The Ship Model Forum

I require 0.25 mm brass rod, but can't find it as straight rods but only as wire on a spool. I need straight pieces. I bought a few maybe 8" long rods a few years ago, but have since forgeotten the manufacturer. I have a 3" long sample left. Google has been no help. Any brass or steel rod between 0.2 and 0.25 mm will work. Required minimum length is 5". I want to use the rods for simulating rigging. Thanks for any suggestions!

snick

To show you that I'm not kidding about 0.25 mm brass rod, here is a picture of my remaining sample:

K&S makes them. You can get them on eBay or google for some web shops. Note you may receive alternative/better results if you search for their nominal imperial measurement of 0.10" instead, as that is how they are listed on K&S' website.

K&S stock starts at 0.5 mm. The 0.25 mm I bought came in a clear plastic sleeve with a light brown cardboard top. The hobby shop (Franciscan Hobbies in San Francisco) that had the display stand with the really thin stock went out of busines in 2014, so I can't ask who the manufacturer was.

Click the link I included in my post. And as I mentioned, K&S lists their 25mm as 0.010", so look for that on their site.

I apologize and thank you. You are right, apparently K&S has 0.25 mm. It's funny because I have been scouring the Web and Ebay, besides making my current hobby shop guy look it up, and he didn't find it either. We had looked for SAE and metric. Thanks again!

Not sure, but the Albion line of rods and tubes may have what you're looking for as well. I've used desplaineshobbies.com as a source, no doubt there are others.

Harry at Battlefleet Models sells brass rod of the diameter and more. No mention on the length(s) though. Could always email or PM him on here.

http://battlefleetmodels.com/id113.html

Thanks, guys! If my local guy can't get the Special Shapes, I will try the other sources, including Ebay. Ever since my local and pretty well-sorted hobby shop has gone out of business, sourcing materials has become tedious.

Just in case anyone cares, I need the brass rods so I can finish my 1/87 Orca (total length, including pulpit is 6-1/4"). The mast and the superstructure are removable. That's why I need solid rigging instead of being able to use thin strings or tensioned wires.The still incomplete model in its current state:

Hi You could try Albion Alloys in the UK they go down to much smaller gauges . http://www.albionhobbies.com/
Hope this helps
Dave Wooley

snick wrote:I require 0.25 mm brass rod, but can't find it as straight rods but only as wire on a spool. I need straight pieces. I bought a few maybe 8" long rods a few years ago, but have since forgeotten the manufacturer. I have a 3" long sample left. Google has been no help. Any brass or steel rod between 0.2 and 0.25 mm will work. Required minimum length is 5". I want to use the rods for simulating rigging. Thanks for any suggestions!

snick

It's just.



It is necessary to anneal the wire. Clamp one end in a Vice. Pull sharply. Tempering. Any length
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Alexey, how do you straighten the "curly" wire?

Also, why do you suggest I anneal the wire? I doubt the brass wire has been tempered to begin with, and I actually prefer it very hard. What am I missing?

Thanks!

Hello,
I may have another sollution to your problem.
If you have any 0.25mm wire available (no matter if it's bent or curly) heat it for a while over a lighter or candle flame.
Then try to straighten it by hand (slight bends are ok). Put the pretty straight wire between two hard surfaces (I use my desktop and a strong sheet of plexiglass about 6mm thick) and roll the wire while pressing down hard.
And behold! The wire shall be straight as a rod.
I have had satisfactory results for various wire gauges .
Hope that I have been of help.

Snick

I think Alexey is trying to explain a simple and standard procedure used by model builders (certainly in the UK). The curly wire has been "drawn" through various, progressively smaller dies (fine holes in steel tools) to get it down to the small diameter wire you refer to. It is then wound onto a spool. What you end up with is "work hardened" wire and it has a springy nature. It just wants to curl up. Great if you want these properties. If you want it straight, for say rigging or hand rails its a complete pain. You need to anneal the wire over a domestic gas cooker hob or with a small gas blow torch if you have one. Be careful with fine wire as it can just glow red and melt if you get it too hot. Move it about. You should then leave it to cool. This heating has changed the molecular structure and the wire is now soft and easy to bend. Cut off about 500mm and wrap one end round a 5mm bolt or nail to make it easier to hold and clamp it in the vice, pinching the wire. Take hold of the other end with strong pliers and pull, gently with fine wire, till the wire is stretched slightly. Snip off the two curly and damaged ends that you grabbed hold of, and slip the now straight (and again work hardened) wire into your storage tube for future use.

This will work with brass and copper wire so you can now use all the various thicknesses of electrical wire readily available.

Hope I managed to make myself understood. The attached picture shows how I use the product of the above process.
Good modelling

Since you also mention steel wire:

My local (but well supplied) art supply shop has steel wire in many diameters. But maybe I'm just lucky, because they sell it in their 'architectural modelling section', which is frequented by architectural students (I live in a University town)...

But another good source is electric guitar strings. Ask in a guitar shop for the thinnest strings (high E and B-strings). Both are available in different gauges, and the E-string can go way thinner than 0.25mm, so you should be able to find what you are looking for. For rigging, their plus is that they are springy, but wanting to be straith. Not too expensive either, as you should be able to buy single strings too (as opposed to complete sets).

Cheers,

Marijn

Perhaps something completely different, but here: http://www.uschivdr.com/shopping-catego ... d-various/ you can buy very flexible rigging wire. Doesn't snap when stretched and it bounces back...