cowl vents are one of those items I often prefer to buy rather than make, well assuming that suitable shapes and sizes are available. On electrically powered model it matters not if the vents are solid, they are there just to add to the model's appearance. However, faced with the need to get as much fresh air as possible inside a steam powered model of an early TBD (Torpedo Boat Destroyer) some functional vents were needed.
No suitable ready made vents could be found so I would be forced to make the damn things. Luckily, the contents of one of Mrs Guests kitchen drawers came to my rescue. Amongst all the knives and other implements, of which I admit little idea of their functions, were a set of plastic measuring spoons.
My immediate thought was that they would make perfect tops for the cowl vents. This was quickly followed by the realization that I would never get away with "borrowing" a few from the drawer. Luckily, a couple of cheap sets of various size measuring spoons could be bought from local shops.
Back home and the bowls were cut away from the spoon handles, holes made for the tubes and they were stuck together. A little sanding was needed to blend the tubes to the inner bowl surfaces, a lick of paint and the TBD model had its working vents.
It is such an obvious thing that I'm sure others must have done it before. It is also an example of how pushing a problem to the back of your mind but keeping your eyes open, will often locate a solution. This approach makes life tolerable when Mrs Guest takes me into shops I would never normally enter. I just wander around thinking "there has to be something in here that can be used in a model".
Glynn Guest