You will need the
following tools for this, A Multi Turreted Leather Hole Punch/ Pliers see
the scan of mine. These can be obtained from craft stores or leather
outlets; you will have to search it out as it is not an every day item you
see on sale. I can only give an idea of cost in the U.K. at being around
£4-00 each.
Each tube will punch out discs or circles in plastic
card up to 40 thousands of an inch and aluminium foil. It will also punch
out discs in brass up to 20 thousand of an inch.
WARNING ON USE:
The way to use it is
as always easy but it has a down side if you do not heed my warning. When
you buy it and are tempted to use it straight away, but before you do,
firstly cut a piece of scrap cardboard from a kit packet thickness is
ideal and place this on the brass bed plate then place your plastic card
or aluminium foil on top , then and only then press down and you will
obtain a clean cut . If you do not use the cardboard as a buffer you will
end up scoring the brass bedplate and after a few discs are cut out you
will have ruined it.
You need a piece of
wire the correct diameter to pop into the top of the tube and hit it with
a set of pliers or hammer to remove the cut disc from the tube.
To make a simple
bucket you need a suitable strip of aluminium foil the correct height see
my article on replacement track guards and punch out at the same time a
disc of plastic card and two discs of aluminium foil.
Super glue one of the
aluminium foil discs to each side of the plastic disc, this save on any
painting, wrap the foil round a suitable mandrill , I use the shank of a
twist drill, to form an open tube leave a piece extra at the back for
supper gluing and to form a seam. Pop the tube over the disc combination
and super glue it into place. Leave to dry, then near the top of the rim
drill tiny holes opposite each other and insert a handle made from
suitable wire. The examples in the scan scale out at 6 inches in diameter
and a height of 8 inches.
To make the Storm
lantern you need two discs of the same diameter plastic card and one
smaller, glue these on top of each other and leave to dry. Then find a
suitable piece of clear plastic sprue shape it in a lathe or mini drill
with files. When satisfied cut it to length and glue on top of the base,
add a tiny disc of plastic to the top to form the top case of the lantern
and when dry drill two holes opposite each other at the top and mid way
along the base, these must line up. Cut a suitable piece of wire and test
fit into the holes. Cut into two equal lengths and holding the two
together make your bends for the top and bottom at the same time, this way
you have a matched pair. Then when satisfied super glue the wires into the
holes and all you have to add to the base is the filling tube from a tiny
piece of plastic rod.
Lastly add a tiny
eyelet to the top of the lantern, mine is a left over from a WW 2 Russian
armoured car.
This Storm Lantern
scales out at 8 inches base diameter and 12 inches in height. |