by Shipbuilder » Mon Nov 19, 2012 4:17 am
Jim,
The ratlines are above the base of the frame by the thickness of the threaded rod glued round the edges! When I run the iron along, it is only done lightly, certainly not enough to push the wire down as far as the base. The wire is tinned copper and you can get it much finer than I use and it can be soldered easily enoigh. The biggest problem with finer wire is that when it is cut from the frame, it is much more delicate and the biggest problem is fitting it to the model. But as you are used to very delicate work, you may not have much trouble with it. Also, do not rely on the solder already on the wire, put a bit on the iron as well. If it runs over and fills up a gap between ratlines, no problem - just heat it up with the iron and poke the point of a cocktail stick in to free it again! When soldering, it is important to use liquid flux. I use Baker's Soldering Fluid, that has the consistency of water. Plumbers use it and it is available on Ebay.
The fine wire may be obtained from
http://www.wires.co.uk
Bob
Jim,
The ratlines are above the base of the frame by the thickness of the threaded rod glued round the edges! When I run the iron along, it is only done lightly, certainly not enough to push the wire down as far as the base. The wire is tinned copper and you can get it much finer than I use and it can be soldered easily enoigh. The biggest problem with finer wire is that when it is cut from the frame, it is much more delicate and the biggest problem is fitting it to the model. But as you are used to very delicate work, you may not have much trouble with it. Also, do not rely on the solder already on the wire, put a bit on the iron as well. If it runs over and fills up a gap between ratlines, no problem - just heat it up with the iron and poke the point of a cocktail stick in to free it again! When soldering, it is important to use liquid flux. I use Baker's Soldering Fluid, that has the consistency of water. Plumbers use it and it is available on Ebay.
The fine wire may be obtained from [url]http://www.wires.co.uk[/url]
Bob