# Electroless (or electric) nickel plating.



## GeorgeGreek (Oct 9, 2007)

Hi people,

anybody knows of a European source for the above ?
Will be obliged,

George


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## GeorgeGreek (Oct 20, 2007)

Have finally found the following USA source for nickel, copper and some precious metals. They do ship to Europe.

http://shorinternational.com/PlatingAccessory.htm

will revert with comments after trial !

George


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## 1Kenny (Oct 20, 2007)

Hello George,

They look like they have about everything. It can be a chalange to get necessary supplies at times. Can't wait to see what you are building as your other workmanship looks so real.

Kenny


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## GeorgeGreek (Oct 21, 2007)

Hi Kenny,

though irrelevant to the thread, am in the drafting stage of an all metal and firing 1/12 FlaK 88.

George


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## mklotz (Oct 21, 2007)

GeorgeGreek said:
			
		

> Hi Kenny,
> 
> though irrelevant to the thread, am in the drafting stage of an all metal and firing 1/12 FlaK 88.
> 
> George



George,

I sincerely hope that you will consider sharing those plans when you're finished.  I would really love to build an 88 as a companion piece to my deck gun.


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## wareagle (Oct 21, 2007)

All I can say on the deck gun is, "WOW"!  Very impressive work!


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## Bogstandard (Oct 21, 2007)

Marv,
That is a truly lovely piece of workmanship.
I only wish that on this little fortress island of ours we were allowed to make stuff like this legally. 
It is now becoming a criminal offence to carry replica guns, never mind one that can actually fire.

John


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## mklotz (Oct 21, 2007)

John,

I have no wish to start a political discussion, much less a political gun discussion, but I am deeply troubled by what the UK has done recently in terms of going overboard on weaponry laws.  When the political establishment is passing laws that reach so deeply as to affect what modelmakers, a pretty much peaceful lot, may make, something is terribly wrong.

It's especially upsetting to me because so much of American law has derived from or paralleled English law.  The bad ideas of Parliament sail all too easily across the Atlantic.

Ah, well, George Orwell was an optimist and all that.  Here are a few more pictures of the model.


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## rake60 (Oct 21, 2007)

Sad state John, especially since that is a model of *British Navel Gun*.

I have a licensed FFL holder that wants to buy one off of me.
By law, be can buy it.  By law, I can make it, but I can't sell it.  :roll: 

We haven't caught up to you yet in firearms laws.  Our 2008 elections 
will tell how soon that could happen.

Uh Oh, that's getting political, and we shouldn't do that here.  :wink: 

Rick


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## mklotz (Oct 21, 2007)

rake60 said:
			
		

> Sad state John, especially since that is a model of *British Navel Gun*



To the best of my knowledge, the British have never built artillery expressly intended to fire at the omphalos.


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## Bogstandard (Oct 21, 2007)

Marv,
Maybe we should call it the belly button gun. I remember seeing a cabaret act where a young voluptuous lady fired corks from hers' (belly button that is).
But joking aside I think that the majority of people here are in favour of no guns at all. In fact it has always been fairly difficult to obtain a gun licence except for shotguns, which almost all farmers have for small game control. But where all this lot has come from is that there have been a few bad apples in the home engineering fraternity who have been enabling decommissioned display guns and good quality replicas into fireable pieces.
Anyway, that is the politics of it all over. No UK firearms.
No more to be said.
Lets end it here.
Not to be mentioned again.
Fantastic work by the way.

Rick,
You should do what I do, I don't sell my engines, I exchange them for cash.

John


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## GeorgeGreek (Oct 22, 2007)

Hi Marv,

of course I shall make my plans available to anybody provided that my necessary deviations from the original are acceptable. Besides, any such, can be easily rectified.

Last but not least, I wish to congratulate you for your "piece"m which I understand that is not a firing model....

Thanks for your sharing (any more ?),

George


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## Cedge (Oct 22, 2007)

Marv
That little deck gun has a beautiful satin pewter finish. Can you share the secret to achieving that look?

Steve


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## mklotz (Oct 22, 2007)

Some of the parts, e.g., the base, are just as they came off the lathe.  On the others, most notably turned parts, I used medium (green) and fine (grey) Scotchbrite with just the slightest touch of light oil.

My local Rockler's (up-scale woodworking supply chain) carries various grades of Scotchbrite for wood finishing.  I pick some up when they send me their periodic 20% off coupons.

Check the woodworking store sales for items useful to folks like us.  All my diamond sharpening stones come from them.  Their small glue injector bottles with a fine hypodermic-like tube make great oilers for tiny engines.  Carbide router bits make fine form tools for use on the lathe.  Small diameter (~3") carbide-tipped circular saw blades work well on an arbor in the mill for cutting soft metals - less binding than a jeweler's saw.

The base for the deck gun was made using some of their self-adhesive oak edge-banding applied to a hardwood base.  Before laying down the inch wide strips, I colored the edges with a black Sharpie.  After sanding, the residual color gives the impression of caulking between the planks.  (An old trick from my ship modelling days.)  I didn't do it on this model but one can drill 1/16" holes, drive in toothpicks and snap them off.  Once sanded down, they look like pegs used to secure the planks.  

The gun base is held to the deck with hex head machine screws.  Rockler supplied the threaded inserts that screw into the wood and are tapped to take the machine screws.

