Mustang JBB Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I figured this out a while back but just forgot to share it. This may be and old technique, but I discovered it for myself, so I must be a genius! jkd I hope it is useful to someone... I picked up and assortment of lead wire from the fly fishing shop a while back. Looking for a way to make some malleable straps etc, I decided to try flattening the lead wire. I just used my xacto handle like a rolling pin and worked the wire flat. It does try to curl if you go back and forth, but I found if you hold one end down and roll away from you every time, it stays relatively flat and uniform in width. I put a sample of rolled out 0.015" wire and 0.035 inch wire. These were just quick examples, the wire can be rolled even thinner. Of course once rolled thin, the lead is very flexible and easy to form. Sand lightly with some 400 or 600 grit and clean with alcohol before gluing with CA or acrylic lacquer etc. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l302/Jamesbrandesky/fff684afe08412b5aaefc6f2ab1de28b_zpsfvfncmyp.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted July 13, 2017 Share Posted July 13, 2017 I've had good results clamping wire in a smooth jaw vise, too. Be wary of mixing lead and CA. BTW, I've never had Spotted Dick. Is it painful? Mustang JBB and Shawn M 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustang JBB Posted July 13, 2017 Author Share Posted July 13, 2017 I've had good results clamping wire in a smooth jaw vise, too. Be wary of mixing lead and CA. BTW, I've never had Spotted Dick. Is it painful? Not nearly as bad as Gum Balls or Cracked Nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zero77 Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Nice technique, thanks ! What's the problem with lead and CA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_S Posted July 14, 2017 Share Posted July 14, 2017 Though I've never experienced it myself, I've heard of the lead reacting with the CA. I can only assume it's some type of oxidation. I've heard (on this forum) of lead shot CA'd in place causing splitting of seams. Perhaps someone with first-hand knowledge will speak up here. I don't want to be accused of perpetuating urban myths. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thierry laurent Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 It is not an urban legend. I saw the effect on some old kits that suffered from that syndrom. Ouch! Indeed, for a reason I do not know CA accelerates the oxydization of lead. Hence, I only use epoxy to glue lead weights... And it is not a new problem. Three minutes of Googling resulted in that: http://www.ratomodeling.com/articles/lead_ca/lead_ca.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1to1scale Posted August 7, 2017 Share Posted August 7, 2017 WOW, learned something new today! I would think a good glue is JB WELD, it has some good weight to it, and if you load it with lead, it should work good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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