Working with .9mm rivets

[aurfalien]

Hi,

I got these Top Studio .9mm rivets a long while back.

Man they are a PITA to work with!

How does one suggest grabbing and manipulating them?

[snacktruck67]

you could try Scale Modeling's Grabit sticks.  There is also a white sticky pencil out, but I do not know the name.  I have 2 of them.  If you want one, I can send it to you.  It works by pressure on the part, it sticks to the part then put the part where you want it to go and give a slight twist and it goes into place.  Really nice.,

Edited September 19, 2015 by snacktruck67

[10thumbs]

Hi Brian,

Those things are a real pita.  On my last build I used 0.5mm rivets, most landed somewhere never to be found again.

The best way for me to mount those devils was 1st of all, using a lighted magnifying lamp.  Mine is 1.5 X, works great.  Then with a pointed small instrument, lick the tip and run it through a pile of those rivets.  St least 5 or so will stick to the tip of the instrument.  Of these 5 or so, at least 1 of them will be pointing pretty much in the direction you need it to be placed.  Very carefully run it up to the hole you've prepared and it should kind of fall in place.  This worked for me with this piece;

The studs for the cockpit cover and the top of the magneto.  The magneto rivets I just reduced with a rubber wheel to make them flatter after the CA dried.

Those things cost me lots of cash too, only to have 3/4 of them fly all over the room.  I finally was able to do them decently with the method I mentioned.  Good luck.

Michael

[aurfalien]

Thanks for the replies, über appreciative.

Wo 10thumbs, that car looks awesome!

[aurfalien]

you could try Scale Modeling's Grabit sticks.  There is also a white sticky pencil out, but I do not know the name.  I have 2 of them.  If you want one, I can send it to you.  It works by pressure on the part, it sticks to the part then put the part where you want it to go and give a slight twist and it goes into place.  Really nice.,

Wow, thats very cool of you.  I'm going to my LHS today and have seen them there.  They give me freebies all the time and may hook me up.  Thanks again.

Edited September 19, 2015 by aurfalien

[LDO]

Something easier and less expensive to deal with is plastic rivets. I used a bunch on a military project. At first, I drilled holes for them, but the fit (and therefore location) was a little loose. I cut off the stem and just glued the head in place. They were all in nice rows, so I used a straightedge to mark out their location with a pencil. I was able to move them around with a new #11 blade. A tiny drop of MEK to glue them down. This method is great for subjects with rivets that get painted, but if you want to keep the aluminum finish, maybe stick with what you have. It would be a huge pain to paint such a tiny rivet and keep it neat and clean.

Edited September 20, 2015 by LDO
grammar/punctuation

[aurfalien]

Cool idea, thanks LDO.  I like plastic and can detail to a desent level.

[SfanGoch]

Suggestion: try resin ones.

I mentioned it before in another thread that the Russian company Masterclub makes resin nuts, bolts and rivets from 0.5 - 1.8 mm in 0.1 mm size increments. They are packed loose (not on sprues) and depending on size, there are up to 180 pieces per pack which leaves a lot to work with after the carpet monster gets its share. Because the Ruble has tanked, a pack costs $2.21. The problem with plastic NBR is that there is very little variety in what's available. Grandt Line, and other similar types make limited types of fasteners and in limited sizes. Brass NBR, like the stuff from Scale Hardware, are nice BUT they too suffer from lack of variety. Ever see a castle nut in brass? The machined stuff is also somewhat out of scale. I've used all three types and the resin NBR look the best as far as realism is concerned. As far as matching the finish on rims, no big deal. Just apply some Metalizer of your choice on the resin rivet before attaching. Once it's in place, use a Q-tip to buff it.

Also, invest in a good set of tweezers. The best I found are the Dumont 00c Carbon Steel tweezers. I bought mine over twenty five years ago and they are worth every penny of the 23 bucks they cost. They're perfect for handling small items like 0.5 mm rivets.

Like I said. it's just a suggestion.

Edited September 21, 2015 by SfanGoch

[John Pol]

Where do you get those tweezers from Joe?

[MrObsessive]

I can vouch for those tweezers that Joe pictured! It's all I use to handle the tiny parts that I'm always working with. I "inherited" mine from the last job I had where I was a soldering trainer so when I left the job, I got to keep all the tools that I collected over the years. Believe you me, those tweezers are top notch for things like those rivets.

Best investment you could make!

[Tesla]

Just found this: https://www.tedpella.com/tweezers-pelco_html/pelco-pro.htm

[aurfalien]

Cool deal SfanGoch, I forgot about that site.  As for rivets, I'd like to use up what I got and will prolly end up using Grabit Sticks to manipulate em.

