This is what the destructions say.
But those guys are thinner than an X-acto #11 blade, how do you remove them and have something useful when finished?
I just say to myself,ahh I dont really need those anyway 
Seriously way too small for me somebody should have something for you.
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I was already wondering the same. Thought maybe I could put a small blob of CA on each spot and let it harden. Would not be a hexagon of course, but one can BARELY tell these are, and if I try to slice or saw them off I doubt they will remain hexagons.
It’s not impossible. Some of the Maschinen Krieger kits I have include bolt heads cast, though they’re engineered so the bolt heads are all on a flat piece that is attached to the sprue.
- What I do is first, leave them on the sprues till I absolutely need them.
- Then, to cut them off, or better, slice them from the flat piece/plate, I will use a wide baking dish and hold the sprue in it.
- Then I use a razor blade, the hobby kind with a rigid spine, to slice the bolt heads off and into the dish.
- Once I’ve sliced off as many as I need, I’ll tip them into a ziploc bag or a little jar, like a recycled paint jar, to store them till I’m ready to attach them.
I also have a Realtoolz hex punch set to make my own bolt heads in different sizes. I use a similar method, holding the die over a dish so the punched-out pieces fall into it.
Hope that helps!
Best regards,
Brad
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Danke Baron Brad!
I’m from Texas, don’t start talking German to me please.
I love the idea of a punch, thanks for the idea.
Gonna go look for something like that for this and other kits.
I misspoke, the brand is RP Toolz. The punches are good, but they’re made with a head that is not quite a 1/4 inch in diameter. The actual punch is inserted in the head, which is wide enough to tap in the die with a soft hammer. I found that the one punch separated from the head, pulled out, the first time I tapped it. It stuck in the die. But it’s still usable. But yes, it makes making bolt heads easier.
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I’ve tried slicing off tiny bolt heads and the results were less than satisfactory. A punch will work a lot better IMO.
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I agree with the punch sets. I use them all the time for bolts, buttons, etc. I have a round set and a hex set. The hex ones can be so small, its hard to tell they are hexes, but I still have them!
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This is super helpful! Thanks for the tip.
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It looks like you’ve got some great suggestions here. I wonder, would it help make cleanly removing them easier if you sanded most of the sprue away first? Lay some sandpaper flat on the bench (double sided tape perhaps) and then just run the sprue runner back and forth until the bulk of the plastic is gone. Never tried it – just thinking out loud.
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I use a scalpel. They are thinner than X-acto blades. Handle and blades are cheap, since in surgical use they are one time use. And boy are they sharp!
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That’s the right idea-it’s got to be a thin blade. That’s why I use a razor blade. A razor saw was mentioned, but there might be too much material lost (the kerf) with a saw, as opposed to slicing with a fine blade.
The bolt heads are thinner than an xacto blade???
Those parts just became unnecessary.
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No, they’re not. But the thicker the blade, the more material lost when you cut them from the sprue.
They are approximately the same thickness of a #11 blade.