Beep Beep!

Tip for June 2005:
Air Horns

Here's an easy way to make air horns for your model without requiring machinist's skills. Start by making thin circles of plastic: either using a small-diameter hole punch, or by cutting slices off of plastic rod stock. The circles should be about 0.1" diameter, and 0.01" thick. Next, cut lengths of 0.03" rod stock (real air horns vary greatly in length, shorter horns for higher notes). Glue the end of the rod to the center of the circle, so you have a "T" shaped piece. To make the bell, simply fill in around where the circle and rod come together with white glue, and let it dry on a flat surface resting with the rod pointing straight up. Once dry, they're ready to be paintd and installed.