Large Scale Central

3d Printed Weld lines?

General Discussion
#1

So with the closing of Archer decals the good series of raised decals like rivets and weld beads are no longer available. MicroMark has some but they are much lower quality.

I know what rivet heads look like and I should try printing off a set on a base of .010" or whatever my printer can handle to see.

Has anyone ever tried this?

And secondly, i think weld lines might be easier to do this with as they are continuous vs gaps between them like a rivet.

But what the heck does a good weld bead look like? I’ve always thought it looked like elongated C shape or flattened crescent moon?

Am I crazy or just being Devon?

2023: The Year in Review
#2

Craig, I think both would bring life to a model. Rivets would be much easier to design because you only have to create one and then the rest is a simple pattern along whatever path you desire. The weld bead is more organic and therefore quite difficult for my brain that thinks in geometric shapes :grin:

#3

Dan,
The weld bead is what’s getting me too… even that can be repeated so you/I/whoever has to only draw one.

But what is the shape?

#4

Let me digest this and I will get back to you

#5

For what perfect weld lines look like, wander on over to 6061.com

https://6061.com/

He’s an absolute perfectionist when it comes to welding aluminum.

It’s called a “stack of dimes”

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#6

Here’s my thought about how make it in CAD.

Make circle roughly the diameter of the weld. Extrude to the thickness of the weld. Rotate on axis by like 2-5°? And then pattern that of centered.

Then slice in half so you have a flat side?

#7

Why not try printing a 1:29 row of dimes?

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#8

Beat me to it Bob, there is a blog from a NASCAR racer Cory LaJoie,who is also a chassis maker called “Stacking Pennies” he had to use Pennie’s because dimes was on several different podcasts and blogs. Anyway my welding has been described and chicken …

#9

Okay for the weld I second what Burl suggested I would put a rolled edge on the dime so its not a sharp edge then stack them as Burl suggested. With fashion this would be very easy. You make one dime as a body orientate it. And then make a pattern along the line with enough of them that they stack and look right.

For rivets I would make the rivet head and then add a sprue to the bottom that can be inserted into a drilled hole. And then with that body make a row of them and attach them all to a larger sprue basically as you get them in injected molded ones.

But individual rivets are gonna be small and thin and probably won’t print well. I have always done them as part of the larger printed object. Not something applied after the fact. So not sure how easy that would be.

#10

Well now that I know what shape I’m after, I might just try!

Now to figure out how thick the welds should be. A dimes thickness?

#11

Rivets would definitely be harder because they aren’t interconnected.

Rivets I can make old school still with the NWSL riveter and .010" sheet. A little harder to do weld lines. :joy:

I got thinking about this because one of my stalled projects of the late Brian Briggs should really have welded seam lines along the box at edge.

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#12

Checked out his page…He is one hell of a welder !!!

#13

Riekus is using printed weld lines. Cape Gauge (1:24)

#14

"I found the files online… " From the video.

Humm so I’m not the only one that has thought this up before but the hard work might already been done.

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#15

https://grabcad.com/library/low-poly-straight-inside-corner-weld-bead-for-kitbashing-1

https://3dmdb.com/en/3d-model/weld-bead/6887293/

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#16

Well would you look at that. Guess I have my answer now. Well that takes care of one problem.

#17

I give up on you Craig. There are rivet counters and then there is you who wonders how thick to make a 1:29 scale weld.

But of course that which makes me want to give up on you is also what makes me love you

#18

Well of course you know how I think. But now that’s to the wonderful world wide web or “internet’s” I now have a source and solution and don’t have to worry about this anymore. Well I guess I still haven’t downloaded the file and scaled it for what I need. But it out there…

#19

Lol you crack me up. In so many ways we are alike. The desire to know everything about everything we share
. . But your attention to detail definitely not.
. . But the most important thing we share is a love for cream puffs and your mom’s cardamom chicken.

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#20

That sounds good right about now. Made some of that cardamom stuff the other week and the oldest said this tastes better than Grandma’s! Score one for Dad. Great easy meal with Momma is gone.

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