Portholes

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10 April 2010 at 20:24 #26356
Steve Heward
Participant
@steveheward83087
Just read Brian Kings article on portholes. Some interesting ideas Brian, I came up with what I thought was a fool proof idea on my model of the ” Parma””.

Brass Eyelets. You can buy them anywhere, craft shops, needlework shops, or even a market stall. you don’t even need the crimping tool, drill a hole and push them in and if its a tight fit they don’t need gluing.so you can finish up with a really shiny brass porthole or just simply paint over them.
Advert

10 April 2010 at 20:24 #3550
Steve Heward
Participant
@steveheward83087
10 April 2010 at 23:49 #26358
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
Eyelets can look effective depending on the model but their rims tend to be a bit too wide for scale purposes.

I have found that an effective alternative is to buy or make small brass rings and some transparent plastic which I paint blue on one side. I glue the rings to the side of the hull and paint them if necessary. Then I use a revolving leather punch or stationery punch depending on the size to punch out disks from the plastic and glue them paint side down inside the rings using a dab of varnish as an adhesive. They make very effective ‘glazed’portholes.

Colin
23 June 2010 at 19:20 #27406
Geoff Cropper
Participant
@geoffcropper73342
Hi All, A Lot of people look but don’t see, I am thinking of portholes (scuttles) in particular. If you look at model boats with portholes, most of them have the flanges on the outside surface of the superstructure, even manufacturers make them with rivet heads round the flanges. The tugboat I worked on for 8 years had all the port flanges on the inside of the ship, the only thing on the outside was a ring of flush rivets hardly visible with paint over them and a 1/4 inch protrusion of the ring beyond the outside surface. The flanges, rivet heads and deadlights were inside. Sorry for picking nits. regards Foggy.
24 June 2010 at 20:14 #27413
ashley needham
Participant
@ashleyneedham69188
Not that I am the sort of person to bother fitting portholes, BUT from what I have seen around, these can be overdone.

I think its a catch 22 situation sometimes…making them the correct size (thats the flange etc) results in them looking too small or not noticeable enough, and over -emphasising them can make them look clumsy.

I agree that eyelets are possibly a bit too flangy..but might look ok on a much larger scale model with less rather than more portholes.

i use eyelets for anchor hawses and such, where the slightly larger turnover looks ok.Yes yes they should be oval…but

ON THE OTHER HAND eyelets are cheap and nice and brassy, nice ,say, on the side of a cabin rather than the hull??

Eyelets…Personal preference. Not to be used in a strict scale application?

Making small items is a bit of a pain. Round things are generally easier than any other shape.. a visit to the haberdashers yields good finds here…. but I need a few dozen Carly floats for my ship…10mm x 6mm..? an oblong with rounded corners…

Ashley
25 June 2010 at 09:22 #27420
David Meier
Participant
@davidmeier28154
Ashley. I am sure you could find a suitable shaped lozenge in a sweet shop and give it a coat of paint for the Carly floats. I can imagine the purists throwing up their hands in disgust .

David.
25 June 2010 at 19:28 #27429
ashley needham
Participant
@ashleyneedham69188
David…you are the daddy ! not, of course that i eat many sweets nowadays, ahem, but yes what a treasure trove of small odd shaped goodies!

OR come to think of it, their containers. A funnel made from something other than a Sterident tube would be a novelty!!

How much change have i got inmy pocket just now…..

Ashley the less said about “purism” the better
25 June 2010 at 19:35 #27430
Colin Bishop
Moderator
@colinbishop34627
It might work Ashley, Dave Abbott used to use polo mints for lifebelts.

You’d just have to suck it and see…

Colin
25 June 2010 at 19:51 #27432
ashley needham
Participant
@ashleyneedham69188
groan !!!! thinking outside the box.. Love it

Polo mints.

Sheer genius.

Ashley

NB I may resort to making a float-on-a-stick and impressing this into oily plasticine and casting a few…dozen..in resin
26 June 2010 at 09:45 #27438
David Meier
Participant
@davidmeier28154
Ashley.

Some Panadol Extra are on the table beside me and they are just the right shape for your carly floats. They would take the pain out of making all those shapes. Boom boom.

You could turn your ship into a hospital ship.

Forget it. Just had a thought, with kids around it could be disastrous. Back to the sweets.

David.
8 July 2010 at 18:55 #27525
ashley needham
Participant
@ashleyneedham69188
I am tackling the porthole issue on the sides of the Nelson hull, I dont have any 2.5mm eyelets so…..its the felt pen again.

I have experimented, but stuck with a thin card mask, punched with holes and then varnished. Trouble is, the pens give out very quickly..it may be that I am using them on paint, and they are clogging the tip. Anyway , one pen did one side, and I have just got another, so all is well, at only £1.29 each.

I am economising by not portholing the Dark Grey camo areas, its almost black anyway and from 6 feet away you cant see the black spots, so..

Carley floats still an issue, and I need 3 flags…stern and two battle flags. Also an issue the bareness of deck, but i think i will just plug away at this by encumbering it with odd boxes, vents, stacks of wood/poles and ropes..might make a few cheeses and hanks.

Ashley
9 July 2010 at 07:19 #27535
Paul T
Participant
@pault84577
On the subject of portholes I have found that my local card crafting shop has a range of eyelets from 0.5mm to 5mm in dia and a very simple spring punch that not only forms the eyelets but cuts the holes as well.

A basic kit of 500 eyelets and 3 different punches cost £4.99.

Paul
10 July 2010 at 00:05 #27551
ashley needham
Participant
@ashleyneedham69188
Very good tip that, not that I am going to drill 120+ holes in my hull and pop in that many eyelets…

However, they come in handy for a great many other things (struggles to think of any on the spot)

Craft,sewing, or other shops ALWAYS worth a look -round…never know.

£4.99 well spent, if i could find such a bargain.

Ashley
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