Making Chain Plates?

Dave,

I may be wrong about Blacken-it being HCL. I read somewhere about a blackening agent being composed of HCl but, since I just did a cursory check, Blacken-it may be made from this stuff:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selenous_acid

As to how other metals react to it, I just don't know. Time for some internet reasearch .

Mike

That guy did a great job with the scratchbuilt chainplates!  

Hey is that all Blacken-it is, HCL?  Does it work for brass, steel, etc.?

David,

I figured the first link (ModelShipWorld) would have been of most use to you. The guy made his own chainplates from wire. You could always use Blacken It (Muratic/Hydrochloric acid?) to change the color.

Mike

Yeah, it looks like in those times, they were literally made from chain, connected by steel eyes/strops....not sure yet if I'm going to use chain or not...depends on a few things (mostly my level of ambition!)....I'll stop by the craft store soon and see what I can find....

There were several styles of chain plates used through the years. Some can be duplicated with wire, some would be a real bear to make from wire, so it depends on the style used on that ship.

Geez, Mike...some of those fittings are very cool...miniature versions of the real thing!  But for 5-8 bucks each, I don't know if it's in my budget...

I saw a video on YouTube from a guy show makes them out of annealed black wire from ME...might give that a try?

Thanks!

David,

Here are some links that might (or might not) be of interest:

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/487-chain-plates/

http://www.castyouranchorhobby.com/index.php?sid=4cdznd8o92cmb911sm570tjf700779f1&app=ecom&ns=prodsearchp&ecom--prodsearch--string=chainplate

http://www.model-dockyard.com/acatalog/Amati_Deadeyes.html

http://www.bluejacketinc.com/fittings/fittings5.htm

Mike

In general I make that kind of thing out of the soft tin or aluminum "capsule" from a bottle of wine.

Recent project my Nemo in "figure" all of his gear straps webbing etc.

As for Elizabethan era I have no idea but you've kindled my interest.

at that scale you could use wire to make the chain plates. From the brief pictures I looked at online, the chain plates were a solid iron bar with an eyelet at the ends to attach to the hull and dead eyes. Wire would also be used for the dead-eye strop rings.