# rivets



## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

I finally found sheets of rivet heads, would you say the Moebius gantry is more O scale or HO ?


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

What's a Moebius gantry?

Archer has a variety of rivet and bolt decals that are very good. They come in different sizes and can be used in many scales. The rivets are printed in resin on clear decal film. You can cut them out in strips or apply them one at a time.


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

Probably better as HO scale. O scale would be too big I think. 

Its Henry's exceptional TSDS Gantry anyway.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

Y3a said:


> Probably better as HO scale. O scale would be too big I think.
> 
> Its Henry's exceptional TSDS Gantry anyway.


 
I used white glue on my Launch Cradle..That or epoxy is your best bet, Take your time and it looks great. Decals look like ..Decals.
And the rivits are expensive....I used a toothpick to apply.

Just a suggestion.


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

woof359 said:


> I finally found sheets of rivet heads, would you say the Moebius gantry is more O scale or HO ?


Where'd you find them? Archer?

I'm looking for rivets and Archer seems to be the only game in town.

Rob
Iwata Padawan


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## Skymods (Feb 5, 2001)

Micro-Mark now has some listed. I can't tell if they are repackaged Archer. I would love to actually see how they work. They are pricey.

It looks like there are various patterns on the sheet, but the only photo they show it at such an angle it's hard to see what you get.

Has anyone ever used these or the ones from Archer?

Dave


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

beatlepaul said:


> I used white glue on my Launch Cradle..That or epoxy is your best bet, Take your time and it looks great. Decals look like ..Decals.
> And the rivits are expensive....I used a toothpick to apply.
> 
> Just a suggestion.


Have you used Archer's 3D resin decal rivets? They don't look like a decal IMHO. You apply them BEFORE you paint. Same with the weld beads, foundry casting marks, etc.

http://www.archertransfers.com/SurfaceDetailsMain.html

Now they arent cheap, a 2" x 4" sheet runs about $18 but you get what you pay for. They are good quality and are much easier than blobby methods like glue dots.

While not a rivet, this is one of Archer's weld bead decals on the side armor of a Tamiya Jumbo Sherman. Its the vertical weld across the straight hull side armor. Its actually much better done than the crappy welds the kit provides.










Likewise the small casting numbers on the turret roof are Archer decals










Again, they are not cheap but they do the job and are consistent, easy to use, and look better than most other methods. Plus they go on FAST.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

djnick66 said:


> Have you used Archer's 3D resin decal rivets? They don't look like a decal IMHO. You apply them BEFORE you paint. Same with the weld beads, foundry casting marks, etc.
> 
> http://www.archertransfers.com/SurfaceDetailsMain.html
> 
> ...


That looks great, but for myself,I prefer the old white glue/epoxy method.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

My issue with the glue method is the rivets do vary in size and tend to soften out as the glue dries. To do them right you have to often apply the glue in layers. And you need to use a divider to measure out where they go. If you are just adding a few rivets thats not bad. But if you are doing something with more, its just very time consuming and still they are not that crisp.

If you are working with a plastic model, there are various tools to add rivets... Rosie the Riveter is one, Hasegawa Tri Tool has another, and Trumpeter has a nice one with interchangable rivet pounces.


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## Skymods (Feb 5, 2001)

That looks great. How did you get rid of the carrier film? Did you just cut it real close?

Dave​


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

its the Micro mart raised rivets I have been looking at, seems the Archer ones are just dots on decal paper


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

woof359 said:


> its the Micro mart raised rivets I have been looking at, seems the Archer ones are just dots on decal paper


I have some Archer rivet decals and they are 3D decals. And very well printed. I was curious as to how they looked so I bought them from CultTVMan. I didn't buy the right size for the launch pad but I'll find a use for them somewhere. You apply them first then paint. I just bought too small.
I did buy brass rivets but I forget from where. I think I was writing to you woof about them maybe a year ago. I'll try and find the site where I got them.


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## liskorea317 (Mar 27, 2009)

liskorea317 said:


> I have some Archer rivet decals and they are 3D decals. And very well printed. I was curious as to how they looked so I bought them from CultTVMan. I didn't buy the right size for the launch pad but I'll find a use for them somewhere. You apply them first then paint. I just bought too small.
> I did buy brass rivets but I forget from where. I think I was writing to you woof about them maybe a year ago. I'll try and find the site where I got them.


Here's where I got the rivets!
http://www.scalehardware.com/miniature-rivets-c-10


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## Y3a (Jan 18, 2001)

Wouldn't you be looking for "Nut-Bolt-Washer" which would more likely be done on a structure of that size.

http://www.internettrains.com/merch...CTGY&Store_Code=IT&Category_Code=SBSNBWGLMHSC


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## teslabe (Oct 20, 2007)

Y3a said:


> Wouldn't you be looking for "Nut-Bolt-Washer" which would more likely be done on a structure of that size.
> 
> http://www.internettrains.com/merch...CTGY&Store_Code=IT&Category_Code=SBSNBWGLMHSC


Excellent suggestion......:thumbsup:


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

interesting idea, I will have to go look at the local bridge. thanks for the link Mark


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## jimkirk (May 27, 2010)

liskorea317 said:


> Here's where I got the rivets!
> http://www.scalehardware.com/miniature-rivets-c-10


What would be the correct size for the launch cradle?


