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Author Topic: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)  (Read 2338 times)

Offline Cherno

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I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« on: May 13, 2018, 06:12:35 PM »
I was wondering if anyone knows of a source for lots of cheap, tiny cubes, not larger than 2.5mm in size. Multiple colors are preferable but I can always paint them myself. The material is not important as long as it's cheap since I would buy a good amount.

Offline Cubs

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Offline Cherno

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2018, 07:02:53 PM »
These start at 10mm, unfortunately  :'(

Offline Cubs

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #3 on: May 13, 2018, 07:32:39 PM »
D'you know what, my fault, I misread your first post as no larger than 2.5cm. Sorry.

Offline Cherno

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #4 on: May 13, 2018, 07:35:58 PM »
I want to recreate some voxel models with them... But maybe I'll have to resort to 3d printing for that.

Offline zemjw

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #5 on: May 13, 2018, 08:06:30 PM »
craft beads may work - https://www.perlesandco.co.uk/Glass-cubes-2.5-mm-Jet-x20-cm-p-98227.html. 3 euros for 90, not sure if that counts as cheap or not ;D

There are also tiny dice if you can find them. I got some with some games a while back, but I don't know how generally available they are.

Offline nic-e

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #6 on: May 13, 2018, 11:49:16 PM »
Could you perhaps get yourself some plastruct/square beam plastic/balsa/dowel and just cut it to size?
I know B&Q does square dowl right down to 1mm .
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Online FifteensAway

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2018, 05:36:37 AM »
Chessex dice - they make (or did) really small dice that come quite a few to a set. 

Offline warlord frod

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2018, 02:02:12 PM »
Older games of risk used cubes to represent the armies. Several used copies of the game would give you a good number of cubes and a variety of colors.

Offline Mako

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #9 on: June 02, 2018, 03:39:13 AM »
Buy a tool called a "Chopper" at your local railroad hobby supply store, or on-line, and cut strips of balsa, or plastic to shape, as desired.

They work really well, and the tool will pay for itself in no time.

Also, very useful for making other items too, e.g. rods, construction lumber, tubing, etc., etc..

Offline Cherno

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #10 on: June 03, 2018, 05:40:04 PM »
Buy a tool called a "Chopper" at your local railroad hobby supply store, or on-line, and cut strips of balsa, or plastic to shape, as desired.

They work really well, and the tool will pay for itself in no time.

Also, very useful for making other items too, e.g. rods, construction lumber, tubing, etc., etc..

That's probably the best (only?) solution, thanks. I would assume that the Risk cubes are far too large.

Offline Billchuck

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #11 on: June 24, 2018, 03:13:56 AM »
These people make cubes as small as 3/8 inch (about 10 mm).  http://www.barclaywoods.com/small-wooden-cubes

They also do custom orders, maybe they can custom cut some 1/8” cubes for you.

Offline Billchuck

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #12 on: June 24, 2018, 03:22:17 AM »
And here are some 1/4” cubes. Not quite your 2.5mm spec, but close. https://www.tapplastics.com/product/plastics/plastic_rods_tubes_shapes/cast_acrylic_cubes/136

Here’s a thought, you can cut a few dozen blocks and then make a silicone mold and cast as many as you need, Hirst Arts style.

Offline Mako

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Re: I'm looking for lots of tiny cubes (< ~2.5mm)
« Reply #13 on: July 03, 2018, 07:42:47 AM »
Bought some Dollar Store, Square, Lettered Beads for making bracelets for kids.

325 pieces of 5mm square, plastic, for $1.07, including tax.  Holes in two ends to run the string through, and the same letter on the other four sides.

I'm planning to use them as cargo containers for my spacecraft, at the local spaceport, in 15mm scale - works out to 20" x 20" boxes (50 cms. for you continental types), assuming a scale of 3mms per foot - 1/100th scale. 

I may putty some of the holes up, and perhaps some of the lettering too.  Might leave some letters as is, and repaint all of them, to make them look more like commercial cargo boxes made of cardboard, plastic, metal, or other futuristic materials.

Clearly, they'll be stackable, durable, and best of all, cheap.

Should provide lots of cover for the occasional shootouts that occur when certain "business terms" aren't properly adhered to, especially by different cultures, on far-flung planets.

Some may serve as valuable cargo, and objectives too, just for grins.

Next up, to purchase soon, some of the various sized, wooden beads, for the same purpose.  These come in very bright colors, and most are a bit larger, so probably better suited to becoming cargo containers for 25mm/28mm troops, but some of the smaller ones might work for 15mm too.

Offline DS615

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« Last Edit: July 03, 2018, 11:49:10 AM by DS615 »
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