scratchbuildin ;)

[yack]

Well yeha ive just scratchbuilt a surprisingly good (if i do say so myself) turret for my leman russ, thanks to a tutorial from an extremely talented guy known as Ultrawerke (google it). Problem: i cant figure out how to make rivets that are small and consistent without using a punch that im not thinking about buying anytime soon. any tips?

 

[Roger Bunting]

You can get thin styrene rods that you could cut up, thought that would be fiddly. You can also get rivet sheets make from styrene. Then there\'s also using pin heads, if you get some small enough.

 

[Friar]

If you scroll to the bottom of the Ultrawerke page you have posted atleast at time of this post is a nice walk thru of making a nice cheap rivet press as well as a description of what Roger was refering to with the rods only this one is about making nuts and bolts.

 

[Sukigod]

I use miniature dolls eyes (yes, sounds creepy, I know) from a craft store. In the US you should be able to find them at most large chain stores like Michaels. I think I paid $5-$7 for a bag of say 50 or so. They come in multiple sizes so you can buy a couple of bags and have various rivets depending on your need.

 

[CaptNarcissisto]

You could roll some epoxy putty (green stuff, etc..) into small thin rods, wait for it to harden, and cut small rivets with a sharp exacto knife.

 

[Roger Bunting]

I was thinking of actual round rods, Friar.

http://www.ema-models.co.uk/shop/catpages/page-AAB.html

And here\'s a link for Antenociti\'s Workshop which sells rivet sheets, good if you want a line of rivets.

http://www.barrule.com/Workshop/scratch%20builders%20paradise/sheet%20materials.html

Not to mention it\'s a great shop anyway.

They also sell rivets if they\'re the right size for you.

http://www.barrule.com/Workshop/scratch%20builders%20paradise/Augmentables.html

 

[Einion]

Originally posted by yack
Problem: i cant figure out how to make rivets that are small and consistent without using a punch that im not thinking about buying anytime soon. any tips?

You can use the bottom of a drill bit to punch rivets from most metal foils. This doesn\'t work with very thin bits, or very large ones, but within the range that it does work there\'s a decent chance you\'ll get something you can use.

As you might expect they\'re not quite as consistent as from a proper punch-and-die set so make a whole bunch and pick and choose a matching set from what you get.

Done onto a hard surface like plywood they\'ll be flat, if you punch onto a giving surface (back of a mouse matt?) they\'ll have a slight dome.

Einion

 

[freakinacage]

Originally posted by CaptNarcissisto
You could roll some epoxy putty (green stuff, etc..) into small thin rods, wait for it to harden, and cut small rivets with a sharp exacto knife.

this is the best way i have found and it\'s a great way to use up left over or poor quality greenstuff. you can also change the size or cut it into longer tubes for spent shell casings

 

[Countersunk81]

You can also use PVA glue - dip a cocktail stick into the glue when its going off a little, then just dab on where you want the rivets. You may have to go over them a couple of times, but its a pretty quick solution nonetheless.