Posted by Richard Tonti on April 26, 1998 at 03:24:12 in 214.middletown-56.va.dial-access.att.net :
In Reply to: Re: HELP! I messed up my model! posted by Jesse on April 26, 1998 at 00:24:55:
: : Can anyone help me out here????
: : I tried drilling the portholes out for the fiber optics, but the holes came out too big and crooked. What the best way to go about fixing it.
: : Also...is there anyone out there who is an expert model builder who would be interested in selling me a completed model??? I'm starting to get frustrated.
: : Frank
: Hello Frank, it's Jesse. Take Dwayne's advice. Get yourself some brass tubing and relax. Here's how to do it. First, manually drill holes sized for the outer diameter of the brass tubing you bought. Manually drilling is slow, but it eliminates the bit "walking" crooked. Second insert the tubing you already have cut (3/16" or less) into the portholes. Makes sure the hull exterior surface is flush with your pieces of tubing. Third, cement and putty on the inner surface of the hull only.
: Not only should this work well to repair your model but it may also be a hidden blessing. You see, the portholes had brass rims. The tubing might be slightly out of scale due to its wall thickness but the repair is still worth it.
: I know your frustration. I work in a shop where we commonly see these kinds of hassles. You just work around them. In the end, you'll be happy you never gave up. In fact people will probably commend you on your ingenuity. Remember, take your time. This is a journey, not a job.
: Best of luck and success,
: Jesse
**** Jesse,
I really like this suggestion much better than mine But I have a few questions if you don't mind. The size tubing that seems to best accomodate the smallest portholes is 1/16" dia. which is the smallest available I have. The bit used to drill the original portholes out just passes in and out of the tube hole with slightly snug ID. contact. Would this be correct? Also have you ever taken a count on how many lengths of tubing are needed to complete the task? There are one heck ofalotta portholes to do. Did you cut these lengths using a razor saw cut off tool or? I would assume something with an extremely fine kirf. Also seems that these 3/16" lengths would give the fiber optic strands a neat automatic mounting place.
Thank you very much and I agree one should never give up just because a problem has been encountered. Life is full of them.
Best Regards,
Richard Tonti