Jack Sparrow compass- HINGES!?!?!!?

[CaptChunkyChew]

Hi guys, so as you have probably guessed if you have seen my previous thread (a question on leather working) that I am slowly, painfully slowly getting started on making a jack sparrow cosplay from scratch.

now onto the main subject... I am in the process of making a Jack Sparrow compass, and I am completely boggled by the hinges! i really want a way of attaching the hinges so they are not visible, that does not require me chiseling chunks out of the back of the compass, then having to fill the bleedin' things in again afterwards! :rolleyes I think I might have a way, but I want some input

Cut off the screw 'oley bits on the sides, so you are left with this:

then glue every other segment (and the pin that runs through the middle) to the bottom of the compass, in one of the channels I will already be cutting out on the inlay, and the ones that aren't glued will be glued to the top

would love to here people's thoughts and input on this, I have two weeks to collect materials and prepare, and then I'm back to using the school workshop for the build!

 

[CaptChunkyChew]

c'mon, I really need some advice! bump!

 

[paulp]

Hey, I make custom ring boxes all the time. Kind of my job. All weird sizes and shapes. What you are talking about it exactly what I do when I'm creating the hinges. The challenge is torque. When the box opens, if the barrels aren't perfectly aligned you will generate torque which will pull them apart from the glue. My recommendation would be to get styrene tubes in the diameter you want for the hinge. Cut them to the barrel length you want and then, with each one, insert a brass pin into the edge so that you can securely place it into the compass. This will give you something more substantial to glue, rather than just a surface attachment. Don't worry about the styrene not being tough enough to be a hinge, I use them all the time.

 

[CaptChunkyChew]

Hi, thanks for the tip! I will try the method on some scrap wood first, but I think for screen accuracy's sake (I know, I know, I'm a total pedant- why ask for advice when you are gonna do your original plan anyway!?!?!) I will try as hard as I can to get the metal hing to work.I'm glad i'm not the only one who finds it irritating to have to gouge out a chunk of wood just to put the damn thing back to the way it was originally- plus it's extra cost, having to fork out on filler or veneer to cover it...

 

[DrMcoy]

if it's for cosplayand does not have to be 100% accurate, i don;t see why you just wouldn't use brass hinge from hardware store and either PAINT it color of compass body OR putty over it or put thin laminate or plastic or wood on top of it and paint it same color as compass body

that is what I did for a JS compass kit someone offered on this forum a couple years ago -- i'll take some pics tonite and post.

and if truly for cosplay, i would seriously consider just getting the Disney toy and painting it up better -- i can send you pics of that, too.

 

[CaptChunkyChew]

Yeah, it is for a cosplay, but as I have already said I do not particularly want to spend needless money filling up a hole I needn't have cut. I am also personally working towards designing/making props and sets as a full time career choice, and I am doing everything I can in and indeed out of college to get the experience. I am also a stickler for accuracy...

 

[Sean]

Question's if I may. why would you have to glue the center pin of the hinge at every point? just one glue point would hold it and let the rest of the barrels work I would think. just needs to be stationary as not to slip out one side or the other. are the hinge barrels metal? what is the compass made from?

 

[DrMcoy]

reference that may be handy:

http://disney.wikia.com/wiki/Jack_Sparrow's_compass

 

[DrMcoy]

and another good one -- i wrote one of these too -- very similar -- used a Disney toy compass -- they turn up on ebay from time to time. i realize you wish to build your own, but this may have some good info for you...

https://jacksparrowcostuming.wikispaces.com/Compass+Tutorial

 

[DrMcoy]

found the tutorial i wrote...

http://cjskttccostumewiki.pbworks.com/w/page/5132482/Disney Store Compass - Conversion Tutorial

 

[DrMcoy]

Pics of a kit i built that was offered a few years back by someone on RPF -- it was flat pieces of laminate laser cut and then stacked together to form compass body. i used a brass hinge on back that sat in wooden groove so the brass hinge plate was the back of compass body -- i believe i putties over the brass a bit and simply painted dried wood putty same color as body. Good luck with your project -- love to see pics.

 

[CaptChunkyChew]

Question's if I may. why would you have to glue the center pin of the hinge at every point? just one glue point would hold it and let the rest of the barrels work I would think. just needs to be stationary as not to slip out one side or the other. are the hinge barrels metal? what is the compass made from?

Hi, to clarify, both ends of the hinge (just the small pin on one side will be glued, as it is a six barrel hinge and I do not want to restrict the movement of it) will be glued to keep it in place, but mainly I want this thing to be built like a brick! (British slang for sturdy as!) so I want as much surface area to be glued as possible without restricting the hinge motion. Yes, the hinges are ordinary brass, and it is going to be made from beech wood (ebony is an absolute pig to work with)

P.S DrMcoy, That looks lovely! I have seen the zlurpo kit builds and it was such a clever way of making it, I even contacted him about a year back to see if he had any left over! thanks for the reference, pics coming in on a different build thread soon- keep a weather eye on the horizon!

 

[Sean]

Brass to wood. sounds like a challenge there. what's the thickness of a wall on the brass barrels if known? I would want some type of pin going Into at least two of them and then into the wood.

 

[CaptChunkyChew]

sorry to disappoint, but I have absolutely no clue whatsoever! I haven't even got my plans and measurements finished yet! let alone the materials.

 

[Sean]

sorry to disappoint, but I have absolutely no clue whatsoever! I haven't even got my plans and measurements finished yet! let alone the materials.

No problem. I hope some others can help with this. brass to wood dons't add up too the brick to me. I hope this project goes well.:thumbsup

 

[CaptChunkyChew]

In the past I have bonded hinges to wood using epoxies such as araldite, which does a really good job and 3m has a wide range of contact cements- and a surface guide website that tells you what glue is needed for what!

 

[Maelstrom]

When I built mine I used a power oscillating tool with the flat cut off to make a quick pocket for the "screw flaps" of the hinge to slide into. If I had ever made a kit I was probably going to mold a separate piece that would glue in over them on the top and bottom...but never got around to it.

For the hinges I used the ones from the foldover mancala games you can get at Family Dollar/Dollar General etc etc, but now I usually pick them up from time to time at thrift shops.
View attachment 459508

The hinges are the small barrel type and have 12 sections. So if you cut them in half you get 2 pretty accurate hinges.


Here's my original thread
http://www.therpf.com/f9/potc-compass-scratchbuild-compass-dial-92245/