What I am sure are old hints

            Another good hint that one of the other members of the model club I’ve mentioned before had was to use plastic spoons to practice painting on.  Given that a number of our models have both concave and convex surfaces it’s good practice.  And I’d like to add to that.  That one could also use the plastic disposable cake servers as well.

I keep all plastic lids and metal jar lids to mix things in and use as disposable pallettes.

Anyone who wears contacts, as I do, will have a build-up of saline or cleaning solution bottles. I've cut the tops off for quick and dirty brush cleaning containers or holders for pencils or tools. If you pry the little squirt top off, you can fill them with alcohol, car wash solution, Future, Windex, or just ordinary water. Replace the top and you have a handy dispenser for your airbrushing needs (I find it works better if you widen the hole in the top, but your mileage may vary). As I'm writing this, it occurs to me that the eye drop bottles that I've been tossing out are almost dead ringers for Vallejo or similar paint containers and could be used for that purpose, too.

Here’s another hint that I always do or at least try to do.  That is that I will visit the web site and download the instructions as a PDF.  If they don’t have them as a PDF I’ll scan them on my computer and then print them out.

And then I’ll use the copy to work from.  That way if I should spill paint, glue, etc.  I haven’t ruined my only copy.  I also file the original for reference material.

One can also take the copy with one to the hobby shop and get the right color paint, as well as checking off the color’s and steps as completed.

I got thinking about this, when I was watching a YouTube video on using putty and the person making the video was sanding the area that he had put putty on over the instruction sheet.  All I could think of was that that is a good way to ruin their instructions.  And then they’d end up posting here or to some other web site asking if anyone has a copy of (fill in the blank) instructions.

     A question about latex/nitrile gloves.  I know that they'd be useful for keeping one's hands clean while painting, but what about while gluing?  Would they be good there as well?  I mean being latex/nitrile instead of styrne they shouldn't react to the standard Testors or Testors like cement, right?  I know that with CA/epoxy's that they could still end up getting glued to one's kit.

     But shouldn't they be good to use while using the standard glues mentioned above?  IF for no other reason then to keep fingerprints to a minimal.

     Last night, while I was working on my '64 Ford Fairlane it hit me that there was another option for holding small sub-assemblies is to turn over an empty foam egg crate.  Just stick the toothpick or whatever you're using to hold the sub-assembly into the bottom of the egg crate.  You can also use the overturned egg crate to hold your paint stir so that it dries and you can reuse it instead of just tossing it out.

     A good way to stir paint before painting is to find a small battery powered screwdriver.  Lock a piece of sprue in it's chuck and use that to mix your paint.

     And if you have a "third hand tool" with or without the magnifying glass cut off a large enough of a piece of the sprue to clamp in the alligator clips.  Then carefully cutting the remaining sprue off of the piece.

     Speaking of cutting pieces off of the sprue.  Even though most if not of us here at one time or another used the "twist & break" method we "all" know that that is not the way to do it.  So what I do is to cut the "stem" from the main tree, then carefully remove the "stem" from the part.

     Another hint that I was reminded of when I attended the "Crash and Bash" at the club I've started to go to.  Using either modeling clay in an airtight sandwich box, or florists foam and toothpicks to support small sub-assemblies during painting/drying.

Jim Barton

Those "cheapo" make-up sponges you buy by the bag at dollar stores are great to have around! I'll cut some up to use for wiping the lip of the paint bottle after removing the lid, for wiping up small spills on my workbench, even as small cushions for little parts that I don't want to goof up the paint job on, among other things. I even used a few of them to silence the ventilator grate for my apartment's AC. They don't look great but they work!

Jim,

     I can also see them being useful in applying paint as well to get a unique pattern.

Those "cheapo" make-up sponges you buy by the bag at dollar stores are great to have around! I'll cut some up to use for wiping the lip of the paint bottle after removing the lid, for wiping up small spills on my workbench, even as small cushions for little parts that I don't want to goof up the paint job on, among other things. I even used a few of them to silence the ventilator grate for my apartment's AC. They don't look great but they work!

FlyItLikeYouStoleIt

For VERY small amount color blends, where only a few brush strokes will be needed, the lids from plastic bottles (soda, water, milk, whatever....) work great. Then ya just throw em away.  

FlyItLikeYouStoleIt,

     Or save them up and make a nice mixed media abstract picture out of them.

