Tiny flexible hoses?

Galaxy Of Rust · Post by **Galaxy Of Rust** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 6:52 pm

Does anybody make tiny hoses for robots & space ships that look similar to these?:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mcfarlane-ghost-in-the-shell-/261412981874?pt=US_Action_Figures&hash=item3cdd6d8c72

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-6-Lego-10-Technic-Ribbed-Hose-Pearl-Silver-AERO-TUBES-Hanger-for-7317-/161132170911?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item258439ce9f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-LEGO-Lot-of-2-Trans-Clear-Hose-Flexible-Ribbed-19L-Blue-Center-Chima-/330939729477?pt=Building_Toys_US&hash=item4d0d8b8645

I was hoping to find a scale model/train company like Plastruct that makes them. But I can't find anything tiny enough.

Migmaker · Post by **Migmaker** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:14 pm

links don't seem to work

TrekFX · Post by **TrekFX** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:24 pm

If you're looking for really tiny, guitar and bass guitar strings can look convincing after painting (or not painting, for a metallic effect)

Johnnycrash · Post by **Johnnycrash** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:29 pm

These will work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mcfarlane-ghost ... 3cdd6d8c72

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lot-of-6-Lego-1 ... 258439ce9f

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-LEGO-Lot-of ... 4d0d8b8645

Migmaker · Post by **Migmaker** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:32 pm

tiny springs work too

Galaxy Of Rust · Post by **Galaxy Of Rust** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 8:59 pm

Whoops! Thought I set the links right. Sorry about that.

My first idea was to use bass guitar strings. But I need something more rubbery & easier to cut & work with. I ordered some cheap snake chains for power cables. Now I need something that can work for a 12" robot, neck & joint wires. Similar to McFarlane's T-X Terminator figure.

If I can't find anything I'm going to try to recast the wires that come with that Ghost In The Shell figure. Smooth-On makes soft rubber for casting Halloween masks & special effects. But I was hoping I wouldn't have to go through that much trouble.

I might pick up some guitar strings to see how well they'll work. Walmart's craft dept. has rubber bead cord that's perfect except it's not ribbed. I have some of it here, wish I could get the same stuff in a ribbed mechanical style.

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:03 pm

A cut-off wheel on a Dremel makes guitar strings easy to cut, and just bend them to smaller radius than the final one you need. Small to tiny extension springs work great, and better if slipped over a length of solder, copper or annealed iron wire. Same with de-soldering braid for woven looking hoses.

Galaxy Of Rust · Post by **Galaxy Of Rust** » Mon Mar 24, 2014 10:17 pm

Yeah, these would work nicely

http://www.drtempleman.com/userfiles/im ... es-1-L.jpg

Do any stores carry them or do I need to order online? I found a picture of them but can't find anything even close when I search.

Ah, screw it! I'll give guitar strings a go.

seam-filler · Post by **seam-filler** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 2:22 am

MDC of England do a couple of sizes of scale oxygen hose. Not cheap but looks really good...
http://www.modeldesignconstruction.co.u ... ccessories

Their main site doesn't have much of a description. You'll find more info here...
http://www.scaleplasticandrail.com/kabo ... xygen-hose

Waldron products used to do scale rubber hose in various scales, but the new owners (Roll Models Inc) don't seem to be doing them anymore. They occasionally show up on evil-bay.

veedubb67 · Post by **veedubb67** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 12:05 pm

I've seen Kylwell roll fine solder around a piece of wire to make flexible/bendable hoses. Very convincing!

Rob
Iwata Padawan

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 12:44 pm

Yup. Some solder or wire, a mandrel, roll and if need be flatten.

eeun · Post by **eeun** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 8:39 pm

What's the approx. diameter of hose you're looking for?

Hobbylink Japan has various sizes of flexible spring:
http://www.hlj.com/product/KBYMS07/Sci

Also this, for a chunkier look:
http://www.hlj.com/product/HQPPP3/Sci

And if you're looking for something larger than guitar strings, a bass guitar 'e' string is pretty hefty, and the inner core wires of the string can be pulled out, leaving a very flexible hose.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:37 pm

The Kotobukiya springs are nice but can be stiff. I prefer Wave's for large spring sizes.

But, sometimes you just can't get the look you want or you're trying to replicate metal conduit.

http://www.hungrylizardstudio.com/super ... ng_p_s.pdf

The one change I am making is switching to soft aluminum wire or lead free solder as it doesn't react with CA the way lead does.

Rocketeer · Post by **Rocketeer** » Wed Mar 26, 2014 9:35 am

Andrew Gorman wrote:A cut-off wheel on a Dremel makes guitar strings easy to cut, and just bend them to smaller radius than the final one you need.

If you heat guitar strings red-hot and let them cool slowly, the steel gets softer (annealed) and is much easier to work with.

Galaxy Of Rust · Post by **Galaxy Of Rust** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 7:07 pm

I got my snake chains & Ghost In The Shell figure in the mail today & everything is absolutely perfect!

I can easily recast the hoses that came with the GITS figure using Alumilite Flex. And as an unexpected bonus the hoses have plugs on the ends so I can link as many as I want together. They'll look awesome added to Mechanical Chain Bases, H-Hangars or Robotech Factory model kits.

