Hello everyone. I am looking for a place where I can purches an Rivert Punch and guide set for putting riverts in plastic model tanks and aircraft. Any help would be appreciated…Happy Modeling…Hamming ( Tony )
I’m sure you mean “rivets” right?
You have several options depending on the size and type of rivet you want to apply.
-
cheapest method: buy packages of appropriate diameter styrene rod. Then take a single edged razor blade and cut them “salami” style. Lots of rivets (round discs), very cheaply. Can be done with hex shaped rod to give miniature hex bolts too.
-
purchase a “jeweller’s beading tool” It looks like this:
http://www.network54.com/Forum/47214/thread/1166199152/FS-T+Mega+Tool++Rivet+punch
You can get it from online hobby tool suppliers. Then punch it through lead foil onto a white plastic cutting board. You get domed rivets with this rather than round discs. This may not be that big a deal depending on the size of rivet you eventually want.
-
A company called “Grief” (Spain?) made these molds that you squashed melted sprue onto. THen you cut the rivets off. Too time consuming – I sold mine.
-
buy premade plastic rivets. Grandt Line, Tichy and Bronco Models make different ones. Tichy makes a wide variety of diameters. Just cut them off and glue them on.
-
someone also said the inside old Britta water filters are 1000s of tiny ceramic discs that can be sorted through depending on diameter. They can be superglued on.
-
there are some PE round discs (a defunct company called Elefant made some). I think this is crazy and totally not useful given that I can have lots of round discs from method #1.
As for guide, just use common sense. Mark locations in advance if you need to. If you’re doing an entire line of rivets (like on an M3 Lee) use a ruler and a needle to make a small pin prick. Then go over the area with a water soluable marker, and wipe off everything but the small dot where you put the needle tip.
If you use Tichy, Grandt or Bronco bolts, they come attached at the end of a plastic post. You drill a hole where you want the bolt and then slip the piece into it.
Use plastic cement, super glue, Future floor wax or even white glue depending on if the area is going to take handling or not.
I just ran across this guy’s tip. I’m going to try it out!