For VERY small amount color blends, where only a few brush strokes will be needed, the lids from plastic bottles (soda, water, milk, whatever....) work great. Then ya just throw em away.  

jjmcubed

Don't change it on my account!  That is why I asked the community, as it might be just me and the way I'm seeing it.  But yes, that is better.  We all have boring fonts.   Maybe we should all switch to wingdings font or something....

jjmcubed,

     I don't mind changing the size of the font.  And to be honest I didn't think anything about the size of it before you said something.  I hope that no one else has had a problem with the size of the font.

     To anyone who has had a problem with reading my previous posts that had a smaller font size I apologize, as I did not intend to cause any problems for anyone.  I prefer the Times New Roman font.

Don't change it on my account!  That is why I asked the community, as it might be just me and the way I'm seeing it.  But yes, that is better.  We all have boring fonts.   Maybe we should all switch to wingdings font or something....

jjmcubed

Uhhh, not exactly sure how to go about saying this....   Okay, am I the only one having a hard time reading Digital_Cowboy's font?  Just wondering if I'm going crazy or if at the age of 38 I might need glasses soon.

Just didn't want to sound like a jerk.  

jjmcubed,

     Is this any better?

Uhhh, not exactly sure how to go about saying this....   Okay, am I the only one having a hard time reading Digital_Cowboy's font?  Just wondering if I'm going crazy or if at the age of 38 I might need glasses soon.

Just didn't want to sound like a jerk.  

Recon89

I have a stash of old pill bottles that I use for mixing and also for storing any small leftover parts that are not needed.  For the money I spend on the pills, I have a hard time throwing out the bottles.

Another thing I like to do.  When the model is finished and I'm cleaning up, I cut up and trim the used sprues to make stir sticks for paint mixing.

Recon,

     Those are very good hints.  Old syringes can also be used for mixing paint.

waynec

they may be old to some of us but they won't be to newcomers. and even us old folks like a reminder from time to time.

Wayne,

     This is true.  Also we do tend to take things for granted and "forget" the "common" things, even if we do them "hundreds" of times a day/week/month.

I have a stash of old pill bottles that I use for mixing and also for storing any small leftover parts that are not needed.  For the money I spend on the pills, I have a hard time throwing out the bottles.

Another thing I like to do.  When the model is finished and I'm cleaning up, I cut up and trim the used sprues to make stir sticks for paint mixing.

they may be old to some of us but they won't be to newcomers. and even us old folks like a reminder from time to time.

mgh

I was surprised to find out that pill bottles are water(paint)-tight.  I have used them for  mixing and storing paint.  Downside of it is that you cannot see the color accurately because of the tint of the bottle.  For me that was not a problem, I normally test the color before painting a kit, and have the name of the color written on the bottle.  They are easy to clean up also.

MGH,

     That is interesting, I wouldn't have thought that the bottle itself would be water/paint/airtight.  I was just thinking that the cap would make a good mixing vessel.

     Along with labeling the bottle with the color, one could also just put a drop of the paint on the cap.

I was surprised to find out that pill bottles are water(paint)-tight.  I have used them for  mixing and storing paint.  Downside of it is that you cannot see the color accurately because of the tint of the bottle.  For me that was not a problem, I normally test the color before painting a kit, and have the name of the color written on the bottle.  They are easy to clean up also.

Yeah…

1utahman

Thu, Oct 13 2005 9:24 PM

I have 3 children who love "Snack-Pack" style pudding. I've found many uses for the plastic cups that used to contain pudding. Mix paint, putty, etc. Hold parts. Use for resin casting: either attach part to bottom of cup and cast a single piece mold or "suspend" the part to be cast using pins pushed through the sides of the cup for a 2 piece mold. The uses go on and on. Plus, I occasionally get to eat the pudding to get a clean cup.

dirkpitt77

I've still got a huge stash of the plastic single serving applesauce and baby food containers. Great for mixing custom colors. Same idea though. Can't beat free.

Dirk,

     Exactly, nothing beats free, or reusing something that you'd otherwise throw out.  Another good item to use to mix small amounts of custom colors, etc. would be the caps from a pill bottle.  Why go out and buy a palette to mix colors on when one probably has a "ton" of "cheap" plastic doodads around the house that can be used/re-used in this or any hobby.

     And let's not forget the small(ish) baby food jars.  They can be used for both mixing and storing custom colors.

I've still got a huge stash of the plastic single serving applesauce and baby food containers. Great for mixing custom colors. Same idea though. Can't beat free.