trying to make small, rivet-like detailing bits

[OdysseySlipways]

last week i got a few straight pins from my neighbor and i began adding drops of super-glue to them. after about 8 tries, i stopped and gave them a shot of primer. after doing this i see that there wasn't all that much of a build-up of glue on the pin heads, but it was better than nothing, so i took the few that i liked, and nipped off the stem about 1/8" below the head.

after making up the small form, i set it into soft clay and finished setting up the form. i then took 12 of the pins and put them into rows of 4 with about 1/16" space between them.

after poring both halves of the mold, i then cleaned up and prepped the mold for it's first try by cutting small little relief channels between the pins and then cut out for the pour stub and vent lines and then closed it up and tired it with the next batch of parts

the first batch didn't turn out that bad but there was a bit of unwanted flashing all around the pin heads, so i shimmed up the strong-backs that hold the mold together hoping it would take out any play between the mold halves so i could get a cleaner casting.

this cleaned up a little bit more but there was now tissue paper thin flashing....... so this time i opened up the relief channels between the pin heads as well as the vent and pour stub hoping that maybe they needed a bit more flow and less restriction - i didn't want to gate them too much and have a lot of pour stub markings all over them little things.

i have yet to see how they turned out yet.

i have what i feel is enough to use on my 10k Modular Star Hauler master but want to try to get this mold to work correctly as i plan to cast more of them for when i start the 2 large versions of the MSH.

now tonight while sitting here i came up with another idea on how to try to make some other little dome parts. the next time i'm going to set up the form but this time rather than using pin heads, i'm going to take 2-3 different sized pearl pin heads and push them about halfway into the clay where i would have placed the pins heads but then remove the pearl pin head leaving just the new, dome cavity in the clay. i figure when i pour the first half and remove the clay, it will leave a dimple on the first half of the mold and when i pour the second half and it cures, one half will have a dimple void and the other half will have the dimple. then i'll slice off the dimples from the one mold half and then carve out all of my gates and be on my way - at least that's how i'm planing to try it in the next few days

[Mr. Badwrench]

Are you doing this to practice casting? It isn't my intent to be snarky, it just seems a tedious and expensive way to avoid using Grandt Line rivets.

[Kylwell]

Or Archer Fine Transfers rivet decals.

[OdysseySlipways]

nope, not to be sneaky or avoiding someone else's product, but mainly seeing how it turns out. i am also thinking of dragging objects to make new ones, such as dragging a pearl pin head through the clay just a bit to make a half cylinder and maybe a few other shapes rather than trying to shape a few individual pieces and hope they come out right each time. I could even do some split tubing like items just by dragging the pear pin head through the clay with some bends/turns in it's path. then if i do as posted above, i would have custom cast plumbing (of sorts) to use on what ever my current project is, maybe this might help someone else make some parts for their scratch build......

and rather thn just using a pearl pin head, a piece of plastic tubing could be used, round off the end, then add a short pin through it side ways as a depth meter so you have a decently constant formed part/shape rather than having to doodle it up and then have it printed, pay shipping... and blah blah blah

[srspicer]

What you could try;

Press the domes in clay. Wall up around the area, pour in resin. You should then have a solid block with the raised domes on it. Take a safety razor blade, the kind you use for scarping paint, and carefully cut each dome off. Start at the outer rows and work in. You have to hold you finger over the dome so it doesn't fly off into the void, so be slow and careful and you won't cut yourself.

I do this all of the time, works fine. Use super glue to attach.

I also have machined press molds to heat different plastic on and melt the rivets onto them so I can use solvent to attach them to styrene, ABS, acetate. I use a vise to squeeze the hot mold against the plastic in an even manner. I use PAM cooking spray to lube the heat-press molds with, works great.

[OdysseySlipways]

that's what i ended up doing. i started a small stash saving them in a small measuring cup only to bump it and lost them all to the basement floor but i still have the molds. i made them in different sizes via pin head size and pushing into the clay

[Mark Yungblut]

I know that you may not want to use other's products, but these are outstanding... I always keep a stock of them in my spare parts.

https://www.walthers.com/exec/search?qu ... ts&x=0&y=0

[jpolacchi]

I know this is an old subject,but I suppose that depends on "the scale" you are working in.I've found(a long while back) some model/photo etching outfit made "scaled" photo etched rivets.I forget what scaled that were,but it was at least 2-3 different scales.I also have toyed with the idea of using the heads of "sewing pins".Just snip the heads off and tack'm down with super glue.They mainly come in "one size",but I'd have to look around and see what can be found and used.That's just my 2 cents.

[DaveVan]

Are you doing this to practice casting? It isn't my intent to be snarky, it just seems a tedious and expensive way to avoid using Grandt Line rivets.

Grandt line X2 here......cheap compared to hours spent making them.

[Andrew Gorman]

I usually just use cut off straight pins- if you shop around you can find some variation in head diameter and depth. I've also used escutcheon pins for bigger rivets. I ordered a set of rivet and bolt head molds-
http://www.greenstuffworld.com/en/silic ... ivets.html
But have not been home to use them