Wednesday, May 9, 2018

Insert your favourite swear word here

Bugger. Last night I tried to install the hull of The Seahorse on the diorama base. It didn't go well.


The hull weighs about 150g, with all the superstructure installed I'm guessing it will probably be about 250g. Even if I took out the brass stove ring from the bottom of the engine, it wouldn't stand up.

The two wires that I thought would support it are just not up to the job.

This is what I wanted:

Notice the hand holding it up...


And this is how it ends up when I stop holding the hull up:




It seems I have three options:

1. Replace the wire with thicker gauge wire (but it will be a nightmare to attach it to the base now)

2. Try to splice a second strand of the same wire to the current wire, making it like a tow cable.

3. Magnets! Can I somehow install a small magnet in the bottom of the hull, and a big magnet under the base, and have them pushing against each other enough to take the weight of the model while the current wires hold it in position?

Magnets... always with the magnets
Source.


I'm not sure what the best option is now. Trying to come up with a workable solution today...

Dave

7 comments:

  1. what about running some wire/rods drilled vertically into the sea base... and covering them with putty/clay painted to look like foam thrown up from the sea? Far from perfect, I know... worst come to worst, can you ditch the metal engine and scratch something similar from styrene? Seems like that's where your biggest weight issue is

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    1. scratch that last... you already said you took the brass out.

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    2. Strin of replies to my orn comment, but could you maybe throw out another "cable" made of stiff wire... perhaps an anchor of some sort, to make a tripod arrangement? Sorry for all the half-arsed suggestions, it just sucks to see so much great work and a great idea hit a brick wall like this

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    3. a camera probe on a length of brass rod that just happens to sit on the base to make a tripod? Alright, I'll stop now.

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    4. Thanks Mike. All solid, good suggestions. The putty covering a rod option might feel a bit fake, but I'll keep it up my sleeve as a last resort. The additional cable tripod is a good idea. Thanks mate :) Dave

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  2. Here is some food for thought, you are trying to run the support in from the top. So you are asking the wire to support a hanging weight and that as you have witnessed does not bode well for thin wire. The law of physics may prevail but only if you have a more solid understanding of it. The longer the wire, the more flex you allow it. So deny the flex and run the support up so that it is as low on the object as you can. You can run more support inside to give the wire greater strength that leads to the top but the connection point where it meets the object and where the force is applied to it should be as short as possible. It is also worth considering one very rudimentary law here, where there is an action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

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    1. Heh heh, Physics was never my strength at school... I think you may have hit on something very important with the shorter, lower object point there. I will definitely take that on board. Thanks Kevin! Dave

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