Save those sprues!

[Mister Mikado]

Although this seems like common sense, some of you might tend to discard your sprues after removing the parts from them.  I put mine back in the kit box after separating all the parts, or what I think are all the parts!  In constructing my last two structure kits, I search all over for a little part and lo and behold it's still attached to its sprue looking like an injection molding.  This spells grief for those of you who hastily chuck your sprues!  I save them anyway to make spare parts with later. -Rob

[SeeYou190]

I only hold them until the model is complete for th reasons you stated.

.

Once complete... into the trash.

.

-Kevin

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[kasskaboose]

Besides the reasons you mention, sprues make for fantastic gutters or tubes to put on flat gondolas, etc.  There are plenty of ways to use them.  Keeping a few of different sizes and diameters is invaluable.  

[mbinsewi]

I save mine, most of them anyway.  All of the piping here:

and here:

is from sprues.

I've used them fabricate lots of other detail parts, too.

Mike.

EDIT:  Thats a first.  There are suppose to be 2 pictures.  They're both there when I originally post, and when I went to edit, but only 1 shows up when I "update reply". 

[maxman]

mbinsewi

There are suppose to be 2 pictures.

I see two pictures.

[mbinsewi]

OK, I only see one, the plastic pellet plant.  Oh well, go figure!

Mike.

[RR_Mel]

I always save the spures.  They make great styrene welding rods by dipping them in Testors Liquid Cement.  Having the proper color welding rod really helps.

 

 

Mel

 

 

My Model Railroad   

http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

 

Bakersfield, California

 

I'm beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

 

[snjroy]

I keep a stash of them and I have found them useful in a number of kitbash projects. They are easy to cut, drill, file, paint and glue...

Simon

[dknelson]

And there is the old trick of holding a sprue over a hot light bulb (or for the daring, a lit candle) and when the plastic starts to soften, pull it apart to create strands of plastic - great for plugging holes and if you're lucky, the correct color to boot.

Art Curren's book on kitbashing has many uses for sprues.  He never tossed them.

Dave Nelson

[Little Timmy]

I have a box the size of a washingmachine, full of sprue, and other kit "Leftover's".

At least 1/2 the junk in this watercar, is made out of Sprue.

I never throw anything away !

[Mister Mikado]

Little Timmy

I have a box the size of a washingmachine, full of sprue, and other kit "Leftover's".

At least 1/2 the junk in this watercar, is made out of Sprue.

I never throw anything away !

 

WOW!!! Recycling raised to a fine art. Beautiful job Timmy!

[tstage]

Someone may have already mentioned this but sprues make terrific hole plugs in plastic buildings and rolling stock.

I had a truck bolster that was too large for a 2-56 screw.  I filled the hole with a piece of scrap sprue and cemented it in place with liquid cement.  After it dried sufficiently, I re-drilled a 2-56 tap hole and used the screw to tap the threads in the hole.  Cheap and easy - the screw tightened down the truck quite nicely before I backed it off to allow enough rotation in the truck.

Tom

[NittanyLion]

I pretty much just use lengths of them as paint stirrers.

[rrinker]

 I save most all of mine. Sometimes I will cut them up a little into long straight pieces (where the sprue may be two pieces at 90 degrees, or even a full box shape) to make them more compact foor storage, but you never know what pieces of sprue material will come in handy for making detail parts or plugging holes, or any number of uses. Rarely if ever does any of it go in the trash.

                              --Randy

[caldreamer]

I keep all of mine.  Used some as piping in my refinery, which has a lot of pipes going in all different directions.

[doctorwayne]

I've use sprue material to create stovepipes...

...but generally prefer Evergreen styrene rod and tubing - the sizes are consistent, and it's stored where it's organised and easy to find the right size....

I saved quite a bit of sprue material, mostly from Walthers structure kits, probably at least 5 or 6 lbs. of the stuff, intending to put it out for our local "blue box" recycling, but was told that it's not an acceptable type of plastic....in other words, garbage.

Wayne

[richhotrain]

Mister Mikado

In constructing my last two structure kits, I search all over for a little part and lo and behold it's still attached to its sprue looking like an injection molding.  

The smallest part that I have ever seen attached to the sprue is from a Walthers Modular kit, and the part is called an "inside corner cornice". It is so small that I always thought it was flashing. I have never needed an inside corner cornice, but I still have all of them from every relevant modular kit that I have purchased since I save all of the sprue for no good reason.

Rich

[Attuvian]

Arrggghh!! If I'd only seen this string before I built virtually all of my kits - and threw the sprues away! Perhaps it's never to late to catch up . . .

John

[Eilif]

mbinsewi

I save mine, most of them anyway.  All of the piping here:

and here:

is from sprues.

I've used them fabricate lots of other detail parts, too.

Mike.

EDIT:  Thats a first.  There are suppose to be 2 pictures.  They're both there when I originally post, and when I went to edit, but only 1 shows up when I "update reply". 

 

That's some fantastic work. I save sprue and use it for small stuff but I've not tried anything so extensive. I've made some very convincing "T" chimney's for cabooses though. 

[mbinsewi]

Thank you very much, Eilif.

Mike.