The Ship Model Forum

I could use some advice, maybe lots of advice.

So, I have some turned brass bollards. (I think this is what they are called - on the ship's deck looks like for winding rope around). They are meant to attach to a tiny sheet of photo-etch. I then stick this on the deck where the plastic versions used to be. Or....

I'm not sure about the right work order for these. I'm thinking that I might attach the bollards to the PE before I remove the PE from the sheet. But I'm not sure about that. It will be easier to move the brass around on the PE before I put the whole thing on the deck. I'm a little concerned about manipulating it once I've attached it though.

How do you usually do it - put the PE on the deck, then attach the turned brass, or a different order?

I've been sticking PE to plastic using diluted white glue. I imagine I should use CA for attaching the turned brass to the PE, but welcome input.

In principle, soldering is the best solution to join two (or more) pieces of brass. Of course, soldering has to be done before the parts go on board.

Otherwise, the sequence would depend a bit on how the parts are designed. Do the bollards have stubs sticking out that go into holes in the respective base plate and do the stubs extend beyond the base plate ? In this case, I would locate the base plate on the deck and mark the holes that need to be drilled for the stubs. Then drill the holes, check that everything fits and then solder the parts together and clean up. You now have a nice unit that can be painted before it is being put into its place - particularly important, if it has different colour from the deck.

Glueing two tiny metal parts together is rarely a good option, particularly when they are not interlocking.

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Eberhard

Former chairman Arbeitskreis historischer Schiffbau e.V. (German Association for Shipbuilding History)

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I am about to do this very thing in 1/700 - a Flyhawk upgrade set for Trumpeter Z-7 Zerstroyer. In 1/700 I thing soldering would be very impractical - unless you're set up to do micro circuit boards (I've never been a fan of soldering, anyway). The replacement deck is also PE so I will just CA the base plates to the deck, then CA the turned bollards into the pre-drilled base plates.

Thanks for the tip; I was wondering how to approach them too.

For the record, on the ship they are called "bitts", not bollards. Bollards are the single post on the pier that handles the other end of the mooring line. Bollards generally have a single post, with a very pronounced mushroom-type head. Bitts may be in pairs or triples and are cylindrical with just a flat head.

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On the workbench:
1/700 Jouett - JAG
1/700 Lupo - Delphis
1/700 Ulsan - Kobo Hiryu
--and dozens more

I like JB Weld (metal epoxy) or regular epoxy. 4

Thanks for this issue. I have loved ships for a long time, but seldom have I actually set foot on one. Modeling ships more seriously now makes me realize how little I really know about them. I frequently look at a picture and say, "I never noticed that before," and "Wow, I wonder what that does?"