Sharpening Brass Tubing

[Slacker 0]

Need some advice:

 

Decided to try making some insects out of foam bodies. I have the foam and I am planning to glue back and yellow foam together to make some wasps.

 

I have heard people talk of cutting out the bodies with sharpened brass tubing. How do you actually sharpen the tubing? Is there a specific size? Or is it like everything else in this hobby where you have to have 15 sizes for everything? :dunno:

 

One other quick thing ..... what type of glue should I use to glue the sheets of foam together? Would 5 minute epoxy work?

 

Thanks for the help,

 

Tim

[Joe Hard 0]

Super 77 spray, contact cement (let dry 24 hours), works good. I found an old lamp with brass tubing, and have also used an old antenna I took apart. I put the tubes in my cordless drill, and they cut through the foam well. No sharpening needed. There is a website that has all the info you could ask for and more about this. Unfourtunately it has been a few years since I have looked at it, and can not give you the address.

 

[TerryLee 0]

I don't know the answer, but I sure would like to. I'll keep my eyes open and let you know if I find out.

 

Terry

 

 

[Dr. Bluedun 0]

I sharpen brass tubing by carefully chucking it into a drill press. Then with a suitable size file, while the press is running at low speed, I use the file to sharpen the inside of the tubing and bring it to a bevel. If you have an arkansas (white) stone you can then hone the the inner edge of the tubing. Make some sort of a wooden handle and glue the tubing (unsharpened side) into the handle. Another way is to use a Dremel and carefully sharpen the inside edge with a suitably shaped stone, or a carbide or diamond burr ( at slow speeds). :headbang:

[Al Beatty 0]

Hi Tim,

 

You could use a belt sander. I suggest a trip to Harbor Freight and buy a set of gasket cutters.

 

Tight Lines - Al Beatty

www.btsflyfishing.com

[Slacker 0]

Hey Everyone!

 

Thanks for the responses. I really appreciate the feedback and participating in a forum where you get quick and valuable feedback on questions!

 

I also heard somewhere that fine sandpaper works as well.

 

Hopefully I will be offering some crappie and bluegills a tasty 'faux' protein treat this weekend if I get my bodies punched out.

 

If I am successull expect an update. If not ...... :down: ...... I'm keeping quiet!

 

Thanks again,

 

Tim

[Slacker 0]

Hey Terry and Joe (and anyone else interested),

 

Thought you might be interested in this:

 

Joe, I am not sure this is the site you had seen in the past, but it look pretty good.

 

Terry, this looks pretty easy. I think I am going to give it a try. Minus the sandle though. I already have foam at home. Heard a chopstick is a good tool to poke the foam out of the tubing.

 

 

Tying Techniques

 

Tim

[SwampHunter 0]

I bet this would also be sweet for making Hi-Vis Ant bodies. :headbang:

[letumgo 0]

Tim, I've been using a set of gasket punches (sizes ranging from 1/8" to 1/2", in 1/16th in increments) to punch foam for various fly bodies. I ordered the set from Amazon.com for around $13 including shipping from a company called American Science & Surplus. The punches are carbon steel and needed to be sharpened when they were recieved They work great after they were sharpened and allow you to make everything from the stacked foam bodies you asked about, all the way up to 1/2" popper heads.

 

The punches were sharpened with a fine metal file and cut the foam "like butta"

 

If you are getting into tying foam bodied flies, I highly recommend the following two books ("Tying Flies with Foam Fur and Feathers" by Harrison Steeves and "Tying Foam Flies" by Skip Morris). Both books are full of patterns and great pictures showing how to make different types of foam bodies.

 

Hope this helps.

[Slacker 0]

Hope this helps.

 

letumgo,

 

Your darn right that helps! :headbang:

 

Thanks for the advice. Seems like you have punched a few bodies over the years. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I am going to try brass tubing first but then maybe I'll look into how you do it. I will certainly look into those books.

 

Thanks again,

 

Tim

[Slacker 0]

Think I found a simple solution and please let me know your thoughts on this.

 

Like everyone I have many pens laying around the house. Some of them are metal. Well this afternoon I took some of them apart, the ones that where different sizes, put the metal parts in my cordless drill and drilled a little foam. :dunno:

 

Well, to my delight all of the mets pen parts bored (sic?) a very neat tidy foam plug.

 

So them I sprayed adhesive all ofer a few sheets of foam pushed them together, got it all over my arm (unknowingly), placed it on the couch while watching the Senators and Buffalo, have some explaining to do about the armrest and why it is all marked up, had to tear the hairs out of my arm that were stush together with adhesive.

 

And the scary thing is that I like the feeling of my newly smooth arm ...........

 

Why is Buffalo winning 1-0? I do not know but I am very nervous. If the Sens lose this PM .... that could be it and I'll have to change my avatar.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Tim

[Slacker 0]

Hey!

 

Forget brass tubing! Here are my insect bodies that I made with:

 

foam

spray adhesive

a metal pen body

cordless drill

 

The pen worked fantastic and the best thin is that they come in different sizes and you do not have to sharpen them.

 

Here is a pict of some of the bodies and one wasp I made.

 

Don't make fun of my first attempt! :j_k:

 

Take care,

 

Tim

[Slacker 0]

Hey!

 

Forget brass tubing! Here are my insect bodies that I made with:

 

foam

spray adhesive

a metal pen body

cordless drill

 

The pen worked fantastic and the best thin is that they come in different sizes and you do not have to sharpen them.

 

Here is a pict of some of the bodies and one wasp I made.

 

Don't make fun of my first attempt! :j_k:

 

Take care,

 

Tim