Proper Scale for Details

[peteski]

3 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

I might have missed it, but did you ask for a size of a particular item?

If it's plug wires you're questioning, 32 AWG is what you need.

32AWG wire itself has a diameter of  0.008"  But that is the wire itself, not to OD of the insulation. That can vary depending on the type of wire and the material used for insulation. Unfortunately the OD of the insulation is not a parameter usually included in wire specs.  So it is a guess.  It might be 0.012" or 0.015", or something else?  One has to have the wire at hand and actually measure it. Again, if one is going for accuracy.  Then there are multiple diameters of 1:1 ignition wires. Then again is the question of what  scale is the model?  Yes, I'm being anal, but if accuracy is important, it all has to be considered, no?

[iamsuperdan]

[StevenGuthmiller]

39 minutes ago, peteski said:

32AWG wire itself has a diameter of  0.008"  But that is the wire itself, not to OD of the insulation. That can vary depending on the type of wire and the material used for insulation. Unfortunately the OD of the insulation is not a parameter usually included in wire specs.  So it is a guess.  It might be 0.012" or 0.015", or something else?  One has to have the wire at hand and actually measure it. Again, if one is going for accuracy.  Then there are multiple diameters of 1:1 ignition wires. Then again is the question of what  scale is the model?  Yes, I'm being anal, but if accuracy is important, it all has to be considered, no?

Sure, there are variables, but in general, 32 AWG is going to be about as close of an answer as you’re going to get.

Of course, having the material in hand is optimal, but when ordering something on line, all you have to go by is what’s offered as a description.

 

 

Steve

[Belugawrx]

https://www.micronmeters.com/category/on-line-store

Cheap, fast, and courteous

I've used this stuff on my last 5-6 builds for ign. wire...50 ft for $4.00...awesome

[NOBLNG]

This is a 1/24 scale GTO. The plug wires are 30ga wire wrapping wire that measures 0.020” or 0.48” (1/2”approx.) in full scale. The heater hose is some unknown wire that measures 0.040” or 0.96” (1”approx.) in full scale. The plug wires are technically a tad big and the heater hose is probably very close for the common 5/8” or 3/4” hoses. I don’t think that either one looks obviously out of scale to the naked eye. A hair bigger or smaller is not going to matter unless you are entering serious contests or asking for advice on a forum.🙄

[Belugawrx]

27 minutes ago, NOBLNG said:

I remember seeing that 'Under Glass'...still looks sweet

 

 

[Rodent]

Those look "in scale" to me Greg. I like to think that I have many talents, but "eyeballing" is not one of them, at least in the kitchen. I NEED to use a cookie scoop and a meatballer or the cookies and meatballs come out uneven sizes. Ditto on burger patties, I need to weigh the chunks of meat to make the patties similar size. Because of this, I trust my eyes in modeling, but verify with a caliper before using wire for hoses/cables. My worst nightmare was heater hoses on a car that I am familiar enough with to know that it used one 1/2 inch heater hose and one 3/4 inch heater hose.

[StevenGuthmiller]

3 hours ago, NOBLNG said:

This is a 1/24 scale GTO. The plug wires are 30ga wire wrapping wire that measures 0.020” or 0.48” (1/2”approx.) in full scale. The heater hose is some unknown wire that measures 0.040” or 0.96” (1”approx.) in full scale. The plug wires are technically a tad big and the heater hose is probably very close for the common 5/8” or 3/4” hoses. I don’t think that either one looks obviously out of scale to the naked eye. A hair bigger or smaller is not going to matter unless you are entering serious contests or asking for advice on a forum.🙄

Looks good to me.

Unfortunately, to Peteskis point, the majority of 1/25th scale models I see wired with 30 AWG don’t look right.

I have a box of 30 in 6 different color, and it’s too big for plug wires.

Works better for vacuum lines and battery cables.

I suppose 30 gauge on a 1/24th would naturally look closer than on 1/25th.

 

 

 

Steve

[NOBLNG]

39 minutes ago, StevenGuthmiller said:

Looks good to me.

Unfortunately, to Peteskis point, the majority of 1/25th scale models I see wired with 30 AWG don’t look right.

I have a box of 30 in 6 different color, and it’s too big for plug wires.

Works better for vacuum lines and battery cables.

I suppose 30 gauge on a 1/24th would naturally look closer than on 1/25th.

Steve

I have used this particular brand (Jonard Tools made in USA) of wire on 1/25 models also and it still looks alright. As Pete said, the guage refers to the actual wire size. The outer diameter of the insulation can vary greatly. I also have some 30 gauge (China-something) that measures 0.025” o.d. and just looks a little too big for plug wires in my eye. And like you said, any 32 guage wire would likely look fine regardless of the insulation thickness. 
Here are the 0.020” wires on a 1/25 Bronco. Maybe a bit big but not glaringly so.🤷‍♂️

Edited April 4 by NOBLNG

[peteski]

I used detail Master 0.012" OD wire in my 1:43 scale Cobra.  It comes in a bit oversize (0.51") for even fat high-performance wires, but I really liked that yellow color.

[bobss396]

Eyeball-engineering rules for me. If it looks good, it likely is good.

I use steel scales and a dial caliper for most measuring, a micrometer now and then. 

There is also the cut-and-try method, font be afraid to make a mistake, learn from them 

[Beans]

I'm pretty much the calibrated eyeball guy as well.  I tried the exact measurement stuff once and found that the wires looked too thin.  They were in scale but didn't look in scale.  Plus, I have yet to find a way to make an out of the box distributor work with any scale of wires.  I end up going with aftermarket ones then tend to be a little bigger than scale anyway.  

I have yet to see a throttle linkage spring that was actually scale correct.  Sometimes it boils down to accepting that every little piece isn't in scale because the overall detail looks good and accommodates my skill level.

[peteski]

1 hour ago, Beans said:

I have yet to see a throttle linkage spring that was actually scale correct.  Sometimes it boils down to accepting that every little piece isn't in scale because the overall detail looks good and accommodates my skill level.

That's because if that spring was accurately scaled, the wire diameter used to make the spring would have to be thinner than human hair and the spring would be too fragile to handle.  And yes, even scratchbuilt models made by master modeler Gerald Wingrove don't have *EVERY* part scaled correctly.  There are always some compromises to be made, but more we strive for accuracy (within physical limitation of the materials used) the more realistic the model will look.

Also worth mentioning that models viewed in person look a bit different than in photographs. Something that doesn't look "off" viewed in person might look out of scale in a photograph or the other way around too.

[TonyH]

This quick reference might be helpful for you. 

[peteski]

The wheel sizes in that chart are incorrect, which is a common mistake made by modelers.  Since model wheels and tires aren't made like 1:1 counterparts, the actual visible rim diameter on most automotive wheels (which is what most model wheels depict) is about 1.5" larger than the wheel diameter (or bead diameter) as specified by the 1:1 wheel manufacturer.  So a 15" wheel will have visible diameter of 16.5", which scales out to 0.66" (not 0.60").  Small but noticeable difference. But wheels and tires are often incorrectly sized even by manufacturers, however the proper size is worth mentioning for those who design and 3D print their own wheels and tires.