Making railing "rings" from fine brass wire?

[DrDull]

I want to scratch build the searchlight platform on my 1/350 conversion of the Dragon USS Buchanan to USS Ellyson. To do so, I need to form the circular "basket" or railings around the searchlight. Something like this.



I'm using 0.008" brass wire and am wondering how best to form the wire into circular rings. My first thought was to build the "spider" with the platform base and vertical stanchions (0.010" wire) and try to attach the 0.008" wire inside the uprights, but after a couple of tries, I can't seem to keep the rings tight enough. Any suggestions? Thanks, Barry

[Sean Hert]

Use a mandrel, slightly less in diameter than the size you want (due to spring back) and wrap your brass around it. Cut and Viola! I just made a bunch of brass rings for a customer on Sunday.

You can use anything round- pens, wooden dowels, etc. Mission Models produces two very nice aluminum mandrels; available from your LHS.

They're also good for PE.

I have no horse in the race, I just really like them!

[DrDull]

Hi Sean,

Thanks! Nothing like a good excuse to buy a new tool!

Barry

[les]

Drill bits and mechanics sockets work too. Virtually anything that's round and the right size.

[Sean Hert]

Yeah, drill bits/drill rod do make good mandrels.

[DrDull]

Got a socket set that has a groove machined into the outside of the sockets that is nice for holding the wire. Only problem is limited sizes - about 1/32" difference is diameters of the rings I need to make - not a show stopper certainly. Now need to figure a good way to hold the ends together. I'm going to try fixing the sized rings to a tapered wooden dowel and soldering. Thanks for the suggestions.

[les]

You might try a metric set of sockets. Use a small clamp to hold it to the dowel and keep the ends together.

[DrDull]

Friends - thanks for all the suggestions. I ended up using sockets, a pen, drill bits, and a circle template to form and size the rings. I put the open rings onto a piece of tile, laid a steel ruler over them, and clamped the ruler to the tile with plastic spring clamps. I tinned open ring ends and then soldered them together holding them in place with a forceps. After that I put the rings back onto the tapered end of a pen and tamped them gently (the joints aren't terribly strong) to try and make them as circular as possible. Even though the joints are pretty weak, they should do because the rings will rest inside of the stanchions. Here is a photo (my apology for the poor quality) of the result.

[commodore4]

You know , you scare me.If you think that is a poor job, my gosh don,t try to do a better one. NO really , that is a very good job for something you are not used to doing.I was going to suggest that you build your base with the stanchions and turning it upside down you couldve done rings the way you did , but, you would be putting the rings on the outside.My landlady does jewelry and she showed me how me how to do "jump rings" Using this technology I now make all kinds of stuff that is round.AGAIN , like I said -darn good job!! commodore4

[Guest]

Mind you, on the actual 'basket' there was a break in the rail at the ladder head, to let the sailors in!