Handrail rails

[Dallinson]

Hi there paddlers.
I am following the dialogue on photo etching with very great interest,
however along with the provision of good looking stanchions, comes the
subject of what material to use for the actual handrails. I am sure that
everyone has their own favourite, but here is mine!!!
The model tug "Yorkshireman" that I recently built from a Model Slipway kit
used 0.8mm MIG welding wire. This I found very easy to work with. Being
copper coated it solders very easily but having a steel core it stays
straight unless really provoked!! The rails when soldered up are really very
strong, and stay straight. (There were around 100 stanchions in the kit, so
quite a run of railing to be installed!!)
MIG welding wire is available in both 0.6mm and 0.8mm diameters.
A 1.5" diameter handrail would be almost exactly 0.78mm at a scale of 1:48,
so 0.8mm is a pretty close fit!!
It can easily be obtained from welding suppliers on 5 kg drums, more than
you could possibly use in two or three life times of modelling, but it is
relatively speaking, quite cheap. (You could also supply the whole of the
local club with it and never see the difference on the drum!!)
Typically a 5kg drum of 0.6mm costs Pds12.99 or say $19. The 0.8mm costs
Pds10.99 0r say $15.
(Do be sure to keep a firm hold of the end when you unhook it from the hole
in the side of the drum, as it will unwind itself off the drum very quickly
indeed!!)
I have found it much easier to use than say brass wire, which I have always
found developed humps and bumps between the stanchions if you give a knock.
Hope that helps someone make a model with strong straight handrails. I will
certainly not be using anything else in the future.
All the best.
David

[Edward Matthews]

That's a great tip David.... I'd never even thought of it myself, and
in fact I didn't realise that MIG wire was copper coated. I'll
certainly be giving it a try.

Regards
Eddy