Bentley 3 1/2Litre Windover Sedanca de Ville

[Nurser]

Hi all, slowly finding all my old pictures.  Here's a 1/24th scale model I did for a client on Jersey.  She wanted a model of her husband's beloved Derby Bentley for his Birthday.
I had to fly to Jersey, measure the car up in a lock-up, staying out of the way in case Himself came home from the Mainland by surprise and fly back.
The job included getting photo-etch artwork done, the tching and all the plating PLUS get the rest of the model done in 3 weeks and 3 days. 
I did it, flew to Jersey with the model, said HI, here it is, took a nice fat cheque and flew home within 15 minutes.  I guess he liked it!
The body was carved in pearwood, then a copper shell beaten over it.  The core was removed, hollowed out and formed the door liners, dash and interior generally then put back in the copper shell for strength.  The wings were hammered over pearwood hammer forms and all soldered up into a one piece shell.  A chassis was made with just the visible bits in scale.  The wheels (6 of 'em) were built up using 4 photo-etched discs each into and onto brass turnings for rims and hubs.  Then tyres robbed from some old kit had to be used as there was no time for making them in rubber and she wouldn't pay for that anyway.
The body was sprayed in cellulose lacquer and polished and a mahogany base made with a 1/4" plate glass case.  Nothing, whatsoever, went wrong. Sometimes you just get one like that!
Hector

[Nurser]

Here's one of the engine.  The bonnet was made as a lift off, but the louvres in the sides were punched with a special tool and could be seen through.
Hector

[John McGuyer]

Beautiful work Hector. With all that flying around, you'll become our official 'Jet setter'.

Barry once told me the story of Jim Hall (Chaparral) having some friends call from JFK in New York that they has just arrived in the U.S.. He sent the Saber Liner to New York and flew them to Midland for dinner, then flew them back to JFK.

I always thought it a major treat when I could just fly my little Cherokee 250 to Solvang for lunch.

John

[Nurser]

Hi John, thanks.  As to the jet-setting, that's all finished. My passport has run out and I won't be getting another at ?70 and too many damned questions.  At least JFK didn't have that problem.  Is Midland in Texas? So if he flew from Californicate to Midland that was like me flying to Germany!  Which I used to do every two weeks.  Hated it.
Hector

[John McGuyer]

Hector
Midland is in the middle of Texas. Miserable place but has a lot of oil. Chaparral was located there. Jim Hall and his partner made their money in oil. JFK is in New York so the Saber Liner made four trips from Texas to New York just for dinner. At my level, it is a treat to go out for a Big Mac.
John

[Nurser]

John, forgive my poor geography.  At least I knew Midland was in Texas. No idea why.

I managed to escape yesterday, ostensibly to get photocopying done, but sneaked off to my old mate's garage for a cuppa and a chinwag.  Those little moments are priceless.
Hector

[Nurser]

Rich, ain't the space centre Cape Canaveral again after being Kennedy for so long?

What was so special about the ugly Irish f***** anyway?  I was 11 and politics stunk even then.
Hector

[RoughboyModelworks]

The job included getting photo-etch artwork done, the tching and all the plating PLUS get the rest of the model done in 3 weeks and 3 days. 

Three weeks and 3 days  - that's outstanding work in such a short time. Beautifully done Hector.

Bill

[Nurser]

Thanks Bill, it's obviously easier for someone who has all day (and night sometimes) to work on a project, but I was doing 85-90 hour weeks on that one.  Saw less of the family than when I worked abroad!  If the slightest thing had gone wrong, I'd have been lost.
While I was in Jersey I was accomodated by a friend of the client, who turned out to be the new editor of the famous Motor Sport magazine.  He showed me his collection of vintage Bentleys.  Lawyers, eh?  I never got any more work out of it though. C'est la vie
Hector

[Nurser]

Hi Rich, well now I can show off at dinner parties.   Hmm, no invites...wonder why?
Well. I'm interested anyway, mate.  I didn't realise there were so many parts to the Canaveral area.
Thanks, mate.
Hector

[John McGuyer]

Kennedy did command a very small boat which got sunk and managed to cheat on his wife with some pretty good looking movie stars. He also got us into Vietnam. Is it no wonder we name things for him?

Hector, I'm quite taken with your pounding copper over wood patterns. Can you tell me more about the copper?

John

[Nurser]

John, I had some copper sheets in about 15-20 thou thickness.  Got them from a load of stuff I inherited from an old model engineer chum.
The absolute necessity is soften it constantly.  Play a big flame over it till it shimmers on the edge of cherry red, Let it cool and get bashing.  But don't bash for long before you soften again. It sounds tedious, but it's worth it.  The stuff can almost be pushed round with a thumb at first.  The hammer I use is a slug of Lignum Vitae.  It's actually the end of a rolling navigator's rule.  I hold it in my palm and it doesn't mark the copper.  It's the hardest wood you can get.  They use it as bearing material on ships' prop shafts.
At some point you'll need to cut and solder where the curve is too much.  Silver solder is the answer there as it'll soften the material as a bonus.  Try to keep the shape as close to the hammer-form as you can, constantly trimming the excess so you're not clobbering that unnecessarily.  I wouldn't say I use the hammer forms as absolute patterns.  I use them more as a try-pattern with use occasionaly as an actual hammer form.  Cleaning up is then done with the hammered part on its hammer-form for support.  I wouldn't use anything thicker than 15 thou. for something of the Bentley's size.
Be prepared to beat smaller parts of a final shape and solder them together like the real bodies.
I hope that helps, John.  Have a go, it's easier than it sounds.
Hector

[John McGuyer]

Hector,
Thank you for the info. That gives me a whole new tool for building things. I gather from the constant softening that it work hardens as you hammer it. It appears that I will have to find a different sort of hammer.
John

[Nurser]

John, if you have a very smooth, i.e. polished , light planishing hammer, you should be alright, but I find the palm lignum vitae type just the right weight.
I was clearing out the garage today and found a lovely untouched lump of it AND a big piece of unsawn Steamed Pear, so I should be OK for wood for years!
Hector

[John McGuyer]

I think I have a dolly that might be just the ticket. Smooth, slightly rounded and you hold it in your palm.

John