Mounting A Ship Model. Part 3
The acid will eat into the copper wherever you have scratched through the asphaltum. When the etching is completed, the varnish can be removed easily with kerosene; after which it should be washed thoroughly with soap and water. If you have a typewriter or can obtain one, you can typewrite your nameplate and then etch a reproduction of it on a metal plate by using the ingenious process outlined in Fig. 9. It is an inexpensive and foolproof method, and the resulting letters will be clear-cut and durable. From a large commercial stationery store, obtain a dry stencil sheet intended for making regular stencils for a mimeograph machine. The typing is done in the usual way. If you have any doubt as to the process, read the instructions on the reverse side of the stencil. As in all stencil making, be sure that the typewriter ribbon is disengaged; the type pieces must strike the surface of the stencil. Also, make sure that the type is clean so that it will make sharp impressions. On a clean-cut stencil depends the final appearance of your nameplate. Finally, cut off the portion of the sheet containing the printing, leaving a margin all around. Next, cut a piece of sheet copper 1/4 in. smaller than the stencil.
Place this on top of a sheet of dry cardboard and on top of it put a sheet of clean, unprinted blotting paper. Then mix a solution of copper sulphate, made by carefully adding copper sulphate to water until no more will be dissolved. With an eye or medicine dropper, saturate the blotting paper with this solution. Over this lay the stencil so that the type- writing is reversed or reads backwards. Now, carefully clean a rectangle of steel so that the surface to be etched is free from grease. Center it over the lettering on the stencil and press it into contact with your hands or a weight. To complete the etching, you will need a battery. This can be a 6-volt automobile or radio storage battery. Connect wires from the battery to the steel plate and to the copper sheet by slipping the wire from the negative terminal under the copper and touching the positive wire to the back of the steel nameplate.
Hold the wires in contact for from two to five minutes, depending on the amount of
lettering on the stencil. Then disconnect the wires, remove the plate, and wash it clean.
If the contact between the steel and the stencil has been perfect, the metal will be
etched in exact reproduction of the typewritten matter on the stencil. Furthermore, the
"engraving" will be of such a depth that it will not wear off. The entire success of your
"engraved" nameplate will depend on the care you exercise in preparing the stencil. Be
sure that none of the delicate lines are broken or cut out completely. What you will want
on your nameplate is largely a matter of personal preference. The following, however, may
offer a few suggestions:
"Name of Original Ship"
Date Launched:
Deck Length:
Tonnage:
Scale of Model:
Model By:
Date:
If your model is to be displayed in the open, the problem of dusting it will present itself. To look ship- shape and trim, a model cannot be covered with a gray coating of dust. For this process you had best use a syringe bulb, or, if convenient, the air hose at your neighborhood garage. Blasts of air will remove dust that cannot be reached with a cloth. A soft camel's- hair brush will help to loosen the accumulation in the corners. Once you have completed your model and are satisfied with its appearance, keep it that way. If lines loosen up with time, tighten them. If the finish becomes marred, retouch it. And if by some unavoidable error, a spar warps badly, replace it.