How does one make simulated rivet heads?

[hoofe116]

O Gurus of G Gau-scale:

I have a nagging question as I regard my steam generator plant--still a pile of parts in a box. But a growing pile. I just found a part from an R/C car that might do for a compressor body.

It (the boiler) lacks rivet-head patterns where I feel it ought to have some. Now, this is an existing boiler from the Celestial Kingdom area. Plastic. Mostly, I want to practice on it. I cannot think how to add those rivet heads short of making some up (tedious), drilling holes and gluing them in (causes mental disorders). I know some use strips of brass shim stock, dimpled from the rear. Or bottom. Some sort of star-wheel tool might be used. I can think of several versions of a tool that would impress dimples on sheet brass, but I wondered if there isn't a simple way. I almost never hit on the simple solutions.

Les W. 'If I was six feet tall, I could almost see over the snow in my front yard.'

[tangerine-jack]

Use a dressmaker's pattern wheel, available at any sewing supply center, and use it to dimple cardstock (or index cards), not metal.  Draw guide lines with a pencil and use a straight edge as a guide for the dimple wheel.  Cut the cardstock to shape and glue to the boiler (or bridge gussets or whatever you need).  Paint to suit.  Simple and cheap.   Pattern wheels come in several sizes and look very much like a pizza cutter- you can buy several for a few bucks and they last forever. 

I use this technique rather frequently in fact.  It makes excellent rivets for nearly zero cost of materials.  You can use thin plastic as well, such as what comes in some packaging materials.  I've made rivets using typing paper, works very well if you are carful not to press too hard with the wheel so as to not tear the paper.

[hoofe116]

TJ:

I didn't know pattern wheels came small enough to be useful. Hmm. I certainly never thought cardstock would do. But then, I'm not outdoors....

And you say they put down close rivet patterns? Okay, I'll hie myself down to the store and see what's available. As soon as I shovel my cars out.

By the way, I just had a stroke of insight and went over to GR's radio control & Etc forum, and the last post was like, months ago. Is this the only live one around? Which leads to the question: If I post therein, will anyone read it? I've had great luck here on all sorts of topics.

Les W.

[vsmith]

I use thin styrene wrapped around with rivets embossed with a pinvise using i blunted nail AKA the "Fletch" method for Dave Fletcher, lately I've been using just styrene strips with the embossed rivets, works for me. I'll see if I can track a pic down.

About 1/2 way down

http://www.trains.com/trccs/forums/934132/ShowPost.aspx

sorry alot of pics got purged to make room for more

[ttrigg]

Les

If you need rivits in soft or thin metal, do to your nearest LARGE tool store.  You will be looking for a center punch.  Tell the guy in the tool counter you want the one that you push down on and it "snaps" and its own internal impact produces a centering hole for drilling into metal.  No hammar required.

[Southwest Chief]

I've seen small dabs of glue used for rivet heads on a G scale bridge.  Might work for a boiler.

[altterrain]

These are HO track nails  on the cab of my 7/8's scale (1:13.7) rail truck-




These on the smoke box were punched individually with a small philips head in a 0.010 styrene sheet overlay -




and these on the boxcab done with the pounce / tracing wheel on 0.010 styrene






-Brian

[hoofe116]

Gurus:

If I try to name one and don't get you all, I'll feel bad. But I truly appreciate the time it took for the pictures. The pixes ain't too shabby, neither!

I picked up another tidbit from Vic: about 'eyeballing'. I've been eating my heart out trying to figure 'scale dimensions'--to within reason. I want the practice, and I suppose it's a holdover from my machinist days to want to know tolerances. Not necessarily prints, I rarely worked from them. But tolerances occasionally ran to 0.0005". Or, 'half a thou'. Ain't easy on even a South Bend that's calibrated to 0.001".

Eyeballing will serve me, I think, for this first project. But I want to throw as much 'technique' into it as I can. Detail, would be another good word.

Les W.

[Ray Dunakin]

On my plate girder bridges I simulated rivets like so:

First I filed the tip of a nail to a smoother, rounder shape. Then I dip the nail into some thick craft acrylic paint that I got cheap from a craft store. (Delta CeramCoat is the brand but others would probably do just as well.)

Anyway, after dipping the nail into the paint, dab it onto the structure. Dip, dab. Dip, dab. Over and over. Before long, you're done! When the paint dries it leaves a small bump. It doesn't stick out quite as much as real rivet would but it's close enough to look quite convincing.

Here's a link showing how I build plate girder bridge, with pics of the simulated rivets:

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR-Plate_Girder_Bridges.html

[St Francis Consolidated RR]

Ray Dunakin

On my plate girder bridges I simulated rivets like so:

First I filed the tip of a nail to a smoother, rounder shape. Then I dip the nail into some thick craft acrylic paint that I got cheap from a craft store. (Delta CeramCoat is the brand but others would probably do just as well.)

Anyway, after dipping the nail into the paint, dab it onto the structure. Dip, dab. Dip, dab. Over and over. Before long, you're done! When the paint dries it leaves a small bump. It doesn't stick out quite as much as real rivet would but it's close enough to look quite convincing.

Here's a link showing how I build plate girder bridge, with pics of the simulated rivets:

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR-Plate_Girder_Bridges.html

        Hello Ray....I did a search on rivets and read all posts and find that this seems the best way for me, the best compromise between time consumption and quality.

       My question is this: have a you found a better way since this posting that uses the same dip and dab approach,and do you have some pictures? The link no longer works.

       I work in 1:24 scale and I need rivets on everything from styrene to actual steel.

       Thanks very much in advance.

[Ray Dunakin]

Here's the correct link:

 

http://www.raydunakin.com/Site/IRR_Plate_Girder_Bridges.html

 

I used this method on all three of the plate girder bridges currently on my layout. I have not yet tried any other methods of simulating large numbers of rivets on bridges or similar structures. I still have two more bridges planned, and may experiment with other methods whenever I get around to building them.

[kstrong]

Here's a tool I use. You can get it from Micro-Mark. It's on sale right now for $23, which is a great price.

http://www.micromark.com/Emboss-It-Model-Rivet-Simulator,9314.html

You'll want to get the additional tool tips for it:

http://www.micromark.com/Rivet-Embossing-Set-for-Emboss-It-Model-Rivet-Simulator,9310.html

You'll probably only ever use the two largest sizes for large scale, but it makes very clean rivets in brass and styrene up to around .020" thick.

They make a punch tool that this kit is designed to be used with, which sells for around $70. I just made a plate that I clamp to my drill press and use that instead.

The embossing tool has a movable table that you attach your styrene to, and it's got a knob on it that you turn to move the table so you can space your rivets precisely. Great, absolutely indispensable tool for creating rivets. I've used plenty of other methods in years past, and I'd never go back.

If you're putting rivets on something on which embossing isn't an option, you may try their O-scale "rivet decals."

http://www.micromark.com/O-scale-decals-with-raised-3D-rivets-and-other-surface-details,9967.html

I've not used these, and they may be a touch small for what you want, but on the other hand, rivet details in the smaller scales tend to be a bit oversized, so things may even out.

Later,

K

[cacole]

When I purchased a tank car kit from Northeast Narrow Gauge they provided escutcheon pins for the rivets.  You can purchase these in varous sizes, but they require that a hole be drilled for each one used.