Anyone know about ball bearings?

[clibinarium]

Hi all,

I'm looking for ball bearings to use in sculpting as rivets. I can find lots of 1mm+ bearings for cheap, but they might be a bit too big. I need something of the 0.5mm or perhaps 0.8 (1/32 inch) variety . The 1mm+ are most commonly stainless steel. Under 1mm they often seem to be chromium hardened steel, which I am sure has a good reason behind it, but they are massively more expensive, too expensive in fact to be practical. Each sculpt requires about 50 of them.
So I figured someone here would know about bearings through their work or other technical knowledge, or had used them before in modelling. Is there such a thing as plain steel bearings or bearings of any material under 1mm that won't break the bank.

Cheers in advance.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Why? What are you making?

[Ithoriel]

Ball headed pins and wire-cutter (or similar) any good?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500PCs-Ball-Pins-Head-Pins-Findings-Gunmetal-20mmx0-5mm-24-Gauge-/130915154965?hash=item1e7b26bc15:g:PcYAAOSwg3FUo8al

[Techno]

That's a lot more reasonable, price wise, if they're suitable.
Excellent idea 'I'.
Cheers - Phil

[clibinarium]

Those are nice and cheap, but my guess is the heads are way too big, plus they'd need anchor holes drilled which would be time consuming. I've already tried that, and while it looks nice its too time intensive to be practical.
This is not my work, but this is the effect I am looking for;

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hello Clibinarium

I've had good results from Archer resin rivets (decals). Mind you I've only ever used them with RTV moulds, can't report on how they deal with normal vulcanisation.:-





The Manufacturers page (N scale down the page):-

http://www.archertransfers.com/SurfaceDetailsMain.html

I'm sure you could find local suppliers if needed.

Cheers

GrumpyOldman

[Fenton]

You can get ballhead jewellery pins . The wife says they are dirt cheap from various sites

Like this
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Free-300PCS-Jewelry-Design-Repair-SILVER-PLATED-BALL-PINS-HEAD-PINS-Finding-20MM-/361445954437

[FierceKitty]

Poppy seed?

[Last Hussar]

Shrink Ray?

Fierce Kitty started it sir.

[Ithoriel]

OK then - how about:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/100cr6-52100-suj2-steel-balls-0_1476129222.html?s=p

10kg minimum at roughly a dollar-fifty a kilo. I'm guessing that a) postage will be more than the cost of the ball bearings b) you will have several lifetimes supply of them

[GrumpyOldMan]

Hello clibinarium again

Another thought is lead solder balls, they come in sizes down to .25 and .3 mm,



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/0-30mm-Leaded-Solder-Balls-25K-/261815251747

Cheers

GrumpyOldMan

[Steve J]

You can get a plastic rivet maker, that is rather like a hole pumch, but for scale modellers. Can't remember who makes it though for the life of me...

[Ithoriel]

You can get a plastic rivet maker, that is rather like a hole pumch, but for scale modellers. Can't remember who makes it though for the life of me...

Trumpeter

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trumpeter-TSM-9910-Rivet-Maker/dp/B001JJZ2FE

[Steve J]

That's not the one I'm thinking of Ithoriel. The one shown looks like a wheel that gives indentations into flat sheet. The one I remember stamps out individual rivets that can then be glued on. Will check with a friend tomorrow when back at work.

[kipt]

Micro-Mark (www.micromark.com) in th eUS has HO and O scale raised rivet decals. Go to their website and type in rivets in the search box.