What to use for making bolts when adding details
- Thread starter Wannabe
- Start date
You can buy small bolt heads (hexagonal shaped ones) from Antenociti\'s workshop.
However if you are talking rivets then the charcoal beads from a water filter can be used to good effect to simulate rivet heads. You\'ll need to inset them into the material base with a couple of turns of an appropriate sized drill bit. (Finally found a use for those used Brita water filters) lol
However if you are talking rivets then the charcoal beads from a water filter can be used to good effect to simulate rivet heads. You\'ll need to inset them into the material base with a couple of turns of an appropriate sized drill bit. (Finally found a use for those used Brita water filters) lol
freakinacage
Well-known member
you can buy hexagonal styrene rod that aren\'t hollow. i\'d try them
as for rivets, use left over modeling putty and roll it into long sausages. these can be cut up to appropriately sized rivets or into longer bullet casings
as for rivets, use left over modeling putty and roll it into long sausages. these can be cut up to appropriately sized rivets or into longer bullet casings
CreganTur
Member
You can also make rivets by drilling a shallow hole in the surface and dropping a tiny ball bearing into it. That\'s how giganticdark did the rivets on his awesome FW Space Marine.
I\'m going to be making some rivets on a competition piece using very tiny brads (small nails). I don\'t remember what size they are. They\'re used for securing Z-gauge train track to a table; permanently, I might add. I inherited boxes of the things from my dad. Just pre-drill a hole, shorten the length of the brad with clippers, and drop into the hole with a bit of glue.
I\'m going to be making some rivets on a competition piece using very tiny brads (small nails). I don\'t remember what size they are. They\'re used for securing Z-gauge train track to a table; permanently, I might add. I inherited boxes of the things from my dad. Just pre-drill a hole, shorten the length of the brad with clippers, and drop into the hole with a bit of glue.
Shawn R. L.
New member
I\'ve made some very small pressmold type things out of putty, aluminum and copper rod. For rivets I just drilled a shallow \'dimple\' in the end with a very tiny drill. For bolts sculpt a bolt the size you want, make a little ball of clay and press it on. Once you take it off, trim the edges and attach it to a stick. Put tiny bit\'s of clay wherever you want rivets or bolts and gently press them on with your finger. Wait about 10 minutes for that to get a good grip on whatever you\'re working on, coat it with baby powder, blow off the excess and just press. It\'s important to get the size of the initial bit of clay pretty close to the size of the bolt or rivet. If you use too much by the time you\'ve squished all the excess out while pressing, the baby powder is too dispersed to act as a release. Takes a bit of practice but I can now do this WAAAAAYYY faster than cutting and gluing all them freakin\' little bits!!
dogfacedboy uk1
New member
Get some fimo and a set of fine headed hex keys/allen keys. Press these into the fimo bake off and hey presto you have a press mould of bolts of various sizes
You could also cut the mould off and attach it to a brush, steel rod to make a tool to do it which would probably be the way to go.
dfb
You could also cut the mould off and attach it to a brush, steel rod to make a tool to do it which would probably be the way to go.
dfb
DXM
New member
Check here
Grant Line
Lots of great detail parts for scratch building and converting.
Check here for plastic rivits and bolt
Rivits & Bolts
Grant Line
Lots of great detail parts for scratch building and converting.
Check here for plastic rivits and bolt
Rivits & Bolts
Amazon warrior
New member
Old watches are good for bitz, too. Raid your local charity shop or car boot sale for dead ones you can get for cheap, then have a wonderful time dismembering them! (Make sure you don\'t do this in bed - you don\'t want to find tiny cogs in unwelcome places! 
)
)
Orb
procrastinator
A punch and die set is invaluable for this sort of thing.....
http://www.historexagents.com/shop/hxproductdetail.php?ProductCode=PUNCH2
Historex only seem to have the hexagonal type, but they also do/did a round one that does 8 sizes - recently used it on a SM Rhino to add extra bolts in various places.
Can\'t recommend it enough! What it gives you is consistency...in the past I tried slicing plastic rod and I\'d never get a perfect vertical slice with a hobby knife...this has proven the best method for me
http://www.historexagents.com/shop/hxproductdetail.php?ProductCode=PUNCH2
Historex only seem to have the hexagonal type, but they also do/did a round one that does 8 sizes - recently used it on a SM Rhino to add extra bolts in various places.
Can\'t recommend it enough! What it gives you is consistency...in the past I tried slicing plastic rod and I\'d never get a perfect vertical slice with a hobby knife...this has proven the best method for me
S
Shadzar
Guest
Originally posted by Amazon warrior
Old watches are good for bitz, too. Raid your local charity shop or car boot sale for dead ones you can get for cheap, then have a wonderful time dismembering them! (Make sure you don\'t do this in bed - you don\'t want to find tiny cogs in unwelcome places!
Got to watch out for that unwelcome midnight screw right?
RuneBrush
New member
Depending on what you\'re actually after detailing, small ball bearings can be used.
Simply Bearings sell a wide variety of sizes. Less than a millimetre are very small by the way...
Simply Bearings sell a wide variety of sizes. Less than a millimetre are very small by the way...
BPI
New member
Asked my local model shop chap & he said that most commonly sold was the smallest size of Teddy Bear eyes! plus when you hold the model to your ear & shake it you can here them all rattling!
Or make a rubber push mold of various size bolt heads, cheap & easy.
On another thread somebody was doing a Steampunk diarama & had purchased some plastic cogs that sounded frighteningly expensive. It turns out that brass ones in the model shop are far pricier! I guess because they\'re actually good for working mechanics. The recommendation was to use old tank wheels or buttons with the centre drilled out, then bash 2 Polo Mints together & glue the chips to the edge of the button. Lots of broken teeth on an old damaged cog!
B.
Or make a rubber push mold of various size bolt heads, cheap & easy.
On another thread somebody was doing a Steampunk diarama & had purchased some plastic cogs that sounded frighteningly expensive. It turns out that brass ones in the model shop are far pricier! I guess because they\'re actually good for working mechanics. The recommendation was to use old tank wheels or buttons with the centre drilled out, then bash 2 Polo Mints together & glue the chips to the edge of the button. Lots of broken teeth on an old damaged cog!
B.
I am using these myself:
http://www.blockheadstamps.com/marbles.html
http://www.blockheadstamps.com/marbles.html
alextheartist
New member
Buy cheapo Ikea clocks and take them to bits for cogs
