Scale Model Basics: How to stretch sprue for antennas and rigging
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- Опубліковано 10 жов 2024
- Stretched plastic sprue is one of the most fundamental model making skills. It's great for antennas, aerials, WW1 biplane rigging, naval ship rigging, and weld seams. And best of all - it's FREE and the quantities are virtually limitless! There is a knack to it and for any new modellers or anyone who has ever struggled to easily produce stretched sprue, the tips and tricks in this video tutorial will help you produce consistent, fast and fine plastic wire.
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I'm a newie and this is really helpful! It shows greatness when an experienced modeler doesn't forget the new starters, thanks Dave!
Hi Zoydian, glad it helped mate! Dave
The whole lighting it on fire and sticking it back together worked great for me, got a perfect "antenna wire" on my first try. I'd seen other videos where they just melt and stretch but mine always broke. It needed more FIRE!
Heh heh, sometimes the extremes work best! ;)
I'm 61 & been modeling since I was a kid. Never heard of doing this, so Thank You! In the past I've used sewing thread. This looks a good deal easier to work with than thread.
Hi Joe, I think you'll love working with this rather than sewing thread! Cheers, David
Stretching sprue is the perfect melding of man and art as you have to really feel the molten plastic's limits to make it work👌
Agreed, there is a definite art to it.
Dave, you're exactly correct. I"m a newbie and had no idea how to do that. After watching this and your wield video, I'm good to go on my first project.! I'll let ya know how it goes. Thank"s again for such great instructional guides.
Some how after 12 years of modelling I didn't know how to do this, so this was perfect. Cheers!
I was today years old when I learned this technique for a Spitfire Model. Thanks!
Petfect timing for this video as I'm not far off doing this for the first time ever.
Hi Sgt. Bilko - glad to hear it is timely! :)
Dave,
outstanding video! followed your directions to the tee and produced my first set of rigging. I was sooo amazed at how easy it is. Looks so much easier than trying to do rigging with other mediums. Nice job!
Appreciate the basic techniques since I am new at modeling like this. I used to just glue all the parts together. Thanks
Donald Langlois my pleasure mate. A lot of UA-cam channels just assume everyone knows the basics, sometimes it’s good to get back to the fundamentals. Welcome to the hobby, enjoy! Dave
So thats how you do it!. I have been building models for years and was never able to stretch sprue like this. I see what i have been doing wrong now. Thank you for this!
Remember to be careful when spruing. The burning plastic is really dangerous for health.
Cheers Dave, you say it's basic modelling 101 and yet this is the first video that I can remember actually showing how to do it. So a big thank you goes out to you for taking the time out to show everyone how to do this. Well done mate and I am looking forward to learning more basics, so please keep making these videos, they are really great mate. Have fun,
Joe
Hi Joe, thanks mate. I was worried that this was too basic, but it goes to show that people are all at different levels of experience, so I'm glad it seems to be of help. Thanks for the feedback, hope you're well my friend, Dave
Thanks for the video. Great to learn. Used successfully on Revel's Titanic 1/570 for the stack supports. I also have been stretching tines off of clear plastic forks.
Thanks Eliot. So many people just assume everyone knows these sort of basic techniques, but it's good to cover them. Cheers, Dave
Newbie here, thanks Dave!
I discovered this technique by accident as a kid by, quite naturally as kids do, mucking about with my model stuff and burning sprue. Every WWII jeep had giant whip antennas after that.
Heh heh, and how many burns did you get? I've still got a scar on one hand from melted plastic... ;)
Oh ya... that molten plastic hurts haha. But even a kid has to suffer for his art :)
By the way... your channel has really inspired me to dig out my airbrush compressor and do some scratch building again after a decades long hiatus... I'm itching to try out some of the tips I've learned from your videos, AND I loved the Seahorse build!
David Plank excellent! I love to hear other people getting stuck into scratch building!!!
It's like you know what I need techniques for Dave. Crazy. Awesome video as always!
I'm so glad that people are finding this useful - thanks Otto for letting me know :) Cheers, Dave
Looking pretty nice. Gotta disagree with the noxious fumes though. If you use tamiya sprues marked >PS< there will be no toxicity and barely any smell.
Thanks for tip on Tamiya. I remember as a kid setting fire to old models and watching the plastic drip flaming to the ground, great fun at the time. No idea how much I breathed in, but so far, in my 60's still going strong. Don't recommend you do it though kiddies.
