Slicing O-Rings ????

[dieseldoc]

I have some really nice scale 4" tail lights that are photo etch and resin combined. I want to add the rubber grommets around them and I thought o-rings would be the perfect solution and give me the look I'm after. Has any one here salami sliced and o-ring and if so how did you do it? I have tried several times with no luck. I also tried sanding them down so there was a flat side and this didn't work out to well either.
Thanks for any input in advance.

[Deleted]

Another thing you might be able to use if you have access to them is Electrical tape and a leather punch set. The punch's come in different sizes so you might be able to get the correct size you need.

[signature600]

Are they the Auslowe lights? if they are Auslowe have the round backing plates for them, which you could paint black, or

you could find some brass or aluminium tbe that fits nice and machine them to suit, them cut a very fine ring from the tube, now before you say I don't have a lathe, think about this, you cut a 2 inch lenght of tube from stock and fit it in the chuck of your drill, now here is the dangerous part, ( and we all likea little danger) on super slow speed, (I use a battery drill) turn the tube, while you take gentle shavings off with a NO.11 blade, use the heel of the blade, not the tip, you will find that you can shape it nice enough to look like a "O" ring, doing it slow gives you control and you can shave it like you are turning wood,and give you a chance to vary the angle of the blade with the stock you are using but remember to do this slow,
You can make some nice parts using this method, and you can also use styrene if you want to

you may have seen these that I made for my dash
pete389.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=shop&action=display&thread=2997&page=2

[bearkill]

Not sure how well it would work, but you can get a small plane (wood workin tool) used by rc airplane builders, it has a razor blade for a cutting surface an can be adjuster down to very thin. most hobby shops carry or can get.
www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAA64&P=0

[dieseldoc]

After I posted this I remembered and article I read some where about using tube to make the grommets for the lights. So I gave that a try and it turned out looking good. How I did it was cut a piece of 1/4" tube about 1 mm long and then sanded them down to 1/2 mm.
Those backing that Auslowe has would have been perfect had I had them in the one of many parts bins. I saw them on KFS's web site.
Not having a lathe is not an issure for me. I have turned items in the past using battery powered drills and moto tools with a #11 blade. I you go bck in the older posts you will see my Flamed Pete. The bumper guide pole have lighs in them. The lights were made with orange colored sprue by chucking the sprue in my battery operated moto tool and turned down to 1/2 mm with a number 11 blade. And yes slow speed is the answer for doing that. I found as the battery lost its charge the better it worked.

[dieseldoc]

Mar 8, 2010 10:07:19 GMT -5 bearkill said:

Not sure how well it would work, but you can get a small plane (wood workin tool) used by rc airplane builders, it has a razor blade for a cutting surface an can be adjuster down to very thin. most hobby shops carry or can get.
www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXAA64&P=0

Never thougt of trying that. I have a couple of planes already. Now I'm going to have to try that just to see if it would work.

[crizal]

Use a chop-it from Micromark for 23.00, many of uses,

Mike

[towguy76]

Mar 7, 2010 17:22:34 GMT -5 @dieseldoc said:

I have some really nice scale 4" tail lights that are photo etch and resin combined. I want to add the rubber grommets around them and I thought o-rings would be the perfect solution and give me the look I'm after. Has any one here salami sliced and o-ring and if so how did you do it? I have tried several times with no luck. I also tried sanding them down so there was a flat side and this didn't work out to well either.
Thanks for any input in advance.

Try putting the o ring over some tubing or rod of the same size or slightly larger than the o ring, then cut it. That is if you haven't already tried that.

[crackerboxkid]

I use slices of aluminum tubing and paint them flat black...