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In my tutorial on scratch building distributors, I mentioned the concept of extrusions. Real extrusions are forced through a die to create the necessary shape. The parts I am making only mimic this effect, but their usefulness is the same. To me, this concept was the most important part of the tutorial. Here's another example to show how handy this technique can be. Once again, I'm starting with some round and 1/2 round styrene. In this instance, the core shape, at .080" is slightly smaller than the rod used for the distributor. This rod was too small to fit in my aluminum heat sink, so I used a triangular file to cut a shallow groove in a small wooden block. The round rod was laid in this groove with a piece of masking tape holding it in place. The half round is then positioned along the top of the larger rod and also taped into place. Liquid cement is then applied to bond the two parts together. It's important that the pieces of 1/2 round are directly opposite each other. To ensure this, the dot on the end of the 1/2 round will make it easier to check the orientation of the parts during construction. Once the glue sets up, this part is turned 90°. The mark on the end aids in making sure the rod is positioned correctly. Place another strip of 1/2 round opposite the first and glue it in place. That's about it. How easy was that? Give this assembly 24 hours to allow the glue to thoroughly dry and then it's ready to slice. The next post will show a few of the uses I've found for this particular shape.