The second wheel

Although it takes long and costs a great deal of time, I certainly haven’t been idle. The second ship’s wheel is finished too. The rings are on as well, on the side where the spokes are glued into the wheel. Those rings are only 0.3 mm thick, so that was quite a precision job.

The side without rings will be the outside, because I find that side a bit prettier.

Meanwhile I have started on the stanchions. One is done. Now to see whether I can get the second one roughly the same shape. In the last photo a wheel with stanchion stands next to the kit’s version: a flat, etched brass wheel with a brass stanchion. Just to show that all the work isn’t for nothing. Heinrich reckoned, in his Afrikaans, that it looked ‘stukke beter’ (a good deal better) than Caldercraft’s attempt, and Stephan called the fiddly work with hours of effort exactly what he enjoys so much himself. Sjors already placed an order for his Victory at 1:64. I’m not taking that order just yet.