Hi,

What's a "Contour Gauge?" How does it look like?

And how much is it?

Angela

Angela - a Contour Gauge is like a small metal box (think Harmonica) that holds a set of sliding metal or plastic strips. You can slide a bar and lock these into position.

This little tool can be found for less that $10 dollars and I find it critical in scratchbuilding projects with complex contours and curves. It is best used for laying over a section of a boat hull or other master, to transfer it's shape by pressing the tool over an area and sliding the locking bar into place to keep the sliding strips in position.

From there, you transfer the "contour" of the object to a piece of paper, cardboard, plastic, wood or whatever material you're working with to cut out an identical shape.

The Contour Gauge is used to measure sections of a master pattern for duplication.

Hope this helps a bit...

Gunnie

Amazon.com has them pics, prices, descriptions...

contour gauge

You should be able to find one in a hardware store as well. A carpenter/woorworker would use these extensively.

Micro Mark also has them

http://www.micromark.com/

For sure, Home Depot carries them ....

John

Agela, I got an old metal one that I used to use for wood working, but setting around, it now takes 2 men and a boy to move the metal sliding prongs, which would be no good for plastic, now I've never seen any made out of plastic, but if you can get them that way, I would suggest that, for this simple reason.

The easier it can slide, the better off you will be, to protect your project, they are relatively cheap, and sell them at just about every hardware.
Kerry