Photoetched parts have their place in warship construction, but when you get to larger scales there is no substitute for three dimensional parts built up from components. In this article, I will illustrate my methods for building these parts in 1/48 scale.

Start by cutting the rungs 1/4 inch long. You can saw them, but flush-cut side cutters are much faster and will leave a square edge. Xuron makes a nice product that will last a long time if you use them only for brass. They are available from Micromark, among other resellers. Clean all the parts to a bright finish with a Scotchbrite pad or alcohol as needed. Successful soldering depends on clean and tight fitting metals.

Layout a strip of masking tape or double-sided tape, and mount one of the side rails.

I place the rungs against the first side rail, using a spacer jig made from Evergreen Styrene strip, 1/4" x 1/8". To keep the jig from sticking to the tape, I taper the end.

Once the rungs are placed, do a reality check to make sure that they are square to the rail. There is no substitute for a keen eye, but you can make jigs to help you as needed. Again, Evergreen is invaluable here. This is the time to make any adjustments.

Apply paste flux very sparingly to the rail and rungs. You can use a toothpick or mircobrush (available at most hobby shops) to transfer the paste to the parts.

Use a soldering iron with a tip in good condition (they do need to be replaced occasionally). Be sure to clean the tip and tin to allow quick and efficient heat transfer. Don't feed in the solder using the spool; a better technique is to use a razor blade or knife to slice off thin sections. Lay them accross the joint and bring the heat from the opposite side until it melts the solder into the joint. The soldering iron should not touch the solder going into the joint. This will result in far less cleanup.

Attach the other railing using the same technique.

Once the assembly is soldered, you can remove it from the tape, clean any residue with alcohol or thinner, and clean the part as needed with a file or sandpaper. Mount the part to the mast or superstructure.