As for tweezers, I picked these up for $.99 and bend, sharpen, etc to taste.  They are hard enough yet soft enough to change shape when needed.  Right now they are sharp enough to draw blood if

careless;

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2015 by aurfalien

[BigTallDad]

You can use slivers of Post It note paper (using the sticky part, of course). The adhesive is very low tackiness and the part releases easily.

[aurfalien]

I'm going to try GlueDots from Michaels with a 50% coupon which should cost ~$2.50.  The actual GrabitStix run $15.

[aurfalien]

you could try Scale Modeling's Grabit sticks.  There is also a white sticky pencil out, but I do not know the name.  I have 2 of them.  If you want one, I can send it to you.  It works by pressure on the part, it sticks to the part then put the part where you want it to go and give a slight twist and it goes into place.  Really nice.,

Hey man, thank you very very much but those things run $15 a pack and I don't wanna take advantage of your kind offer.  That's a lot of cash.

[aurfalien]

You can use slivers of Post It note paper (using the sticky part, of course). The adhesive is very low tackiness and the part releases easily.

Wow, this a cool idea, I got loads of those!  Thanks man!

Edited September 20, 2015 by aurfalien

[SfanGoch]

Where do you get those tweezers from Joe?

John, I bought those tweezers from a watch repair tool supplier in NYC that is no longer in business. However, you can pick up a pair at Micro-Tools about 21 bucks. That's less than what I originally paid and is the lowest price I've come across. 

 

Edited September 20, 2015 by SfanGoch

[Skip]

Here's what I used the first time I saw those Micromark Pick Up Sticks:

Glue Dot - sliced in quarters or thirds.  

Stick - use either a toothpick or a used Microbrush stick, strip off the brush part off it leaves a really sharp pointed tip.  

Assembly - Stick the cut portion of the Glue Dot onto either the Toothpick or Microbrush Tip.  KEEP FINGERS CLEAR!

Usage - Pick up the small part onto the Glue Dot, place on model as required.  Keep Fingers Clear!

[aurfalien]

Here's what I used the first time I saw those Micromark Pick Up Sticks:

Glue Dot - sliced in quarters or thirds.  

Stick - use either a toothpick or a used Microbrush stick, strip off the brush part off it leaves a really sharp pointed tip.  

Assembly - Stick the cut portion of the Glue Dot onto either the Toothpick or Microbrush Tip.  KEEP FINGERS CLEAR!

Usage - Pick up the small part onto the Glue Dot, place on model as required.  Keep Fingers Clear!

This is gold, thanks Skip!

[Exotics_Builder]

When I applied the Calibre 35 Resin rivets to this VW Woody, I used a microbrush that I just dipped in water. The tension with the rivet was enough to get it into the pre-drilled hole.

 

 

[aurfalien]

Wow, what a build!

Beautiful!

[misterNNL]

I used 1,300 of the Grandt Line Styrene rivets in a gas station model I'm building.I predrilled the holes with my Dremel Stylus and wet the end a wooden tooth pick to pick them up and insert them where needed.

I also added 650 of those same rivets to the exterior of a steam punk hot rod I built 2 years ago.I cut the stems off of those,put down a micro dot of CA and again picked each one up and applied them individually with the moistened end of a tooth pick.

I will admit to using an Ott Light magnifier for the hot rod body rivets but not on the station.Those went pretty smoothly for hand application.

[aurfalien]

Thought to post this lil nugget;

http://www.micromark.com/ho-scale-decals-with-raised-3d-rivets-and-other-surface-details,9968.html

It's basically a sheet of various 3D rivets you simply cut and lay down.

Also, this is simply rivet decals which is cool too;

http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/product_info.php?products_id=7012&osCsid=a9dca3694d7b21eea2ade5946031319b

I think both have there applications.

Now in terms of tweezers and I'm picky and have used a few cheapos, the Tamiya HG line is awesome.  Great weight in hand and I used em to pick a small black ant off an ice cube out of my Gin-N-Tonic the other day;

http://www.tamiyausa.com/items/tools-accessories-80/tools-74000/hg-angled-tweezers-74047

[peteski]

Those look just like Archer rivet decals. Micro-mark often resells products from other companies (often charging a markup).  Archer has a wide selection of 3-D decals besides rivets. They sell things like weld lines and raised numbers too.

[SfanGoch]

Those are Micro-Mark's version. They've been known to sell knockoffs of other companies' products.