I recently picked up the Flyhawk Deluxe versions of HMS Agincourt and HMS Invincible. They include brass barrels to replace the plastic ones. After cutting off the plastic one to the right length, how do I ensure that the hole I drill in the remaining stub will be perfectly on center to accept the stub on the brass barrel? I had real problems doing that with a model of Ise.
There’s an old Mike Ivey trick I like.
Clamp the plastic part in a desk vise between two pieces of balsa wood. Use a pin vise with a really sharp drill bit and use an optivisor (me not Mike).
Slow and careful.
Bill
My problem has been trying to get the hole on center. It is a pain with 1/700!
Yup some ideas are much better in concept than in execution
Bill
One idea is to drill a hole in a little block of wood with the drill that you will use to drill the barrel end. Then, gradually drill with increasing drill sizes, just a little bit into the hole, until it fits over barrel. If you have a caliper to measure the barrel end diameter, you can know what the final drill will be. I do it in two steps, one intermediate drill and the final one.
Then place the big hole end over barrel and drill with small drill though the other end, holding block as straight as possible. The barrel needs to be clamped in something rigid unless you have three hands.
Thanks Don! I’ll give that a try, just need to pick up a caliper.