Topic: Cutting tools for makeing porthole bezels.

[seasalt]

Can anyone please advise if there is a tool for cutting out 1/96 porthole bezels out of Plasticard. I have tried makeing makeing one, but to no avail, any sugestions would be most welcome.

[Belgium Crazy Team]

To make all the portholes I use a hand deburring tool.  I have a blade that makes 4mm holes in plastic (normally this is used clean small tubes.)
Follow the link to view examples: http://www.rv7factory.com/tools.html#deburr

[karlgalster]

Never tried making bezels at 1:96 scale, thought about ringols but have not actually fitted any. I find the problem with 1:96 scale is that small things tend to look larger than scale when fitted. I am on my second 1:96 destroyer and my port holes are just holes made using drills (starting with a very fine one then slowly working up to a 3mm drill).My big problem is glazing. Deans Marine suggest either a sheet of clear plastic behind them or using 2 part Epoxy such as Devcon used to bridge the hole applied with the hull on its side. The first suggestion is OK but no good for the highest levels of port holes which can be at the same same level as the balsa wood deck supports. The second suggestion is OK but I find it only works for a certain level of glue viscosity after which the technique does not work so the holes can only be bridged in smallish batches. Anybody got any thoughts on this?

[Belgium Crazy Team]

@seasalt:
I thought you talked about portholes.  (quickly looked up what porthole bezels are....) Now I noticed that I gave a wrong answer...
Colin did this for his Liz Terkol (see: http://www.deansmarine.co.uk/forum1/index.php?topic=51.msg90#msg90)

@karlgalster
I use an "Acrylic gel medium" to fill the portholes. Some scale modelers use this to make the sea waves in dioramas.

[seasalt]

Hi Fellow Members.

Thanks for your reply's, i have tried doing this, but it is more difficult than it looks. Drilling a 3mm hole is easy but to turn that into a very thin ring is something else.

[karlgalster]

Belgium Crazy Team,
I'm interested in the acrylic gel medium - have you a recommended product in mind?
Robin

[Belgium Crazy Team]

Robin,

I use golden acrylic gel:
http://www.goldenpaints.com/products/medsadds/gels/gelprop.php

Here you can also see the differences...

I love working with some of their paints (all waterbased and easy to use in an airbrush)

[colin]

i have started using the Portholes from RB Fittings, they are with glazing these ones are flanged!
http://deansmarine.co.uk/shop/product_info.php/products_id/680

i fitted the 04807 in all the skylights, and 04809 for all the portholes of the Furie, scale 1:50.

the part no 04806 has a 3mm window and fits in a 4mm hole, the glazing is inside the porthole so there no need to glaze the inside of the Hull, no protruding into the hull as the flange from the porthole is about 2mm which is roughly the thickness of the Hull,

these are not flanged and go down to 2mm Window size.
http://deansmarine.co.uk/shop/product_info.php/products_id/749

its just an idea, and easy to solve with these portholes, but at 12 pounds for 20 Portholes it could get expensive.

[seasalt]

Hi Colin.

Thanks Colin you have come to te rescue again, i have at last aquired the Deans Marine kit of the J class Destroyer Javelin, and its not for the faint hearted.

[karlgalster]

Thanks for the link for the acrylic gel Belgium Crazy Team I will have a look at it.

Robin

[Mark]

If you are looking for small details like rigors and handles scalelink do a very good porthole set;

http://www.scalelink.co.uk/acatalog/Marine___Marin.html

and John Haynes does 1/96 portholes complete with rigors;

https://www.johnrhaynes.com/shop/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=179

Regards

Mark