Ah, that is true, I had forgotten that Tamiya changed their plastic to make it safer for this exact purpose. Good call theNordus! Dave
Still, safety first. You never know what type of material you'll get your hands on, and trying to avoid breathing 'strange' chemical stuff in is never a bad thing.
Yep.. I've been stretching sprue since the early 80's and unless you light the plastic on fire, there is very little smell. Hell, the candle probably puts of more fumes than the plastic heating up. The key is to NOT catch it on fire. Even then, unless you stick the flaming plastic in your nose, it's not going to harm you.
Very helpful, but Tamiya has spruces marked for stretching that won’t produce that black soot
There marked something like ps or pk?
thanks for the video, I searched this up after just trying to do it by taking a lighter to it lol
i needed that .. thanks!
I did this with revell sprews and it doesnt smell that bad, i do have a tamiya kit So ill compare them when i have time.
Awesome tip
Thanks kim :)
Thank you sir!
NO... not a candle... save the candles... blow torch... use that instead. Great video Sir.
Heh heh, I still have a scar on one hand from ill-advisedly once using a blowtorch cooking creme brulee!
I'm sending you a gift... and better like or I'll be p$#@ed
So sprue is just a piece of modeling plastic used for the pieces?
Yep, that's it. The rectangular framework that you cut the pieces off to build the kit.
Best for antenna wire plane?
So is it the faster you separate the sprues the thinner it gets?
Correct!
I'm late to this but the thinner you need it, the softer it must be, I've made two foot lengths but it's got to be perfect technique. I usually manage on the fifth try. When the sprue is on the verge of collapsing you'll know it ready for the long pull but it cools quickly - got to stop when the resistance is too great to go any further no matter how long it is. You'll use it later if it's too short so it's no loss unless you're out of sprues 👩🔧🇺🇲🛠️🇷🇺
Hello Dave! Do you build great war aircraft models?
Hi Ivan, no, I only build WW2 planes. I've been tempted by some of the 1/32 WingNut Wings kits, but haven't taken the plunge yet!
Do this only with polystyrene free spruce. It's much safer because it generates much less toxic gases
I could see some Barbed wire being made from this
It could be tricky to shape into coils - once it's stretched it stays that shape. But if you're after straight fences of barbed wire, could work well?
Mine keep splicing up right after i try to separate the two pieces :T
How do you mean "splicing up"?
Just take your time, the more you do it the better you will be!
You're trying to pull it apart too soon. So it Dnsps n Wuick breaks then ends Curl
Rotaye the Sprue about 3/8"- 1/2" Above Candle Flame keep it high enough it won't catch fire nor scortch
When it's ready it will say and as you turn it'll stay sagging vs twirl w rotstin now Pull straight Dlow n hold til cooir takes practice to get it right
It's easier for s beginner to work with 3-4" length Sprue to get the Timing n Technique down
This way fingers don't get too hot while getting rid hot enough to stretch
so that's how it is done! :O
Everyone assumes that everyone else knows how it's done. It's pretty simple, but it's good to know :)
I always heard about stretching a piece of sprue, but I only tried once, and nothing more, not fusing it back and get those long stretches as you show here. thanks for showing it up! love your videos btw! :)
I had no idea you could reconnect the ends after they break! It's an epiphany for me.
Glad to hear it Zlee11 :)
As much as I love this hobby it still scares me how you can get lung cancer after smelling these glues, paints, primers and of course this stuff, I'd say a modeller has a shorter life span than a normal person, which really scares me :/
I'll preface this by saying I am in no way a qualified medical practitioner, but when I said in my video I'm sure it gives you cancer, I'm 100% certain it would be bad for you in some way. They really are noxious fumes.
Not Really s Concern you're supposed to use proper ventilation also s all Dlow Fan behind you can be used to move fumes away from your work space
On the Sprue melt n Stretch the key is not getting it on fire or scortching. It after a few tries to get it down you'll get the process Refined do it doesn't happen.
Being scared doesn't benefit you just be cautious n wear a mask if it's a big concersn
Just spent two hours & ended with a pile of unusable crap...cannot get it to work..
Ah, that's no good. What went wrong? Too thick, too thin? Maybe try a sprue from another manufacturer, there might have been something weird about that particular plastic perhaps?