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

time to get my butt in gear and make room for the 1/350th E, I need to get this gantry done in my life time (-:


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

Captain Han Solo said:


> I used white glue on my Launch Cradle..That or epoxy is your best bet, Take your time and it looks great. Decals look like ..Decals.


Have you tried these? If done properly they don't look like decals at all. Once painted they look as if they were molded or glued on. Not only that, they are perfectly consistent in size, _STRAIGHT_ and perfectly spaced. Plus you can do them in a fraction of the time it takes to do by hand. In my opinion.

hal9001-


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

hal9001 said:


> Once painted they look as if they were molded or glued on.


Here are some examples: http://www.archertransfers.com/PAGE_Rivetpic.html


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

The Archer decals are great - nice 3D effect, even spacing, uniform size...

While not rivets, I used Archer's weld bead decals on my M50 Sherman










When painted they look just like a weld. The rivet decals work exactly the same.


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## veedubb67 (Jul 11, 2003)

Archer rivets aren't really decals - they're resin parts on decal carrier film. As previously mentioned, you apply them like decals. Using a decal setting solution will remove the carrier film. I've been thinking of using these on one of my Iron Man kits...

Rob
Iwata Padawan


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

They are a decal. Archer calls them decals. Using decal set does not remove the film (that I have noticed). I used Solvaset here. They are printed in resin on decal carrier film essentially the same way an ink or silk screened decal would be made. At any rate, they are great and easy to use.


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## woof359 (Apr 27, 2003)

*got these coming*

ordered these to try

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


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

One person who was building a Launch Pad for his Moebius J2 wrote me, and told me that he did not want to use the enclosed kit decals, but instead went to eBay, found a seller in China, and bought several thousand "half-round" glass or acrylic beads. He bought 2mm and 3mm. They have a flat back, and while they can take a long time to put on one-by-one, they looked really great in the photos he sent me.

Hands down, much better than decals, and I think two thousand of the beads was like two dollars with free shipping! I bought about ten thousand of each, figuring I'll use them one day... or I'll just start including them in the kit. Better than decals!

--Henry


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

2mm and 3mm are also much much bigger than the decals. They would look nice


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

I don't know... but I'd guess that the rivet decals included in the kit are a little over 2mm. The "3-D" effect achieved with the half-round beads, though, is literally amazing. It takes a LONG time to put them on, though. And I had to buy a special $2.08 pen-vacuum tool to hold them while I applied glue and then applied the bead to the model. You get in a groove, though, and it works a treat! 

You can find them on eBay by searching for:

*Anti-Static Vacuum Pickup Pen*, or
*IC SMD Vacuum Pen*

I bought a few of them (considering they are over $15.00 _each_ at MicroMark) and the only drawback is it takes about a month to get them from China. If you don't want to wait, there are sellers on eBay that will sell them here in the USA for around $8.00 plus shipping. I did not mind waiting!

You use it just like a solder-sucker. You pump it once to create the vacuum, touch it to the bead, and press the button to start the sucking action. When you have it in place, you pump it again and it leaves the bead on the model. Very easy to use and I see it having lots of other uses (small model parts anyone???).

--H


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I mean the plastic rivets are bigger than the Archer ones

That little vacuum pen looks interesting...


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## g_xii (Mar 20, 2002)

djnick66 said:


> I mean the plastic rivets are bigger than the Archer ones
> 
> That little vacuum pen looks interesting...


Ahhh.... got you!

And, yes, the vacuum pen is VERY interesting. Once you have one, you find all kinds of use for it! I was thinking about buying a quantity of them and selling them in my store, I like them so much.

--Henry


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

I have something like that but it just has a single rather big suction cup attachment. It's useful for things like the little windows you glue inside an airplane fuselage. You cant pick up anything under about 1/4" across.

I still do rivets the old fashioned way. I salami-slice them off a piece of Evergreen styrene rod, pick them up with the tip of an X-Acto knife blade, and glue them down one at a time.

My Komsomolyets tractor has several hundred of them. You can round them off easily with a sanding stick and liquid glue after they are in place.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

hal9001 said:


> Have you tried these? If done properly they don't look like decals at all. Once painted they look as if they were molded or glued on. Not only that, they are perfectly consistent in size, _STRAIGHT_ and perfectly spaced. Plus you can do them in a fraction of the time it takes to do by hand. In my opinion.
> 
> hal9001-


To each his own...I didn't want to spend even *MORE* money, so I did it the old fashioned way, With the resources I had. I was happy with the results.


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