks, Tom.  I do know what it looks like, though.  I also checked my parts stash, and discovered I did have a couple of control wheels, from an old Schnellboat kit.  Unfortunately, they are all three-spoke. 

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Hi, I´m a jeweler besides a modeller, so I always say that I cheat while modelling because jewelers have very specific tools, you need a punch an die set, and the better material is annealed copper.

If you have a mini drill and and a ball bur you can make your own die, you need a piece of brass and make a semispherical indentation whit the bur, that will be you die, for the punch you can use a steel ball from a ball bearing glued to a nail, or better a steel tube, then you can use both to form your metal.

I´m working away from home now, if you are interested in two or three days I can send you some drawings of the process, or you can enter in www.riogrande.com, they a supplier of tools, you can see the tool I´m referring there.

The rest is made the arms, I think brass wire joined whith solder is the best, but you must be very careful.

Good modelling!

My wife is an accomplished scrap-booker, so she has a room full of tools.  I managed to get some aluminum disks punched out with a small punch.  I think I can use a round burnishing tip to 'cup' them.  The only issue now is the arms that hold them together.  I'm not really set up to do such fine soldering work.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

Superglue? Aluminium is a nasty metal to solder...

I'd probably use epoxy.  It's not as brittle as superglue when done.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

I’d take another tack: Assemble your parts using white glue, then cast a fair several of duplicates (this started with a lost piece after all). If you don’t like what you’ve produced, you’re no worse for the experience. I’ve used this trick when I needed a slew of identical parts and the kit only had two. I even wound up giving a dozen on so to a friend to facilitate one of his projects.

Heh, I've done that before.  I had a glue-bomb Boot Hill Express I had to make copies of the urns that top the body.  I made 10 of them, so I do have some spares. 

I think the replacement will be too fiddly to cast a mold of, though.  I've started, but things have gotten in the way of returning to the work.  I started with some small brass tube, drilling 4 holes in it and epoxying 4 pieces of brass wire to them.  I set the tube part in some modeling clay so the holes were just at the surface of the clay, then set the wire pieces on it, allowing the wire to set level and straight with respect to the tube while the epoxy set.  I've gotten that far.  I need to cup my pieces of aluminum sheet and add them to the end of the wire.   Hopefully later this week.  Thanks for all the suggestions.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

For those who don't get around much, or put 2 and 2 together, I have completed the kit, and it is here:

/forums/t/139606.aspx

The anemometer is a little out of scale, I know, but it's complete, and a challenge to build. 

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas

GENE ,GENE, Surely here in TEXAS you,ve heard of the brand of super glue HOBBYTOWN sells. they have a medium thick thats perfect for what you need now , Take a piece of plastic rod ,(the size of what it rotates on .) now put another rod inside that .This rod will be your base .Cut four equal length pieces and glue the cups to one end .When they are set then carefully glue each arm/cup assembly to the main rod .It won,t see any dangerous use or touch parameyers so go for it.         tankerbuilder

Tanker, I've seen the thick stuff, but many times I've had CA glues grow crystals, or little hairs long after setting.  I find that annoying, and don't use the stuff much.  That, and the stuff doesn't last long in the bottle after opening, or set a LOT slower than it should, and then be brittle after it sets, it's way down on my list of adhesives. 

Thank you for the suggestion, though.

Gene Beaird,
Pearland, Texas