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NobbySideways

Body shell holes

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About to start my Audi Quattro on a TT-02, it requires a few holes in the body for light bucket mounts, body pins etc. Has anyone got any top tips on how to neatly do these without tearing a dirty great hole in it?

I've achieved really neat results before using a soldering iron tip (which not only gave a neat hole but slightly thickened the plastic around the hole as it displaced the plastic rather than removing it). This time I figure I should do it right though...

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I like the soldering tip thickening the hole.  It'd be also stronger too.  But, I'd be worried about controlling the size of it. 

I think most people use body reamers?  These things cost about $5.  Small or big, these can do it.  Since it takes some effort, you can be precise about how big a hole you make.  And the holes are generally neat enough.  

SyAB7sl.jpg

 

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Yep - 100% what Juggular said they are a must in your tool kit (i have the exact one in blue in the pic above)

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I'm just wary about buying a tool I'll probably use once (I'm not that flush with cash), especially as I have a workshop full of good tools. 

Thanks for the tips chaps, I'll investigate. I want one fairly soon so I'll see if I can find one on Prime.

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seriously, a body hole reamer is the exact tool for this job, if you ever intend to do more than one body this is what you need

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Thats the thing, I probably won't do another. However I have some taper reamers for my lathe which look like a posher version of the same thing. They will probable be ideal.

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I just drill a smaller sized hole (e.g. 4mm), then the final size (e.g. 6.5mm), with regular drill bits. I then clean the burrs with a step drill bit by hand. Press a piece of wood up against the back of the polycarbonate shell when drilling to avoid tear out. 

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39 minutes ago, NobbySideways said:

Thats the thing, I probably won't do another.

Then the answer to this is to buy more shells.

Win Win all round

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6 hours ago, NobbySideways said:

Thats the thing, I probably won't do another. However I have some taper reamers for my lathe which look like a posher version of the same thing. They will probable be ideal.

Yep, I did the same.  I used the Swiss Army knife's belt hole maker.  I don't recommend that.  It twists the hole.  Then I drilled, it's okay.  But then I relented and bought a reamer.  It's so much easier.  And I ended up with a dozen shells anyway... I think they breed...

 

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Buy the body reamer :D 

You'll find a lot more uses after owning one... it cuts any soft plastics, I use it quite often for modding instrument cases or electronic panels. 

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On 9/27/2019 at 11:25 AM, nbTMM said:

I just drill a smaller sized hole (e.g. 4mm), then the final size (e.g. 6.5mm), with regular drill bits. I then clean the burrs with a step drill bit by hand. Press a piece of wood up against the back of the polycarbonate shell when drilling to avoid tear out. 

This ended up being the technique I used; the bit about pressing a bit of wood against the back of the polycarbonate is the real golden tip here. I used a 2mm drill to bore a pilot hole, then a 6.5mm to get the right size. Top tip for anyone else doing this; keep the shell pressed down whilst doing this so it doesn't shoot up the drill bit. Sounds like a basic tip but I didn't do it on my third hole and nearly trashed it. Most things I would drill quite slowly but I think this material cut cleanest on a higher speed.

Thanks for all the tips; if I build more models I will probably invest in a tool but at the moment I do about one every 6 years.

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Tools are cool - and the correct tool for the job is always a pleasure to use.

As WillyChange suggests - once you have one, I'm sure you'll find it useful for other [similar] tasks in other materials too.

Jx

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I've got a fully stocked workshop at home (Lathe and the lot, my uncool hobby is building large working model steam locomotives) but I'm still reluctant to buy stuff if I can get away without it! 

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Meh... others buy tools even if it's a 1-use item :P They're cheap as $5-10 from yumcha brand these days... I bought mine from Hudy back when they were $30+

That was back in the 1990s! :D Same unit still going strong today.

 

Tip #1 with good reamers - DON'T EVER lend it out to anybody. It'll come back wrecked or it'll never come back. Keep it hidden, mine stays on tool ranch at the back of drawer - don't see any need to bring it to track every race.

Tip #2 - Calibrate it.

Get some scrap lexan, cut a hole until it's exactly 5mm. Mark that position on the flute/s. Cut the hole to 6mm. Mark that position too. Sharpie is fine.

Tip #3 cut from BOTH sides of the panel. Don't just ream thru from one side all the way. Balance out the cutting from both sides. Makes a neater cut, cleans out the swarf better without tearing chunks.

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