Modeling realistic canvas water hose

Many steam powered machines, especially those operating in the “backwoods” or other remote areas away from railroad water tanks, carried a water hose to enable refilling their tanks or tenders from streams or ponds.

Modeling these in smaller scales can be done with solder painted a light tan or grey colour, but this method has no texture whatsoever. Regular string or thread wonʼt quite do either, mainly because it will not “hang” correctly and most thread, made up of twisted fibers, is not correct in appearance.

Lee Valley Tools carries a braided nylon utility cord in three sizes suitable for hobby use. The sizes are listed as ʻ45 poundʼ test, ʻ96 poundʼ test, and ʻ190 poundʼ test. The weave of the cord is fine enough to represent canvas hose. This product is actually hollow, so you can slip in a bendable core of solder or wire to shape your finished model water hose.

The 45 lb size is suitable for HO or S scales, or small hoses in larger scales. It measures about 3” diameter in HO scale. The medium 96 lb size works well for O scale, again measuring about 3” diameter in scale. The coarse 190 lb size could be used for G scale hose or very large O scale hoses.

Here's how to work with it:

Cut a suitable length of the braided utility cord with scissors, knife or cutters.
Slip the solder into the centre of the braid and work it through. and cut off. Working off the spool and then cutting the solder to length is far easier to handle. A fine-pointed awl inserted into the braid first will spread the cord and make inserting the solder easier.
Apply some thin CA adhesive to about 1/8” or so at one end of the hose and use CA accelerator to set. This will keep the cord from fraying.
Trim the hardened hose with a pair of flush cutting pliers. Be sure to leave on a bit of the glued end so it wonʼt fray. Then you should be able to pull the braided cord back a bit to expose the solder core.
Using a drill bit the same size as the solder, ream out the inside of suitably sized brass tubing, about 3/32” length or so. Glue the tube to the solder core with gap-filling CA and snug up to the end of the braided cord and allow to set.
Cut off the brass tube leaving a scale 5” or 6” for a coupling nozzle. I find the best way to cut small brass tubing is with a sharp triangular needle file. Tubing cutters tend to crimp the cut end and working with such a short length is difficult with a tubing cutter.
Repeat for the other end, again, pulling the braid back to expose the solder core.
Blacken or paint the brass couplings, spray the cord with Floquil Flat and weather. Or you can paint the cord another colour if you wish.
Make up whatever hooks or brackets you like, to hang the hose on your model, then drape the hose realistically over the hooks, creating a sag between each hook. Some prototype photos of locomotives and logging equipment show their water hoses draped over the boilers and around the domes of locomotives, or over the roofs of equipment such as Barnhart Log Loaders.

Materials needed:
Lee Valley Braided Nylon Utility Cord
Small Brass Tubing.
FIne Solder of the type used for electronics *
CA adhesive, both thin and gap-filling (gel)
Paint and/or “Blacken-It”

Tools needed: Hobby Knife, Scissors, Flush Cutting Pliers, Small Drill bits the same size as the solder, triangular needle file.

* For the smallest sized braided cord, you may have to use Scale Scenics Micro Solder.

Braided Utility Cord from Lee Valley Tools
Fine Solder, of the type used for soldering electronic components
Thin cyanoacrylate adhesive
Gap-filling or “gel” cyanoacrylate adhesive
Accelerator for cyanoacrylate adhesive
Flush-cutting pliers
Fine-pointed awl
Brass tubing
Pin vise with drill bit the same size as your solder
Triangular needle file
The finished product
Close-up showing the braiding detail and end coupling

Lee Valley Tools, www.leevalley.com 1-800-267-8767 ( in the U.S. call 1-800-871-8158 )
Set of 3 Utility Cords, 1 of each, 50 yard spools Lee Valley Item # EA135    $19.50
50-yd. Cord, 45 lb test, #EA129       $5.00
50-yd. Cord, 96 lb test, #EA131       $6.50
50-yd. Cord, 190 lb test, #EA133       $9.90

Written by :