I need 12 padlocks for my Chieftain stowage boxes. I have been long fingering this one for a while. Scratchbuilding one is OK but a dozen is men in white coat territory.

Any suggestions?

Regards Dave :-)

I purchase photoetched ones most of the time - On the Mark Models makes a good set...

Anyone else use a different make?

Gunnie

As long as I prefer to scratchbuild as musch as I can, I know that tere are some available in PE sets. In my view scratchbuilding them from a milliput strip and bended copper wire it takes almost the same time than cut out the ready made ones from the pe set and for sure tey'll look more realistic too...
Ciao

I've got a set of Accurate Armour padlocks.

Paul

I prefer scratchbuilding myself. Can you give me a short run down on your technique Fabio?

Regards Dave

Royal Models, kit # 038 is another you can add to the list of possibles.

Dave, just lay down one (or more) strip of milliput of the appropriate thickness. Then with a knife cut them to the appropriate width. Immediately after bend the thin copper wire (one of the filament of an electric cable) to a "U" shape (you can easily do it around a pin or a nail depending on the size) and put them inside the milliput and cut the milliput to the lenght of the padlock with a sharp knife. Another option is to get a strip of plasticard (or whatever you need that can be cut to the right height and thickness) and cut from it the padlocks "bodies" then do a loop of masking tape and put the "U" shaped wires aligned to the top (or the bottom) edge of the tape and, wit the aid of a ruler and a knife, cut all of them at the same height. Thake them off the tape and glue them to their "bodies" dipping their ends in CA glue.
To do a dozen of them it shouldn't take more than 20 minutes and they'll look much more "realistic" than the flat PE ones.
Ciao



P.S.: I hope that I explained it in a decent way...

Scoccia, nice tip :-)

But one question, how do you make the keyhole? simply a little hole with a pinvise?

This is a picture of an wartime German Padlock and most padlocks had the keyhole in the side and not in the botom as modern ones

... with a drill bit hold in a pin vise of course...
Ciao

P.S.: the ones Dave needs should be the modern ones...

Hmm Fabio I thougt that a little hole would be enough in 1/35 scale but I just wanted to be sure.

Another question, I never used the PE padlocks and I am not planning to so your way of making them is quick and cheap (my kind of language), but how big/thick should the padlocks be in 1/35 scale?

Ronnie,
I'm just writing another "for dummies" little article on padlocks. If you've got half an hour (or so) of patience all the "secrets" will be revealed...
Ciao

I swear, sometimes I think you guys are nuts or total jokesters. ...keyholes in 35th scale padlocks.....sheesh