Adding weight to the display base

For ships, I usually make all my own bases out of wood. If I feel it needs some weight (sailing ships with masts & sails), I have those threaded rods you can get in any hardware store which I cut down to the size I need with a hacksaw and make a groove or two in the bottom of the base and epoxy the rods into them. A piece of felt glued to the bottom covers it all up and protects whatever you set it on.

Hope that this helps.

Jim  

P.S. Better safe than sorry.

To me, the base is a primary consideration. I'll typically have two.

The first is a building base. I have a couple and I never handle a ship model not on a base, once I have the hull details done and the lower part painted. It's long enough and wide enough to protect the details on the perimeter of the ship.

 

Once I'm past the stage of dripping stuff, or needing to turn the ship on it's side, I switch to the finish base. On occasion I'll wrap it in saran, but not usually.

The bases included in kits are almost always horrible things.

Wood base was always my choice, but I also almost never used a kit-supplied base as a support, opting for plocks or finials, instead.

Sometimes, I'd stack wood bases, to fine-tune the base-to-kit proportions, or to increase height.

Have a bro who has a bunch of steel bar stock 1/4" x 4" which he uses for modenr steel ships.  The effect is quite striking.

For a water base and a waterlined kit, little beats MDF sprayed with sanding sealer.

Painted MDF will make a good base, too.

CapnMac82

Have a bro who has a bunch of steel bar stock 1/4" x 4" which he uses for modenr steel ships.  The effect is quite striking.

10 pounds per square foot.

But yes, solid.

I doid a base once for a model of the first SSN, Nautilus. Frosted acrylic with a stipple shadow effect.

Smart a## by the name of Bill Morrison says "nice model, but the picture was upside down."

Ok, thanks for the input. Assuming I know nothing about wood, where can I get a piece already cut and beveled/trimmed around the edges?

You can get them up to about a foot square at Michaels.

 

Hi ;

 What I do is this . If it's a large ship or a sail vessel I route out the base and epoxy Pine Car Derby Weights in the cutout . I make sure the weight is as close to the edge as reasonably possible then Cover the epoxy and weight filled base with a piece of furniture grade plywood and stain and polish the routed edges .

 Remember to leave breathing holes in the plexi top . Sometimes this is very necessary .Why ? Depending on Humidity and such the Enamel or even the glue can still be gassing out .This then , not being able to breathe causes damage to the finish over time .

     Or drill some fine holes in the base after putting the felt protective material on it .

GMorrison

To me, the base is a primary consideration. I'll typically have two.

The first is a building base. I have a couple and I never handle a ship model not on a base, once I have the hull details done and the lower part painted. It's long enough and wide enough to protect the details on the perimeter of the ship.

 

Same here. I always use a wood base for the final base.  For my working base I just use cheap particle board.  I drill holes for the stanchions I will use on the working base. If the hull mounts correctly I then match drill those holes down into the final wood base to ensure the fit.

 

A.C.Moore sells bases that are pre-cut and with routed edges. They come in all sizes and shapes. 

If you know anyone that does woodworking for a hobby, they could probably make you one . All you would need is the dimensions. Or, try a furniture repair place. Don't think they would charge a lot just to cut a piece of wood and route the edges for you. They usually have lots of scrap wood laying around.

Hope that this helps.

Jim  

Mars

where can I get a piece already cut and beveled/trimmed around the edges?

Onle route is to go to a home improvement store and see if they will cut veneer-faced plywood to size (some will).  At the same store there will be a number of mouldings which can be applied to the plywood base.

Some of those store will also cut MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) to size.  MDF has no grain, and holds a tight, square edge.  It takes paint beautifully.

Alternaely an excelent place to get nice flat, finished bits of wood are trophy shops. 

Another place to check is taxidermy shops or suppliers--they have cast-off scrap from making mounting boards and bases.  (Taxidermist is a modler, of sorts, starts with basic forms and has to match those to a specific protoype, so, you can sometimes find a kindred spirit.)

I do the same as GMorrison.

Personally, I go with oak and "golden oak" stain with a gloss lacquer. I cut it to be 1 inch longer and 1 inch wider than what the finished model will be....this gives you 1/2 an inch all the way around. I stick with this, so there is consistancy in the isplay case.

To mount the model to the base, I use 2 1/4" bolts. Drill holes in the hull and epoxy the bolts in place. I stack brass "compression fittings" over the bolts, these provide "spacers" between the base and model, and look nice too! I use a paddle bit to drill out a space on the bottom of the base, deep enough that the nut is buried. 

I'd post a pic or two, but they're on photobucket(doesn't allow posting anymore)...but here's a link to the album with my latest ship (and some other junk)...

http://s24.photobucket.com/user/jbacklund1/library/2017%20builds/misc?sort=3&page=3

 

 

CapnMac82

Wood base was always my choice, but I also almost never used a kit-supplied base as a support, opting for plocks or finials, instead.

Sometimes, I'd stack wood bases, to fine-tune the base-to-kit proportions, or to increase height.

....

For a water base and a waterlined kit, little beats MDF sprayed with sanding sealer.

Painted MDF will make a good base, too.

 

Indeed.  And quarter round or other small molding will dress up edges.

 

Thanks for the ideas