Plastruct Pin Tray

[Phrop]

In a local hobby shop I found this great material for pin trays from Plastruct.

They are 1:24 scale Spanish tiles and for $10 I got enough material to make like 10 or more pin trays. Here is the part number and such for Googling: Plastruct PS-116

I like cardboard trays well enough, but I think these stiff plastic ones will last a lot longer in my tool bag.

[Evan]

@Phrop:

That does look like a very good idea...

Some older locksmiths I know use a scrap piece of metal door threshold that has six or seven flutes in it... A scrap cross-sectional piece a couple of inches wide is all you need...

~~ Evan

[DayZiro]

Great find Phrop, those seem like they would last a long while. In my car kit (that gets banged around too much for cardboard) I use a section of tin can, the ridges hold the pins nicely. Just be sure to round those corners and sand those edges after you flatten the metal!

[unjust]

i like the stack sort too, you can put bits down in columns AND rows to see what's where without them scooting as far.

how durable is it? what happens if you drop something heavy on it? if you drop it will it crack? is it temperature sensitive? (here in MN if winter cold can make some plastics very brittle even from a few minutes in the car)

i've been using a piece of wide wale corduroy fabric for a few years now as i can't break it, things don't bounce, and i can't crush the waves out.

[Phrop]

Very cool unjust, I like the idea of using cloth. That may be better for my use than the Plastruct.

So far the Plasturct has been very durable, i am not very sure about how temperature extremes will affect it. It will easily survive a drop test, but if it was smashed with a hammer or such I would expect it to deform, it would probably still work though.

[unjust]

ya, i'm pretty happy with a chunk of corduroy, but i really like the means to keep each level of a stack sorted.

some modeling plastics i've worked with are more shatter prone than deformation. if it'll dent with a hammer blow, that's ideal, if the entire thing will go to pieces that's a lot less fun. now that we've got a mill at the shop i've been pondering making up a pinning tray out of something fun.