CrazyGirl Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) i am sitting here with not much to do but wait for parts and pluck on guitar , but my mind is always thinking and i know styrene is cheap and all but i look at the parts trees and think what a waste of plastic and thought hey if i took a bunch of the long rounds from the tree and chuck it up in a drill and run a piece of sandpaper you would have nice round stock to use , so i tried it and sure enough , nice round free stock but i am sure you guys have done this already Edited March 19, 2013 by CrazyGirl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmk Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I always save the long straight sections of sprue and any decent clear sections. Good for scratch building and making stretched sprue. Also save the plastic center section from Q-tips. Just cut the cotton ends off. You can stretch this also like you can sprue and make hollow tubing of various thickness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swamp Dog Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 i do save the good ones..but never thought of that trick..thanks for the tip.. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothic Kustomz Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 (edited) Wonder if I could do the same with a dremel, I have more then a big box of sprues, great idea, I'm on it... Edited March 19, 2013 by Gothic Kustomz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGirl Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 thats me , always thinking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 What woman ISN'T?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disabled modeler Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 Good tip...I have used them for years to make things like a rail dune buggy or other items. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf15 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 What woman ISN'T?!? The ones that I was married to ! Lmao ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxer Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I cut pieces of sprue off with a hook at one end and put an alligator clip on the other. To hang those other pieces of painted plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyB08 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 How do you stretch styrene and such? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2002p51 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 I use pieces of sprue to stir paint but beyond that, nothing. Like the title says, styrene is cheap and I like using Evergreen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyGirl Posted March 19, 2013 Author Share Posted March 19, 2013 go green , use old styrene !!!!! save the oil for your cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southpier Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web?fcoid=417&fcop=topnav&fpid=27&q=stretching+sprue&ql= Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeyB08 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web?fcoid=417&fcop=topnav&fpid=27&q=stretching+sprue&ql= Thanks Joe... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramfins59 Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 And I always just throw all those sprues away... I had once thought the same, in that "look how much wasted plastic there is." I wondered if there were any feasible method of returning the sprues to the manufacturers for them to re-use all that plastic to make more kits... might help to keep kit costs down a little. However the logistics of getting all that plastic back to the mfgrs. from all the varied kit buyers would probably be nearly impossible to do. Good idea though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothic Kustomz Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 tryed it with the dremel, works great, like i said killer tip, thanx.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cool Hand Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 (edited) Cant take credit for the idea.Found it somewhere on the net years ago. I used some sprue tree's to make an engine stand,which I use to hold the engine when assembling and adding plug wires etc. Edited March 20, 2013 by Cool Hand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vintagercr Posted March 20, 2013 Share Posted March 20, 2013 Cant take credit for the idea.Found it somewhere on the net years ago. I used some sprue tree's to make an engine stand,which I use to hold the engine when assembling and adding plug wires etc. [img=http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh69/freakshow666_2008/Model%20Cars/braceposition2t.jpg] [img=http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh69/freakshow666_2008/Model%20Cars/bracepositions.jpg] [img=http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh69/freakshow666_2008/Model%20Cars/completedenginestand.jpg] Luke that's a great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandamonium2112 Posted April 24, 2013 Share Posted April 24, 2013 The sprue's I will never throw away are the one's that head and tail lights come on. They get stored in a separate tote. That transparent (colored) plastic can come in real handy when you loose that one tail light lens to the carpet monster or scratch building some tail lights. Chuck it up and spin out a new lens. After you get it to shape, touch it with some 00 steel wool while spinning to bring it to a glass finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest G Holding Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Nice motor stand! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wisdonm Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 I use sprue to make fire extinguishers and tachs. It's usually too big for roll cages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george 53 Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Oh, mix it in some liquid glue(cut it up first) and let it set. it'll become liquid again, really thick and rnny, and you can actually use it as filler! i've done it quite a few times and it works great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest G Holding Posted April 28, 2013 Share Posted April 28, 2013 Oh, mix it in some liquid glue(cut it up first) and let it set. it'll become liquid again, really thick and rnny, and you can actually use it as filler! i've done it quite a few times and it works great! That is my body trick also.....Great filler when chopping or sectioning, gives the area more strength, although it sure is ugly when putting it on ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockie Posted December 12, 2013 Share Posted December 12, 2013 Back in the days we take the left over sprue and stretch them with a candle to make cars attenna. They are more realistic than the one you get now. we could bend then and they act just like real one.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joemac Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 My brother scratch built an entire motorcycle model using the leftover sprue trees from various kits. I'm stretching the rear body of a kit of a fire truck. The trees are very useful in bracing and connecting panels from the inside, where it won't be seen. The trees come in handy when making all sorts of small parts, I haven't built that many models, but I have an entire box full of trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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