Making tiny rivet/bolt heads

[Modeler12]

I am sorry to do it this way, but there is an excellent video by ??? about making metal screw or bolt heads and I lost it.
 

However, for those who rather buy than make, here is a source for those little guys. The 'rivets' come in a cluster of molded plastic and was designed for the model train hobbyists. The smallest rivet has a head of 0.020 inches diameter with a shaft of 0.015 inches. For a model at 1:76 that equates to a shaft of just over an inch in diameter.

https://www.tichytraingroup.com/Shop/tabid/91/c/ho_nbw--rivets/p/8017/SearchValue/rivets/Default.aspx

 

I, and others here, have used the next size up for the 'rivets' in the bulwark of the USS Constitution. Here is what those look like.

 

BTW I am sure most of you know that on the US penny Lincoln can actually be seen sitting in his memorial.

Edited February 26, 2015 by Modeler12

[Keith_W]

Thank you for the suggestion. 

 

Perhaps you were referring to Alexey Domanoff's video on how to make scale round headed rivets? Link is here: http://modelshipworld.com/index.php?/topic/3315-making-small-nails-with-round-head/?p=91910

 

Also, if you want to make hexagonal bolts or nuts, you might want to look at "The Nutter": http://scaleplasticandrail.com/kaboom/index.php/all-other-subjects/all-things-tools/75-all-other-tools/399-the-nutter-scale-detailing-tool-by-the-small-shop

[Canute]

The tread-heads, aircraft modelers and, more recently, model railroaders use rivet decals from  http://www.archertransfers.com/index.html

 

Check them out if you need strings of rivets.

[HSM]

That looks very tedious gluing those little things on to a surface, but maybe I'm not understanding how they are applies... I've used small blobs of glue to simulate rivet heads. If you're careful they look very good and don't really take that long to do either.

[Modeler12]

To install the rivets, you need to drill holes first. I used a dremmel like tool mounted to the quill of my drill press to drill holes on 1/8 inch centers and glued the back side of the plank with some PVA.

Tedious? Yes, but . . .

  

 

[Tuffarts]

http://www.bnamodelworld.com/scale-hardware/shw-rivt-04-b

 

Here is some brass rivets in .04 mm .016in head,  3 mm long,  .03 mm .012in shaft

 

They are also in stainless steel and lots of other sizes, also there are washers to match, these are tiny and can be put on eyebolts to give another option for fixing with a small 'shield' washer.

 

I bought some of the above rivets and washers, and they are very tiny, I will see if I can get a photo that shows scale. they are too small for most things at 1:93. smaller than the grain of wood almost.

 

But I am sure others in the range would suit.

[kurtvd19]

The Archer "rivets" are minute bits of C/A on decal film.  The strip of rivets is cut from the sheet and applied like any decal.  The film is very thin and a bit of clear coat blends the edges into the surface so the edges of the strip are completely invisible.

I have done the hand applied drops of C/A and the Archer rivet decals - will never do the hand application again.  They also have weld seam decals that work the same way.  Depending on the scale you are working in would determine the scale of the rivets or welds you applied.  Ho or the larger 1/48 scale decals might both work on the same model depending on the size of the rivet being replicated.

Kurt

[HSM]

Wow, the Archer stuff looks great! A little pricey, but would save tons of time and there are lots of options for shapes. Thanks for the tip!

[dvm27]

For those looking for very small rivets and other fasteners in the US check out Scale Hardware  http://www.scalehardware.com/miniature-rivets-c-10

[popeye2sea]

I wish I had known about these before I undertook making my own.  What a pain in the butt that was

[rtropp]

Henry,

I made my own because I wanted to use copper, not brass, so it would better match the copper gudgeons and pintles I made.  Actually, after the first few, I did not find it so difficult and it went pretty quickly.  I just did not get hung up on length until I was ready to use them.

 

Richard