ejection seat striped handles - how?

[lesthegringo]

Guys, I'm trying to find a way of reproducing the ejection seat grab handle, the very prominent black and yellow striped ones that are visible through many cockpit canopies. In 1/48th scale, I just can't seem to be able to make them look good

Even when they come with coloured photo-etch sets, as they are normally either one folded piece or two joined pieces back to back, the edges spoil the effect.

Any suggestions from you rather clever chaps?

[B-17 guy]

very skinny yellow wire, paint on black stripes, make the loops and glue it onto the seat?

[lesthegringo]

tried that sort of approach (with stretched sprue) but the difficulty is paining the very fine stripes

Les

[spejic]

I use a fine tipped pen (the ever popular Micron) for the black stripes. Start in the middle and work your way out, first doing the outside and then the inside of the loop.

[Yuri61]

I have two ways of producing the ejection handles.

1) I paint one length of soft copper wire yellow and the another length black. While the paint is soft I twist them together to get the desired effect. After I coat them with future or similar and then a flat clear.

2) I use very fine nylon thread in yellow and one in black and then twist them together. I coat them the same way afterwards, Future and then a flat clear coat.

Either way will work but it will take a few tries.

HTH,

Cheers.

Edited July 20, 2013 by Yuri61

[Pierre Sacha]

Hi,

Here's my method: Two equal lengths of yellow and black yarn/string knotted at their ends. Attach one end to your bench with tape or something and the other to your Dremel/drill. Switch on and see the magic unfold :D . Remove from your Dremel and attach some kind of weight (blob of sticky stuff)and let it hang taught so it doesn't unwind. Smear generously with white glue or even Cyano and let dry. Cut to lengths required. You get different thicknesses of yarn to cater for various scales.

Regards

Pierre

[Maker]

Paint the part yellow and cut thin strips of black decal to use as the stripes.

[CrowTRobot]

Here's my method: Two equal lengths of yellow and black yarn/string knotted at their ends. Attach one end to your bench with tape or something and the other to your Dremel/drill. Switch on and see the magic unfold :D/> . Remove from your Dremel and attach some kind of weight (blob of sticky stuff)and let it hang taught so it doesn't unwind. Smear generously with white glue or even Cyano and let dry. Cut to lengths required. You get different thicknesses of yarn to cater for various scales.

This works very well in my experience.

[lesthegringo]

thanks guys, will have a go with those!

[dragonfly]

Technically, the black stripe is not a series of black seperate loops. It's one continuous stripe that spirals around the yellow so the twist method will be more accurate if you don't want to paint them. Personally, I paint them. Just go back and forth with the two colors and touch them up till you're satisfied.

[Jennings]

Note that if you're doing an F-4, the face curtain pull handles are **not** a bright chrome yellow and black. The real things are a very dark mustard yellow color.

[NavyPhantoms]

I paint the handles dark yellow and then use a fine point black Sharpie for striping.

[Aggressor01]

I've worked on ejection seats for the better part of 15 years and I can say that the ejection control handles wear and need to be replaced from time to time. You might think about weathering them. However any seat with sharp black and yellow control handles always look better. I use a sharpie that is .005. Sometimes it takes a couple of passes but it has always worked as long as the paint is completely dry.