#019 04 Tybee Pier - Installing NBW's

Hey!  I'm back.  Well, sort of.  The baby is keeping us up nights and I'm doing laundry, cooking and cleaning most of the day.  But over the past few days I have had the chance to do some modeling.

This weekend's project (took three days due to interruptions) was to put nbw's in the pier.  To do this I used tweezers, white glue, hobby knife, Floquil Roof Brown spray paint, pin vise drill, #70 drill bit and Grandt Line HO scale 3" nut and 4 1/2" washer nut/bolt/washer castings #5099.

First I sprayed all the nbw's with Floquil Roof Brown from a spray can.  For the extra buck or two it was easier than cleaning up the airbrush for just this little bit of painting.

Actually, I sprayed some nbw's for my Howe Truss Bridge in O-scale.  I put painted or partially assembled parts in this handy cabinet so that they aren't in my raw details drawers and I can find them easily.

I have this small drill keeper and fished out a #70 bit.  There is another case that I have full of #70's as they break very easily.

These small bits are easy to mix up so I often check them with my drill bit gauge.

There are tons of pin vise styles out there.  I am using this heavy one with the moving top so that I get even downward pressure without pushing the bit.

As recommended by a few MMR's I cut the nbw's off at an angle making them easier to insert into the hole.  They tend to bounce everywhere, so I keep my finger over them when I cut.

I carefully drill a hole just deep enough to take the nbw.  Then using some sharp and curved tweezers I dab a little white glue on the end and place them in the hole, then push them down with the tweezers.  Actually, this goes rather quickly.  The look of the nbw's is amazing.

I tried a close up shot but didn't have enough light.

A bit blurry, and a blurry bit.  Normally I do this right handed.

Here is the first squadron of nbw's in the planks.  This extra little touch is AMAZING!  More to come this week!  If the baby cooperates!