by JRinTawa
One of the little
sundry detail bits I put onto wagons I’ve scratch build or “super detailed” are
tie-down rings used for roping down tarpaulins. Made in a batch it takes only and hour or so to make enough
for a wagon or two. Apologies for
some of the pictures being of focus but it was rather tricky holding a camera, a
small part and a set of pliers! .JPG?attredirects=0) |
Materials
The rings are
made out of 0.7-0.8mm brass wire, and the U-Bolt/eyelets made from 1/4"
builder’s staples..JPG?attredirects=0)
Forming the Mounting U-bolts / Eyelets
To make the
U-bolts I straighten out one end of the staple to make it easier to handle.
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Now
bend the other end around a 1mm drill bit (a piece of hard 1mm wire would be
better) held in a vice and squeeze up with the pliers. A bit of a knack to it but you get it
after only a few tries.
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Now you
need to open the end up with a craft knife, or small screwdriver, so you can
slip the ring into it later.
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Fabricating the Rings
These are made by
twisting 0.7-0.8mm dia soft brass wire around a 3mm dia drill bit held in a
vice. Kind of like making a spring
really.
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Slip the twisted up
"spring" off the drill and cut into rings with some good
side-cutters. The rings then need
to be twisted with two long nose pliers to get the spiral out of the ring so
the ends close up. I put a drop of
solder on the joint so it's not so obvious. To hold the rings while they get soldered I use a fancy
jig. It consists of a piece of 1/
16" square stripwood stuck into a hole drilled in some scrap customwood,
fancy aye!
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Slip a completed
ring over an opened up staple (U-bolt) and squeeze with pliers to close up the
staple and you have on completed tie-down ring assembly.
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It really doesn’t
take long and I feel they look miles better than a moulded on impression plus
you really can tie off your scale tarps to them.
I hope you find this idea useful, and worth adding to your wagons.
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