George,

It is a firing model - the barrel is a cut-down .22 rifle barrel.  The spring-loaded firing mechanism can be pulled back and cocked.  When the firing lanyard is pulled, the striker moves forward and propels the firing pin into the shell.

For safety's sake, the firing pin is removable.  The dummy shell shown in the photos unscrews and the pin hides inside it.  When the grandkids are around, I pocket the shell.


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## wareagle (Oct 22, 2007)

Marv, this is an impressive piece.  Thanks you for sharing some bits about the build.  I, myself, am not a model builder (the engine thing is new to me), but I am always intrigued with the ingenuity and patience of those who do.

Taking this one step beyond, it still amazes me that one can take a chunk of metal (or wood) and transform it into highly precise parts until there is a working object that closely resembles its full sized counter part in function and detail.  It is an art.  Those who do this really have a gift!


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## Cedge (Oct 22, 2007)

Marv
If you buy from Rockler, look around in their catalog for their wood veneer sample package. The ship a very generous supply of a quite number of different woods including some bodaciously nice black walnut, maple, cherry and a couple of  south american exotics. The stuff is beautiful for lagging, flooring and such. The last I bought was dirt cheap and it performs very well. 

I'll have to give the brushed steel finish a try. It adds a nice strong character to the piece.

Steve


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## mklotz (Oct 23, 2007)

Also, if you find a hobby store that caters to scratch building, you can buy pre-cut walnut and oak in 1/4" wide, 3/64" strips.  It makes very nice cylinder lagging.  Also at these stores, look for machined brass stanchions made for deck railings.  Many of them can be adapted for railings around a model engine.  You can, of course, machine your own but that becomes an exercise in tedium if you need more than a few.

A large part of modelmaking involves developing the ability to look at "stuff" and determine how it can be used in the modelmaking environment.  I usually accompany my wife on her frequent visits to art supply and craft stores just for the opportunity to walk the aisles looking for tools and materials I can use in my own efforts.


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## Cedge (Oct 23, 2007)

Marv
I've got to agree with you. Doll house suppliers are marvelous places to find those small touches that add to the finished build. My favorite find of all times was the 1 inch scale real red clay bricks that come in sheets. I've successfully used them a on several engine restorations that needed a special look. I also picked up a neat little wooden tool box and hand tools that are now displayed in the cab of my Minnie traction engine.

I used to balk at going to craft stores with the wife, but not anymore. Now, it's often me that has to be dragged out by the collar....(grin) Ebay is also a great source for this sort of thing. The selection is always much larger there than in any single craft store.

Steve


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## GeorgeGreek (Oct 23, 2007)

Hi marv,

so firing after all. Well, here in Greece everything but a 12 gauge is illegal so I have to manufacture my own cartridges...

Congratulations once more,

George.


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## pmercer (Dec 20, 2007)

Firstly, WOW, That really is a piece of work. I know after a few years of work on my gatling gun how much effort goes into these models. If anyone is interested in seeing my progress it can be seen at www.paulssite.co.uk/gatling_gun.html



			
				Bogstandard  said:
			
		

> I only wish that on this little fortress island of ours we were allowed to make stuff like this legally.


Actually you can build this in the UK as long as you have an FAC and it has a min barrel length of 12" and min overall length of 24". I'm sure there are ways to achieve this if it's not already this length. This is what I have had to do for my gatling and as mine is classed as a semi automatic, it has to be in 22lr.

Paul


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## georgeseal (Dec 20, 2007)

I have just resumed work on 1/3 scale Gatling Gun

uses used 22 cal barrels

called ATF before ordering plans they said as long as it is hand cranked it is not a machine gun.

This is probably another project that I will never finish

George from Conyers Ga.


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## Cedge (Dec 20, 2007)

George brings up an important point. Always consult your local authorities concerning fire arms and legal requirements within your jurisdiction. Penalties for firearms violations range from serious to draconian depending on where you live. The point is to avoid running afoul of the law wherever you are.

I'll compliment our membership, in advance, for avoiding the typical nasty political debate this subject often creates. The "how to" is a perfectly acceptable subject as long as no laws are broken. We simply request you remain publicly neutral on the politics of the subject. Debating the "why's" and "why not's" will get the thread locked. 

Steve


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## GeorgeGreek (Dec 21, 2007)

Hi Paul and George,

I will be waiting to see more of your models...

Steve is absolutely right of course and we have to be most carefull not only about what we do but also of what we write...

My Gatling was firing 2mm pinfires and the crank was rotating the 10 barrel cluster via a 1/10 gearbox so that one comlete rotation of the crank handle would bring a new barrel under the hammer driven by an eccentric and evetually firing...

Only a model of course.

George


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## pmercer (Jan 25, 2008)

GreekGeorge,

Do you have any pictures of your model? I've not managed to do anything on mine for months. I'm still waiting for the casting to come back from the foundry. It;s been nearly a year. I think I'm going to get new models made and try a different foundry!!

George, do you have any pictures of your gatling gun?

Paul


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## GeorgeGreek (Jan 29, 2008)

Hi Paul,

will try to locate it, clean it a bit and post a couple of pics.

Nothing really worth to tell my wife about (joke) but at the time I thought the idea as rather original.

George


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