Making bolts without a punch and die

John,

I thought I saw an article somewhere that described a way to make bolt heads by heating the end of thin styrene rod and then pressing the heated end into a depression in a block of metal made with the end of a drill bit. After the head is shaped and cooled, just cut the rod a little way down to make the bolt body, that can then be pressed into a drilled hole on the model and glued into place.

hth

Cheers
Thom

Acrylic gesso or dimensional fabric paint have worked well for me in the past. Squit some out on your palette and let it set up for a few minutes. Dip the end of a thin wire into a drop of either and then touch it to the surface and it will leave a little dome of the gesso or paint. When dry it will paint over just like a rivet. Different guages of wire will yield different sized rivets.

I have also used very fine square stock. Cut into slices with an xacto blade, this is attached with ca or varnish. Because it is so small, the "squareness" is imperceptable (it can be rounded or softened by going over it with liquid cement) to the eye. The square stock doesnt roll around on the surface and seats nicely. Tedius but a pretty satisfactory solution.

There is also a technique of using the very fine ceramic beads from a water filter. Drill a half hole into the surface to be "riveted" and drop some ca on this and then your ceramic grain. with only half the grain protruding from the surface you get a domed rivet head.

In the local art shop they have lots of extruded plastic rod...round, square, hex, U, T etc. Buy the shape and size you want and slice it up, place some liquid cement where you want the nut to be and then uisng the point of a blade, pick up your nut and secure it in place.

If you want a domed bolt head: try stretching some sprue and cut it. Then put some tweezers near the thin end and move it close to a flame. The sprue will melt and run back towards the tweezers and the tweezers will give you a flat base (instead of letting it ball up). Slice it off and glue it in place.

Ok, thanks guys! Some great ideas. Dang, this is going to be a tedious task! Lots of little bolts on balsa. Thanks again guys, your all a great help.

Take some brass rod and sharpen the inside of the mouth - punch into the plastic sheet and use a slightly smaller brass rod (telescoping) and punch out th interior disk.

"Cut the end off a pin!" ..The kind the woman uses to pin up a hem in her dress before sewing it in place..I have used them to add the "snap" look to Tonneau Covers and Convertible Top Covers...If your using it on balsa wood just cut it and push it in ,Then when you paint it, it will look like the real thing...("I wish we had Spell Check here!..hope I spelled tonneau right""
"RC"

Try drops of super glue on waxed paper. I remember seeing this tip somewhere, sometime ago. Put a piece of manageable-sized waxed paper on your work surface then hold a bottle of THIN ca glue ( bottle must have the small, tapered tip ) over the paper. Experiment with different sized drops to get the head size you need. The drops will ball up on the wax and dry in the domed shape of a rivet or carriage bolt.
For hex heads--- take an Allen wrench in the size you need and squeeze a piece of modeling clay ( or Silly Puddy ) around it then slowly pull the wrench out of the clay---leaving its shape in the material. Stand the clay on the waxed paper with the hole in the verticle position. Then fill the hole with thin CA glue and let it set. If you're impatient, squirt it with some Insta-set. Peel the clay away from the stick of hardened glue, then you're ready to start cutting little bolt heads from the end. To keep the little bits from flying off, lay the stick on a piece of adhesive tape that has the sticky side up. An alternative operation is to press little hex-shaped dimples in the clay and fill each of those with CA. to make individual bolt heads.
To keep the clay from clinging to the wrench when you pull it out, rub the wrench with some WD40, some patrolium jelly, PAM, or any other light oil.
To attach the heads, use a spot of clear enamel ( or clear lacquer or Future, etc. ) This would give you the " working time " to position the heads just right.
I'd suggest leaving the model alone for at least 24 hours to alow the enamel to dry completely---48 hours would probably be even better.

If you want or need 1:35 Scale Nut & Bolt Heads.....Go to www.internethobbies.com click on military. scroll down to "VERLINDEN" click there, scroll down to 1/35 accessories for tanks,figures diroamas click there, then scroll down six places from the top below Kitbags & Rutsacks to "Nuts & bolts 1:35 scale" for $5.74 for a nice sized packet of different sized nut & bolt Heads.....(Above Palm Tree's)...I just reordered one more too...
If you need German Flags Decals! There down on the next couple rows below the accessories for tanks etc....(I Know I'm Off topic here for a second,)
I bought two packages and their small nut & bolt heads...Perfect size's for lug nuts etc,etc...in 1/35 military anything...

Sorry if any of you think I'm Mad, Yelling, or Shouting by using all Caps on the BRAND Name .. I don't want to step on anyones toes here again...Or have to do 20 Pushup's....Hope its on Topic too...Sorry if I upset the rules by going off topic for a minute there "Sir"... for telling about the German flag Decals..Their New!
"RC"

Tinker.... sorry if I stepped on your toes telling about where to find the nuts & bolts..I never thought of using waxed paper or clay and hex tools with super glue ...
Super Idea! I will try it out..I spent over $15 bucks when I could have done it your way...."Free!" Thank You..."RC"

I've got to go with Plastruct Hex Stock and an old fashioned straight razor. I've made 100 bolt heads in about 5 or 10 minutes that way.