Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length.

[murphy1570]

Hello folks,
As a relative newcomer to building model boats I wondered if any fellow member could advise me on how to make a cut/slit in a length of solid rubber tubing/piping (the stuff uused for tyres on WW1 biplane radio control flying models), I have a few lengths of this tubing of different diameters. I was thinking of using this to fit round the top of a grp hull of a steam trawler/drifter to serve as capping to the bulwark staunchions, I have had this hull and plan for about twelve years or so and have decided to have a go at building it, the name of the drifter is PRIDE "O"FIFE from the Marine modelling plan range form circa 1993, it is to 1/32 scale & 36" long and looks to be full of character a lot of them were used by the Royal Navy in WW1 I believe.
I have tried holding the tubing in my hand and making a cut/slit half way through it to slip over the rim of the hull and glue in place, not an advisable practise unless you have plenty elastoplasts to hand!! do you more experienced modellers think this a realistic or viable way of representing the bulwark capping? rather than trying to cut thin ply or veneer and shaping it to fit round the hull, if so I would appreciate any help or advice on how to do it. Also if anyone has built this model or knows of a site where I may find any information on both the original and the mode I would again be grateful.
Thanks all the best, John.
 

[Roadrunner]

A method i use with good effect for capping an edge is to take some 8 gauge electrical cable, slit the end to reveal the copper wire, then just pull the wire towards you, this if you do it right will pull down that first slit you made and 'tear' the covering open pretty much straight, then your free to dry fit and tack it into place with some cyno or quick setting resin.

When it comes to rubber only thing i can suggest for a reasonable straight line, is use a table saw with a fence and see if you can cut a notch into the rubber by threading it through, or make up a jig to keep it straight with the blade attached dead centre at the top and just pull the rubber through. 

[johno 52-11]

I have recently split a piece of rubber down its length to use a half round fender on a Lifeboat. I did this by finding a small length of metal tube that the tube wanted to split fitted inside and then mounted a Stanley knife blade in to one end. When I pulled the tube through I ended up with two Half round sections of fendering.

If you only want to put a cut in one side of the tube then mount a blade so it is only half across the mounting tube and pull the tube you want to split though.

I did find that when I did this I needed to cut the first bit of the tube before I started and that if I tried to push it through it would stick so you need to waste a bit a of tube to get it started and pull it through not push it.

[Circlip]

Or a piece of wood with a hole drilled in it the diameter of the cord and the blade trick. To make it cut easier, same with Johno's solution, wet the blade cutting edge with water.

  Regards  Ian.

[captain ron]

Hi murphy1570,

I've used super styrene edge strip available with different slot sizes from 1mm to 4mm so will clip over fibreglass hull edges no problem.
Deans Marine sell it. Its under Raboesch plastic profiles section. It comes in 1000mm lengths and looks good when on.
Other one I've tried is rope/cable sleeve that is available from the chandlers. Its plastic,  1/8 th round and already has a slit on it.
Available in 2m lengths and it cost me about £3.50. It looks good also.

captain ron

[murphy1570]

Hello folks
Thanks very much to all  who replied to my question re slitting tube the replies were a great help and I have now managed to make the capping rail following the replies.