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plastic studs/rivets


Keltheos

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Ooh! I know a good way. (Check out this to see what they look like.)

You need a piece of brass or aluminum (I like to use square tube for this, but flat strip works too. You want it to be reasonably thick- nothing too flimsy.) a candle, and bits of sprue.

Drill holes in the metal the same diameter as the rivets you want. (The best part about this trick is you can get all different diameters, you just need the drill bits to do it.) I've found that two holes close together works well, but for some reason, drilling three doesn't work as well.

Light the candle. Heat the end of a piece of sprue over the flame. When it gets soft enough, press the heated end onto the holes you drilled. It'll take a few attempts to get a feel for how much you need to heat the sprue (you could just let it catch fire, which occasionally happens anyway- that'll soften it up nicely, but it stinks and is carcinogenic) and how much force to apply.

What you'l end up with is a flattened piece of sprue with two tiny little rivets on the end. Slice them off with a hobby knife, heat up the end of the sprue, and repeat.

Handling them does take some practise as well. I've found that applying a small dot of superglue with a toothpick (styrene cement evaporates too quickly) onto the surface where the rivet is going to go, and using another toothpick to pick up the rivet works well. Lick the end of the toothpick (be careful not to mix them up and lick the one you're using for glue) and the rivet should stick to it easily enough.

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I second that they rock .... if shipping is a bit much for you give me a hout and I'll add some on my next order...:fing02:

my favourite wa for doing studs is a 1mm drill bit and 1 mm ball bearings.. fiddly but he end result is more than worth it.

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o they are .. I must have about hundred or so on the floor somewhere but once they go they go...:D

The best way to do it I have fond is drill all my holes...

Then 3-4 at a time put super glue in the hole. keep the ballbearings in an open lid container. pick them up by making a picking tool out of a brush handle and a little bit of blu/white/yellow Tac. You can get magnet picking tools like clockmakers etc use but I find they are generally stronger than the first contact with superglu so you have to hold it until it sets . also picking up just one can be a bit problematic .. great fun though

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