grab handles

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Tools
1

whats a good method for making grab handles. some pretty sensitive attachments to spues have left me with broken grab handles on tank .tried with light gauge wire to wavy . heavier gauge to roundish . anyone used that grab handler tool seems a little steep in price but you can make grab handles all day i guess. thanks

2

I bend mine from metal rod.

Make yourself a few jigs, find the right rod and you are set to go.

3

thanks .solid rod?? how thick used like 12/ 14 guage wire

4

Thickness of the wire depends on how thick you need it for the handle and how well it will bend and hold a shape.

You will find that you will end up with a collection of different thicknesses and materials.

I make quiet a few parts for my models from wire anything from handles, arials down to Springs for shock-absorbers.
Naturally they are being primed prior to getting their final coat of paint.

Trial and error is your best bet. I found even if I read something online there is no guarantee that it will work as described, there is still a lot of experimetnation needed to get it right.

HTH.

5

Try Solder From a local electronics store , it comes in different thicknesses for different sizes. Fairly sturdy and bends quite easy.

6

An easy to find and cheep way is to use staples and/or paper clips.
Bailing wire also comes in handy.

7

If your really revved up to make your own, Micromark has a jig set premade! Rather pricey though, I am going to search around because I know there has to be a substitute…

http://www.ares-server.com/Ares/Ares.asp?MerchantID=RET01229&Action=Catalog&Type=Product&ID=83139

8

That looks like a tool that could be made fairly easy from some stuff lying around at home, or something very similar. 2(3) sheets of styrene, X-Acto knife would be all that you need.

I got a small wire bending rig, which works well for me, no markings need to use the old MK-1 Eyeball.

9

thats what I was thinking when I saw that MM… I KNOW I have seen something similar at Lowes or Wal Mart or something… just have to try to sort through this senile brain of mine and remember where!

10

I would simply take 2 sheets of styrene, glue them together at an angle, brace them.

To make a new part
1.) slide the original part over the end of the triangle,
2.) mark it,
3.) cut/file a groove across both sheets of styrene corresponding to your marks.
4.) lay wire into the groove bend ends down, cut to size finished.

Repeat for different sized handles(top and bottom of the jig can be used)

Patent still pending, will charge people that use the design later on. [:D]

11

I make them out of copper wire or staples when I need one.

12

never thought of staples . thought of jig out of sheet metal but too tough with small bits styrene sounds good thanks again

13

after trying to cut out (crappy) DML tank grab handles I went and bought Mission Models
new tool at Great models webstore!! You can make exact replicas that way!
HTH
Ron Hoover

14

Ditto THAT Hoovie[#ditto] I got my Grabhandler from www.discountmodels.com last week and got so carried away with it that I went back and modified my 1/72 scale RPM Ford Tfc Polish WWI armoured car with NINE new grabhandles including a ladder up the rear to access the turret…okay, you purists might bring up the fact that these armoured vehicles didn’t actually have grabhandles and a ladder, but if you saw the way they turned out on the model, you’d agree that they should have!