I'm probably gonna have to learn how to make videos for Youtube.

G-man · Post by **G-man** » Thu Mar 27, 2014 8:40 pm

Kylwell wrote:The Kotobukiya springs are nice but can be stiff. I prefer Wave's for large spring sizes.

But, sometimes you just can't get the look you want or you're trying to replicate metal conduit.

http://www.hungrylizardstudio.com/super ... ng_p_s.pdf

The one change I am making is switching to soft aluminum wire or lead free solder as it doesn't react with CA the way lead does.

Not that i have tome to build much, but I have this print out form wonderfest ...4 years ago now? or three? i cannot recall, in a nice binder sitting at my work bench at all times. ...
George

Mr. Badwrench · Post by **Mr. Badwrench** » Sun Mar 30, 2014 8:39 pm

Kylwell's method is The Way To Go. Guitar strings, even when annealed, can only flex so much, and tend to want to go back to their original shape. Wrapping fine solder around a mandrel or another piece of solder gives you a very flexible, realistic looking hose. It can be further shaped to drape convincingly over underlying details, and holds it's shape well. It doesn't take as long as you'd think either, and it's very easy.

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sun Mar 30, 2014 9:04 pm

All the hoses I show in my flier took maybe 15 minutes. The big one was the worse as that thick solder takes some serious pressure to deform.

Barnstormer3000 · Post by **Barnstormer3000** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 1:52 pm

I've done similar things with very fine electrical wire, using one strand as a 'core' and wrapping a second strand tightly around the first.

They stay flexible - they won't pose rigidly the way solder would. You can make some VERY fine 'hoses' that way, though.

Based on the color of your wire, you may even end up not painting them - if you use black or gray wire you get a 'hose' that's already authentically black rubber!

o2b4wln · Post by **o2b4wln** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 12:03 am

Look for garter springs...they're used around ring seals for gaskets.

I got these from amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0085Y ... UTF8&psc=1

Good luck!

naoto · Post by **naoto** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 12:22 am

Kylwell wrote:Yup. Some solder or wire, a mandrel, roll and if need be flatten.

[forehead slap] No wonder I wasn't getting anywhere with that technique... I was trying to wrap wire around an mandrill rather than a mandrel...

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 11:51 am

naoto wrote:
Kylwell wrote:Yup. Some solder or wire, a mandrel, roll and if need be flatten.
[forehead slap] No wonder I wasn't getting anywhere with that technique... I was trying to wrap wire around an mandrill rather than a mandrel...

That's a common mistake but won't give you the smooth curve you're looking for and can lead to injuries.

chrisjon65 · Post by **chrisjon65** » Mon Sep 22, 2014 4:52 am

Try striping the wire out of old electrical cable some will be copper some metallic.
You can wrap the wire around something as thin a a needle to produce very thin hollow all be it corrugated hose.

KLINGON CAV · Post by **KLINGON CAV** » Mon Feb 08, 2016 11:28 pm

Does anyone know where to by micro-goosnecks like the type that would be used on a key chain?

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Tue Feb 09, 2016 2:22 am

Not sure what a gooseneck looks like but if it's jewelry related there's always Fire Mountain Gems http://www.firemountaingems.com/

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Tue Feb 09, 2016 2:32 am

Or are you looking for this http://tubing.flexible-gooseneck.com/it ... ifications

SpaceRanger1 · Post by **SpaceRanger1** » Tue Feb 09, 2016 12:55 pm

Look for round rubber leg material at a fly tying supply shop. This is a strip of rubber material made of individual round sections that can be peeled away. Sold as a strip about 1" wide and 18" long. Fine size is about 1/2 mm in diameter. It's available in a variety of colors. See here:

http://www.jsflyfishing.com/hareline-ro ... 20020-FIRD

NCC1966 · Post by **NCC1966** » Wed Aug 24, 2016 4:39 pm

Once in a while my wife that is a cloth doll maker asks me to make some scratch accessory. She uses to customize her dolls to fit some customer aspects. Past week she asked me to make a stethoscope to use in a doctor doll.

The more challenging part was to imagine what I would use to replicate the black rubber hose. Then I ended with a house wire but it was too hard and she wanted it flexible. So I just stripped it from the copper and stayed with the plastic cap.

Here the stethoscope and the doll with it around the neck:

http://i.imgur.com/zh7rvFd.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KXvUTfw.jpg

So, wires are excellent to make hoses!

kerick · Post by **kerick** » Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:09 pm

For rubber hoses try the leads from used ear buds. About two and half feet of black rubber hose that's pretty flexible.

Steelieboy · Post by **Steelieboy** » Fri Feb 03, 2017 3:02 am

I bought a roll of window screen rubber spline at my local hardware shop.
It makes for convincing tubing on ships in a 1/72 scale or larger...also looks good on some larger robots. You can get a lot of it for cheap.
I've also used the black plastic twisty ties that a lot of products are packaged in nowadays...it's easy to manipulate and glue.

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Tiny flexible hoses?

Tiny flexible hoses?

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