Profil 0,38 x 3,2 mm

A Batten for Ribbing and Lattice Frames

Battens are everywhere on a model where the real subject uses wood or a thin rolled section: under the covering of a shelter, in the frame of a crate, in the braces of scaffolding, in the cab of a truck. The size of 3.2 mm offers enough surface for gluing two parts one over the other and yet stays slender enough that the finished lattice does not look clumsy.

A structure made of it is best assembled straight over a drawing. The paper with the shape drawn on it is covered with office tape or with a transparent film, the individual pieces are lined up on it, weighted down and joined at the crossings with a drop of glue. The film keeps them from sticking to the surface underneath and the whole frame is lifted off in one piece once it has dried. This is how the frames of huts, the racks of flatbed trucks, the beds of trailers and the internal bulkheads that then hold the shape of a whole hull come about.

Assembling in a template

Before building, it pays to cut all the identical pieces at once, because a difference of two tenths of a millimeter shows at first glance on a lattice. The knife is guided against an engineer's square and the finished pieces are put into a dish so that they do not wander off. The joints are stiffened step by step: first the perimeter is assembled, then the internal infill is added. Sanding the finished frame back with fine paper evens out small deviations in thickness and prepares the surface for paint.

• Size 0.38 x 3.2 mm, white styrene
• Suitable for battens, ribs, braces and lattice frames
• It is assembled over a drawing covered with film
• Identical lengths are better cut all at once
• The finished frame is lightly sanded back before painting