making you own razor wire idea

[brushforhire]

Here is my awesome ms paint rendition of my thoughts while at work. This is why i paint minis and not computer art. LoL

 

1.) The basic idea is to use thin plastic card and stiffer but yet also thin wire. You would take the plasticard and cut little razor shapes out of it. Just like in my vivid image. The squiggles below the razor shape is an idea of how the wire will be twisted. You could hold the two pieces of wire in a pin vise i would imagine. or a table vise.

 

 

2.) This pic is supposed to show how i would want the razor shapes inserted into the wire and you were twisting it.

 

3.) This is the basic idea of how the wire would look when done. Obviously you would want everything tight and secure so you don't get jiggling of the razor inserts.

 

Then you would glue and paint like normal. I don't know if anyone else had thought of this idea or not but i was at work killing time and so i thought i would vomit this up before i forgot my idea and never even get to try it myself. I would try it as soon i got home but i am currently packing to move by march 15th, and most of my supplies are MIA.

 

Some more thoughts; considering the size of the wire needed to keep it small for 28mm i'm thinking this idea may translate better in 54mm and bigger. but i will however try it for 28mm.

 

thoughts, bashing, encouragement, banning from the forum?

 

p.s. i'm so clever

 

P.S.S. I also posted this at skullcrafts.com

 

Edit: English edited so i no longer sound like a valley girl.

[Madog Barfog]

"thoughts, bashing, encouragement, banning from the forum?"

 

Don't start your sentences with OK, now, or so? Other than that, a good idea.

[Joe Kutz]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:RazorWire1.JPG

 

I assume you are looking to make razor wire along that vein, as opposed to the more common flat cut razor wire. If so, the actual makeup of the razor wire is a bit different than that of barbed wire...there is in fact no wire used at all.

 

I've done this setup several times though, and you can get a pretty good facsimile by taking a set of pinking shears going through and cutting the razor shapes...sort of. Basically you are cutting strips with notches in it. Once you have that, slice them into the individual razors. Once that is done, as opposed to using wires, use thin strips of styrene again. A single strip is all you need to get the proper look.

 

Line up a few dozen of the little razors and then set the strip across them so that it is perpendicular to the razors. Using a capillary applicator and a plastic glue like Tanex 7-R, put a dab of glue where the strip touches each razor. Once dry, you can go ahead and twist the wire to get the look. If you want to go the extra mile, you can score the middle of each razor so that it looks like the stamped and folded metal that makes up the prototype material.

[brushforhire]

hmmm.. clever. i think this will be my new quest to get the most realistic and yet simple way of making razor wire. i see what you are saying though. is a bit different that i first thought. I definitely don't want a razor tape look.

 

Edit: I went ahead and did some more research on the topic and came to realize how misinformed i was about what i was looking for. Here are some simple images illustrating the differences between barbed and razor wire.

 

[Joe Kutz]

Years and years of working in compounds ringed with razor wire (and barbed wire back on the farm...) - I have become somewhat of a razor wire connoisseur. The layout which you linked to in the second image (and I would guess the first - though the exact profile is hard to guess at) uses a high tension wire for the core of the reinforcing rib. It makes the wire a bit more difficult to cut. It also makes it much more costly to install. Most the labs I worked at used this type of wire - along with armed guards and foot patrols.

 

The razor wire which you refer to as razor tape is a simple flat band that has been cut in a jagged manner. Quite often it looks like a pair of saw blades back to back...with really big teeth. This is very cheap to manufacture, so it can be found more readily. However since it doesn't have any backbone so to speak, it need to be supported at regular intervals to prevent it from falling over under it's own weight. Perimeter fences around very large compounds use this type most (at the top of a 6-8 foot chain link fence) as well as many private companies. From time to time you will see it at construction sites where the risk of theft is greater than normal.

 

A middle ground uses the "razor tape" design, and merely runs a crimp or bead down the center of the metal to give the razor wire much more strength under its own weight. You will see this wire quite often around prisons and similar structures. It is cheap enough to run a few thousand feet around a large structure with relatively low budgets. It also is very common around private secured areas, like automotive impounds and other areas who have a vested interest in keeping people out.

 

In terms of making each one - I explained how I make the mid level one above. For the high dollar razor wire, I like to use long thin styrene tube in place of the wire. For something that is extra special I'll use brass sheet and brass wire in place of the styrene and solder them in place (fairly easy with a torch). Once it is glued up (or soldered), slit the tube down the center and you can call it done. The styrene is pretty easy to cut down the center...the brass can take a little more finesse.

 

For the el'cheapo razor tape, the simplest way to deal with it is to use a decorative blade like a pinking shears or a rotary cutter. Zip up one side and down the other and you are done.