Small, circular, styrene disks...

Lt. Z0mBe · Post by **Lt. Z0mBe** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 1:04 am

Wise and Sagely Modelers,

I bring a question before the council of construction. I need to either buy or make six or eight styrene (or ABS) perfectly-circular disks of styrene. They need to be no thicker than .010" thick, and slightly smaller than what a hole punch makes in paper. My hole punch is just a hair too big.

I have no punch and die set (I know....

). I also don't have a hobby shop near by which carries them. I also need to get these parts made pretty quickly, leaving mail order out of the question.

Are there different sizes of paper hole punches? Is there some generic tool I am overlooking? Is there some technique I have net yet developed? Is there some craft store source?

Help me my brothers. I have prayed and fasted all day in front of the blessed Aves, but alas, I have not yet received a sign. Aves expects me to help myself.

Thanks in advance,

Kenny

DennisH · Post by **DennisH** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 2:46 am

Get thee to a craft store post-haste and purchase thineself a set of leather punches or scrapbooking paper punches aaaannnnndddd.........a SHRUBBERY!

African or European, doesn't matter.

Nee.

Dennis

big-dog · Post by **big-dog** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:10 am

Yep, craft store, or even more specifically a scrap booking store. They sell punches and the like in almost every shape and size. None near you, there's tons on line, and I know you have internet access, you posted here.

Johnnycrash · Post by **Johnnycrash** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 9:39 am

Do they have to be plastic?? Will resin, or aves putty work??

Find the drill bit that matches the best, and drill a hole in a piece of scrap that is the thickness of the piece you want. Then simply press some putty in, or resin cast up a few. Remember, when using resin, USE A MOLD RELEASE.

Andrew Gorman · Post by **Andrew Gorman** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:25 am

You can also use a piece of brass or steel tubing as a punch, which could save you a trip to the craft store.
Andrew

Kylwell · Post by **Kylwell** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:42 am

With .010 stock you could easily use a sharpened brass or steel tube of the correct diameter. In your case you'd want to bevel the outside of the tube and I've found it handy to put a T handle on it to help. The brass will need to be regularly resharpened.

davehal9000 · Post by **davehal9000** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 3:19 pm

I bought a rotary type tool at a local craft shop. I believe it was for leather work. It had a wheel with like 5 different sizes of punches attached. You just rotated to the right size, slid in the stock, and squeezed the handle. It's not as good as a punch and die set, but it'll work in a bind.

Umi_Ryuzuki · Post by **Umi_Ryuzuki** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 9:07 pm

Andrew Gorman wrote:You can also use a piece of brass or steel tubing as a punch, which could save you a trip to the craft store.
Andrew

Go to the hardware store and buy the brass tube that has the same outside diameter as you require.

Use an x-acto knife to bevel the inside edge of the tube. Do this until the end of the tube becomes some what sharp. Then roll the out side edge one or two times over a piece of fine sand paper.

Instant hole punch for thin balsa, bass wood, card stock and styrene.

Post by **TER-OR** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:16 pm

Acolyte Kenny, remove thyself to the art shoppe and obtain thyself a circle cutter. Lo, dost thou hear the gasps of the uninitiated? Allow them to gaze upon this wonder!

http://store.artcity.com/olf-cmp1.html

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 11:31 pm

The Olfa circle cutter won't work, the circles he wants are too small. The Olfa IS the poo for big circles, though. He definetly wants the Tandy Leather punches. I got mine at Pearl Art Supply, a store that I do believe has a branch in that cluster of humanity you guys call Chicago.

I had the same problem recently. Find thee the punches!

Erin
<*>

Lt. Z0mBe · Post by **Lt. Z0mBe** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 2:12 am

I have located the punches of Tandy! They lie in the region of Louisville, in the Shire of Jefferson. I can pick it up Monday on the way home from work for the future. There is a scrapbooking store there on Shelbyville road...in the same shopping center as Hobbytown.

This can only be interpreted as a sign from Aves, my brothers. A good omen of a good styrene harvest. Amen?

Because I'm the impatient sort, I kind of combined several techniques here into one. I cut a thin ring off the end of a teel tube, filed it to about .010" (seriously), CA'd it to the surface, and filled it with Aves.

I read the replies, meditated and smoked some Aves through my airbrush. The short-term Aves-and-ring solution came to me in a vision.

Thanks!!

Kenny

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 9:23 am

Aye, the countenance Of Erin of Aves shines down upon you. May she one day bless you with her glorious touch!

Erin
<*>

Post by **TER-OR** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 2:13 pm

We must all partake of Brother Kenny's Epoxy Pipe. Let us ponder the implications for our craft.

DasPhule · Post by **DasPhule** » Sun Sep 11, 2005 4:22 pm

I'm not as think as you stoned I am!!

What were we talking about again?

Erin
<*>