HOW TO: Recess Press Studs

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

While on the long wait for armor I decided to start making some fixings for the press studs

 

So started the same way as most, cut out the plastic, sand round the sharp edges, sand the back to help the glue hold, punch a hole in the centre for the stud.

 

 

Then I remembered the stud would stick out the back and not lay flat, so brainwave, bring out the old trusted heat gun and find a heat proof surface. Warm the back first just on the outside of the fixture, 5-10 seconds.

 

 

Flip it over and warm the front, only needs a couple of seconds, you can just see it starting to bend slightly.

 

 

Then while warm use a small piece of pipe and push down on the fixture until it cools slightly.

 

 

Then you will have this

 

 

And from the side, notice no stud and the plastic fixture is still flat for the glue to hold

 

Edited December 9, 2020 by Sly11
Edited to restore the image by Sly11, 2020

[Darth Hilarious]

Nice!

 

I did a similar thing, but dipped mine in boiling water to soften.

[matt black]

Excellent idea! Wish I'd thought of it.

[LadyInWhite[TK]]

I use anorak snaps because I realized this would be a problem. However, next build I'll give this a try with heavy duty snaps! Great idea, thanks for the tip!

[TK-Tank]

I did something similar with a piece of wood. Worked like a charm to flatten the plastic tab around the snap base so that it could be more easily glued to the back of the armor.

[Pickles[TK]]

Simple yet effective! Very nice!

[bobojuice]

Every time I see one of these super simple fixes to a common problem, I feel like I was brain dead all along for not thinking of it. Nice job.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Thanks everyone, just thought it may help others, forgot to mention you can also use this heating tip if you need to stick the fixtures to a curved surface. Thought it was about time I gave something back for all the helpful tips I have found here at FISD

[8BitBry]

Thanks for this tip, Glen. I'll definitely be giving this a go for the plates I'm working on now.

[Dday[501st]]

I used this one as well, great idea.

 

I used a socket from my tool box as the press and my wood workbench to soak the heat. It is the reason why I always wanted to use nylon for my snaps, more contact.

 

This this tutorial I quickly switched to ABS.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Thanks guys it's nice to give something back to this awesome forum, glad it was of help