Mosazné trubičky 5

Why metal instead of plastic

A plastic part with a suggested opening never looks like a real barrel or exhaust. A brass tube has an opening that goes right through, so the muzzle looks credible even from close up. Besides that it is stronger, so it suits struts and rods that would sag in plastic, and it takes soldering, which is what decides on load-bearing structures.

Working the material

The material is not shortened with side cutters, which would squeeze it and close the opening. The proven method is to rest the blade of a knife against a wall and rotate the tube under it until it parts by itself. The burr left inside is removed by the tip of a thicker drill bit turned by hand. The surface has to be freed of grease before gluing and before painting.

Painting and joining

• Use a primer intended for metal, because an ordinary paint peels off smooth brass
• A wire can be pushed into the tube to give a firm pin for a joint
• Smaller diameters of the range slide into larger ones telescopically
• Store the material straight, because thin-walled tubes bend easily

The name gives only the number of the set and no size anywhere. So check the diameter from another source before ordering, because size is precisely what tells the individual packages apart.

Combining with other materials

• A wire pushed inside gives a joint strength with no need to solder
• Several diameters in sequence give a telescopically tapering part
• Shorter offcuts serve as sleeves joining two etched parts

It pays to paint brass before it is glued into a model. A coat holds worse on smooth metal than on plastic, so handling a finished part would easily damage it in exactly the place where repair is no longer possible.