brass rods for the wolves of orboros?

[ry1788]

Hey guys, I'm looking to start up a new circle army, now that the new rules are out. I was looking around and I like the look of the Wolves models, but those spears don't look too firm.

Therefore, I was wondering if anyone has tried brass rod replacements for them? Similar to the IFP conversion, but I'm not quite sure on the size of rod that would work and look good.

Any help in the matter would be greatly appreciated.

~O

[coolwhip1]

I haven't tried it, but your best bet is to buy a few different sizes. Working your way up from the smallest to largest, drill and stick the whole rod through to get an idea.

Find the size you like, then return the others.

[paradogmatic]

Another option I used when fixing a friend's IFP pike was to use two different pieces.

1) My normal pinning Brass Wire

2) Larger Brass Tube with an outer Diameter that is close to the size of the part I was replacing ( In the case of IFP - 1.57mm ) -- and then an inner diameter opening that is the same size as your Wire.

This way the process is to drill through a much safer smaller piece ( Drilling a big hole can ruin a model's hand ) and then fit the tubing onto the ends. Note that cutting the tubing is a challenge -- you need to use a decently sharp hobby saw and take your time. I understand that there are small scale tubing cutters too but I have yet to get my hands on one. You also pin your spear heads / ends with the same size pin and fit it on the other ends of your tube.

Note that you can still bend this but it will require a good amount of pressure compared to the material your models are made of.

[Esper]

I did it for mine. I used 3/64" brass rod for the Wolves.

Drilling the front cleft spear head is easy enough, but I'd use a hand pin vise, not a power tool.

Drilling the rear spear head on the shaft is tough. It can be done, but you need to be really careful, as there's almost nothing there to drill once you trim it from the shaft.

There used to be a link to a brushthralls article where they replaced the rear spear head with a thin greenstuff wrap that looked like cloth wrapping.

[Nuriochi_sol]

I did the replacement thing. The first six Wolves did brass rod. And it was intensely difficult for me. The rod was the same diameter almost as the current pewter pieces, and it was a real challenge to get right.

For the last four, I took a suggestion from a friend, and did very thin steel rod (like 0.02") with brass tubing between the hands and weapon ends, like a shish-kabob. MUCH easier.

Steel rod seems better than brass rod because it creates a core that really does flex. And gluing the tubing and making sure it abuts to the hands really strengthens it.

Cutting the tubing can be done with a standard hobby knife, by rolling the tubing in a sawing motion. In all steps of the process, a good flat file is your friend, leveling and angling everything to make for flat areas to drill into (use a safety pin to create a guide hole), flush joins, etc.

[ry1788]

I did the replacement thing. The first six Wolves did brass rod. And it was intensely difficult for me. The rod was the same diameter almost as the current pewter pieces, and it was a real challenge to get right.

For the last four, I took a suggestion from a friend, and did very thin steel rod (like 0.02") with brass tubing between the hands and weapon ends, like a shish-kabob. MUCH easier.

Steel rod seems better than brass rod because it creates a core that really does flex. And gluing the tubing and making sure it abuts to the hands really strengthens it.

Cutting the tubing can be done with a standard hobby knife, by rolling the tubing in a sawing motion. In all steps of the process, a good flat file is your friend, leveling and angling everything to make for flat areas to drill into (use a safety pin to create a guide hole), flush joins, etc.

Any suggestions where I can get all this stuff? Hardware store or Internet? Also what size brass tubing did you use? Thanks.

[Nuriochi_sol]

Most of the stuff came from a hobby shop. Look in your area for shops that specialize in hobbies OTHER than gaming, like model trains, model cars, RC airplanes, etc. They tend to have a lot of this stuff.

Looked up more accurate sizes...

Steel rod: 0.025"
Drill bit: 0.026"
Brass tubing: 0.0625" (1/16")

You can always use other sizes of rod and tubing. Just make sure the fit works, including the area you want to drill through.

[TimVanBoening]

I did the replacement thing. The first six Wolves did brass rod. And it was intensely difficult for me. The rod was the same diameter almost as the current pewter pieces, and it was a real challenge to get right.

For the last four, I took a suggestion from a friend, and did very thin steel rod (like 0.02") with brass tubing between the hands and weapon ends, like a shish-kabob. MUCH easier.

Steel rod seems better than brass rod because it creates a core that really does flex. And gluing the tubing and making sure it abuts to the hands really strengthens it.

Cutting the tubing can be done with a standard hobby knife, by rolling the tubing in a sawing motion. In all steps of the process, a good flat file is your friend, leveling and angling everything to make for flat areas to drill into (use a safety pin to create a guide hole), flush joins, etc.

I'm not a Circle player, but I've done this a few times with polearms on models (Bokur, Gudrun, Okaru Hargrosh), and I did the same thing as Nuriochi. Except my "steel rod" was a paper clip. On my Ogrun, since their hands are a lot thicker than humans, I drilled using a bit the same size as the brass tube. It is sturdy!!