All ready to rock and roll on my Friulmodel tracks for the Elefant group build… I’m going to use straight pins to connect them together. What should I use to snip the pins? I have some wire cutter edges on some of my pliers, will those be strong enough to cut adequately without damaging the snippers?
i used my Tamiya snipps and they went snap
so then i used normal no name wire cutters and they did the job without harm
if there made to cut wire they should be ok and would have been tempered
the Tamiya ones ive got wernt heat tempered and desighned just to cut plastic
Here I go again, I wish the whole tutorial could have been made a “sticky”…
First gather your pins and a sturdy set of side cutters:
next assemble a few blocks by inserting the pin as such:
You may leave the pin intact if you wish:
Or, you may clip off the head:
To speed things along you can mass assemble in a jig (made with a router) like this:
Some folks like to secure the pins with CA, I personally use no adhesive whatever. I also mark the jig with different length indexes (i.e. Panther, Tiger, etc.) so I can fly right through this task and I know when to stop so I don’t have to test fit the track , I know the exact # of blocks.
I hope this helps with your Fruillisimo project and happy modeling!
I didn’t cut the pinheads on these Tiger tracks becaude they are on the inside and are not really noticeable. Just do the normal paint & weathering and they blend right in.
Steve
I have used regular staples just as well. I straghten one side, leaving one side bent. Push it in and trim.
Thanks for the paint advise.
Check the diameter of the pins, too big and they could split the Fruil. I picked up some pieces and played with them rather than destroy a good set of tracks, they are alittle pricey.
The ones I use are just a touch bigger I can force them in with my thumb nail. If you are a girlie-man then try a hammer! LOL I use a very small, light ball peen hammer. Measure the length that you need to hold the tracks together and then drive the pin in far enought to clip off the head if you are and then drive the pin in the rest of the way, using a pin punch or drift. If you are not going to remove the head then you might have to shorten the pin or it might come ouit the other side of the track.
Any questions?
Crockett, thanks for posting your instructions, I’m sure many will benefit from them. I like your pin snippers and think I’ll go pick up a pair. They look a lot easier to use than what I have. Mine are at the base of what would otherwise be pliers.
You are very welcome sir!
Do you have to change sprocket and idler wheels too?
caugh caugh this topic is dusty [:D]
the fit may seem rough if you DON"T bore out the hole using a pin vice… it has worked wonders for me… I don’t use adhesives either… the trakcs move just like the real thing… the only annoying part is cleaning the track of it’s flash and filled in guide teeth! I love these tracks though… nice and sturdy on the model!
This is a dumb question but I need to ask it, what is a pin vice? What dose it do?
a pin vice is a hand held drill that uses tiny bits to get at tiny detail! they are pretty cheap and make pinning a piece or a fig to a base or model alot easier! However, my Fruil track just made me have to buy a new set… I had the bit that was perfect for them, but it snapped inside the track link as I was boring it out… I have broken four tracks as they were completely filled with metal, not the soft stuff either… I HATE Fruils now!
Not a dumb question Anthoney! A pin vise is simply a small single shaft that houses a set of keys for gripping small drill bits like as in a drill motor. this is a very handy little tool for drilling small holes and works great for boring out Fruil tracks. We’ll have to get Steve to update his fruil track assembly steps to include showing a pin vise. (duck)…
By the way I practice Steve’s method and it works wonderful. Semper Fi, Mike
Looks like James beat me to the draw! His description is better then mine anyway. LOL.
Why are you “ducking” Mike? Hee hee hee.
Well, I must say that I utilize the pin vise only when necessary. For small blocks, such as the 251 fruils, it is absolutely necessary to drill them out. The reason for this is because of the delicate construction, if you try to “press fit” the pins in them they will bend or break. Panzer track blocks, (for me) don’t require drilling. I simply press fit the pins into the soft metal and this secures them as well.[^]
If you don’t want to hurt your fingers doing this, you simply roll everything over and press the pinhead against the worksurface to seat. I just completed a set for my latest Tiger build and I was done in about 35 minutes with both strands.
P.S. - James, if you get a 1/32 mandrel insert for your Dremel tool, you can chuck that bit into the Dremel and it really takes the drudgery out of drilling, just set it on low power and drill away, you’re done in a few minutes, and no breaking!
Regards,
Steve
hey crockett nice tiger !!![:D]
steve, that’s an awsome suggestion! I’ll have to try that out, thanks again my friend, where would I be without you! 
Neeeeeeeed DREMEL!!!
Crockett
How do you know what size pins to use with which track links? I have some Friuls and would like to use this method to assemble them
I use the same pins for all buddy.
My SdFz 7:
the same on the 251;
The Panther:
regards,
Steve
Steve
What is the exact size of the stick pins and where do you buy yours? The tracks look awesome and this technique seems very simple
Modelbuilder,
Be aware that the larger tank track blocks do not require drilling, (some modelers still drill them), I simply ‘press fit’ them into the soft metal Fruil blocks, then clip and CA the ends. However, on smaller blocks, such as the 251, Pz III/.IV, etc., drilling the blocks IS required, as the link holes are smaller diameter.
I use a #73 drill, which is .024, the pins glide easily into this ID, so I would estimate them in the .020 range. They are common tailoring straight pins, available off the shelf. I get mine from the sewing dept. of our local Wal Mart. They are hardened steel wire, so cut them with a hearty set of side cutters:
Steve