Buying "Scale hardware"

[alcazar]

Hi, looking at the Scale Hardware" site, http://www.scalehardware.com/, I see that simulated nuts, bolts and rivets are available in various sizes.

 

My question is this: what sort of sizes are the most useful for modelling 7mm scale? I did a quick check and if I bought just one pack of each size I THOUGHT I'd need, I was already up to $90, and that was without buying any washers.

 

I thought, (all simulated), 0.5 and 0.7mm hex bolts, 0.5 and 0.7mm hex nuts, 0.4, 0.5 and 0.7 mm rivets, and 0.5 and 0.8mm washers? Does this sound about right, or do I need bigger ones too?

 

Are the washers worth having too?

 

TIA

[Rob Pulham]

Sorry I can't help but I am looking forward to any answers myself - for future reference.

[bertiedog]

Think about it all the other way around, the items that you need are just 1/48, (in 7mm scale), of the real thing, so check the real bolt and nut, or rivet head sizes, that are needed, and then pick the nearest practical size.

 

A 25.4 bolt head would be 25.5/48 or .52mm (25.4 is one inch in metric).

 

A 3/4 bolt would be about .35 etc., and so on.......

 

Simple Rule, take the size needed in "metric" and divide by the scale for a metric answer.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Stephen

[meple]

Except that UK "0" gauge is 1:43.5

[bertiedog]

Except that UK "0" gauge is 1:43.5

Yes, a slip! US is 1:48, but the rule is un-affected.....and barely affects the choice of the available nearest sizes to match the full sizes.

 

Stephen

[alcazar]

Thanks Bertiedog, but it's not easy to actually get close enough to any of the real things to measure bolt and nut head diameters, let alone every rivet.......

[bertiedog]

Thanks Bertiedog, but it's not easy to actually get close enough to any of the real things to measure bolt and nut head diameters, let alone every rivet.......

 

But I assume that sourcing such fine detailing hardware means you do want to be that accurate, and it should be possible to get the sizes from the drawings, or by careful estimation from photographs, and sizes used were very standardised on most locos, with "3/4" and "one inch" bolts, inch to inch and a half rivet heads, two inch bolt heads etc.

 

There was not much variance, the standard used in the UK would be Whitworth if you want to be very exact.

 

Two or three sizes would cover most needs. Always try to use a head size smaller if there is a stock size choice, oversize shows more than undersize.

 

For instance, most bolt heads visible on a UK loco would be near a one inch head, there are smaller 3/4 heads, but even in 7mm scale smaller than 1/2 inch are usually left off, rather than using a bigger size. Scale Hardware do go small enough for really tiny sizes, but there are limits.

 

For architectural "structural" building bolts, and they may be square head, two inch heads are the most used, and rivets in iron structures average a two inch head, with larger on bridges etc at about 3 inch heads.

 

Stephen

[Donw]

Don't forget if you are going to paint over the items. Paint doesn't scale so they will end up a little larger. Therefore next size down is better than the next size up. Also MRJ printed a table of what various sizes equted to in 4mm and 7mm useful if you can get a copy.

I also find using a scale rule helps get you familiar with the scale. For scenic items etc I work full size except that my ruler has shrunk by 43.5. That way a 3ft square window makes sense whereas a 21mm suare window doesn't and I know a doorway will be around 6ft-6ft 6in.

Donw

[Western Star]

I recollect that you have expressed interest in building A3 and A4 classes... so looking through the several threads on those topics you will find references to Scale Hardware items - sizes and uses (although I think that Dikitriki and I are now of a mind that the large bilt heads which were added to his Cartazzi frames were probably not nut/bolts after all). By my count there are four threads for Finney 7mm LNER models. In addition, there are some good photographs on the Hatchette A1 thread which show the use rivets from Scale Hardware.

 

If you do use dimensions given on drawings then the "bolt" size refers generally to the diameter over the threaded portion of the bolt. If you are modelling post 1940 then the Government of the day changed the respective BS standards so that nut / bolt dimensions became "one size" down so as to save materials in the then current conditions - how much this affected the railways is not know to me.

 

regards, Graham