BAN504 round spherical rivet 1,6mm

Sixteen as a working size

From sixteen tenths of a millimeter upward the part no longer acts as a fine detail but as a full part of the structure. That has a practical consequence: heads like these do not recur in the hundreds on one model but rather in the dozens, and they are visible. It therefore pays to choose the positions with thought and rather to fit fewer of them in the right places than many where the subject would have none.

Buying as you go or in stock

A modeler who builds one thing a year will manage with buying for the particular build. Anyone who devotes themselves to motorcycles or machinery consistently, though, usually finds that a few diameters keep coming back while others get used once in a long while. It is precisely these recurring sizes that make sense to have at home, because they can also be used improvisationally as bolt heads, caps or riveted edgings where a substitute would otherwise have to be made from drawn rod.

Before installing

• Check that the surface under the head is not chamfered, otherwise the part will seat crooked.
• Remove the burrs left from drilling; the part then seats without resistance.
• Work in small batches and leave the rest in the packaging.
• On vertical surfaces use a thicker glue; a thin one runs off.
• Do not hunt for a dropped head with your fingers on the bench; shine a flashlight across it from the side.

It is a building accessory for more experienced modelers. We recommend that a beginner try the installation first on a less conspicuous part of the model and only then start on places that will stay on show.