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pyrogravure anyone?


AndrewCJ50

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Dear Friends

 

Was reading someone's build review of figures, and they really brought their bare-headed figures to life using a 'pyrogravure'.  Has anyone ever used one, and what would they recommend?  Looking on Google I can see people using something that looks like a small soldering iron making burnt etchings in wood and leather like a black pen.  But plastic?  Surely it would become a sticky mess?

 

What are your views?

Thanks

Andrew

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I have one from my armour modelling days. It has a very thin needle like tip, just big enough to mark/melt a small amount of plastic.

You still need to be careful, but it’s much more delicate than your average soldering iron!

 

Mart

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15 hours ago, Tony Oliver said:

I think they were all the rage in the 90's. 

 

They can have a dial/resistor to vary the temp, to work with softer materials so not as extreme as a soldering iron. 

I can remember them from the late 1970's...

 

They were like hen's teeth then. Historex Agents were the suggested "go to" supplier but never seemed to have them in stock. 

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I have a Towada heat pen, which is a japanese pyrogravure but with interchangeable tips, I am including photos fyi. I don't think these are available in USA or UK and purchased mine with a transformer in Tokyo some years pass. The pen is heat controllable and has the ability to make rivets which require you to smash a piece of plastic and use the tip to stamp out the rivet. Brain Factory also produces screw, bolt and rivet shapes in various sizes. The one I have yet to use is a 72nd scale zimmeritt tip and welding tips.  They were available from Hobbylink but I noticed it is out of stock; when in Tokyo mid-year last year, some hobby shops had them, but the tips were in short supply.  The tool has a fine pointed tip accessory for use as a pyrogravure.  I am including pictures from a prior post of mine  on another site, showing the use of the rivet/bolt tips. 
Edited by Rick Tsujimura
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My original pyro' is from the '70's and currently sits in a box in the garage.  Mine had a dial to control the heat which I'm not sure featured on later models..At the time they were used to assemble animate and detail plastic figures such as Historex. My recollection is that the emergence of resin parts such as heads then limited the usefulness of the pyro's. The last time I used mine, it was decidedly unsafe.

 

Al

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14 hours ago, Al Gunthwaite said:

My original pyro' is from the '70's and currently sits in a box in the garage.  Mine had a dial to control the heat which I'm not sure featured on later models..At the time they were used to assemble animate and detail plastic figures such as Historex. My recollection is that the emergence of resin parts such as heads then limited the usefulness of the pyro's. The last time I used mine, it was decidedly unsafe.

 

Al

Something in the back of my mind says that the safety thing was a common concern back then.

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21 hours ago, Rick Tsujimura said:

Don't have a picture of zimmerit tool in action but here is photo of 1/48 use.brfb324_1.jpg?v=0000000001

There is also a welding replicator.

b0075321_3553182.jpg

img_16_m?1427586234

and here is the 1/72-76 zim tool

322SAMPLE2.jpg

 

 

 

That looks pretty neat... I like the way they have used some HSS to create a filler before attacking it with the heated tip...

 

HLJ has some neat tools on offer..

 

Cheers

 

Plasto

 

 

 

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