Hinges for masts

[Pete]

Hi all,I have made numerous boats in bottles but never really found a good way of keeping the masts held firmly while attaching yards,booms etc.Recently I have had one of those moments when what for me seemed a great cure for the issue.I now slide a tiny piece of shrink tube or flex cover over the mast piece after fitting the hinge that will slide into place and firmly hold things until I am ready to launch into the bottle,then with a scalpel cut the band from the mast.Perhaps I am late to the idea ? i have a few books on the subject but have never seen the method described or used.Feel free to inform me if it is commonly used.While on the subject I use single wires from a wire brush for the hinge as they are very fine and strong,easy to disguise,Its not whats shown in the image.Thanks for the interest.Pete.