Sprue Stretching Tutorial.

[StevenGuthmiller]

I may have posted this before, but I still have people ask me how I do this on occasion, so I figured that I would post it regardless.

This is a pretty common technique that I assume many modelers have mastered, but here it is for anyone that may not be familiar with it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve

[Russell C]

Endless uses for the stuff, I've saved my various efforts over the years and use it for engine compartment wires, for pins connecting one part to another, for tire valve stems, for filling in drilled holes, on and on. One handy thing I found out was that if you file a length of sprue to a half-round shape and then heat-stretch it, it will maintain that half-round shape. Pretty much retains the shape when you heat stretch a rectangular rod. Heat-stretch Plastruc tubing and you get a much thinner diameter tube.

[deuces wild]

Perfect!..... Thanks guys....?

[Bugatti Fan]

I tried stretching a hexagonal clear plastic Biro pen body once thinking of making scale nuts.

It stretched ok but the plastic proved to be brittle to cut and just splintered. It was worth a try as an experiment. Maybe non clear hexagonal pen bodies plastic may work better.

As shown by Steve and Russell, stretched sprue though has many uses. Plenty of it left over after our kit builds.

Sprue has many uses. Round section with the outer mould seam removed and the ends drilled out can make good simulated tube loads for truck and pick-up models.

Edited April 19, 2023 by Bugatti Fan