Clamps?

I've found self sticking Ace bandage to be handy in place of rubber bands. The stuff works like velcro with no adhesive and is stretchy ,so you can tension it as much or as little as needed. It conforms to almost any shape and stays where you put it.

Those new bar clamps that have micro-adjustments are great.  They come in a six inch size and are reasonably priced.  I now have four of them, two by an off-brand and two Irwin brand.  They are great for clamping fuselages together, because you can click in just the tension you want.

I just saw a bag of similar black/red clamps in the tool aisle in Walmart.

Funny you should ask.  I bought some myself just yesterday. They match the description that Rob gave and I bought them at a local Menards. You may or may not have have a Menards in your area but any place that sells wood working supplies should have a reasonably priced solution.  I bought 7 of them all for less than 5 Dollars.  Good luck...

Hi;

   My answer would be yes , those clothespins .Turned around and modified for what you need .Now , you can modify the tiny ones too .

  Here's one I use a lot ,  Alligator clips .Bought in bulk at Radio Shack .( Well eight to a pack , maybe ) I solder flat brass plates on the jaws ( using silver bearing solder) .And that way they don't damage the surface .

    Scratch building ships always poses certain challenges and I have made friction clamps to work by using a quarter inch of padding on each jaw surface . The reason , well some size ships are just too darned big for normal clamps .

   Also take some large alligator clamps and file the jaws flat .Then file a curve on the inside of each jaw .This is for rounded parts . You can also use foam pads on them too . trouble is , they wear out sooner because of the tension .    Good Luck    Tanker - Builder

Michaels is great. I consider it a pseudo hobby shop, pertinent to model building. Oils, brushes, liquitex flo-aid, etc.. Even some kits.

I picked up some small clamps at home depot. They work pretty good, but be careful since they are pretty strong. I use regular clothes pins most of the time.

Michaels sells those tiny close pins. A package of 50 for $1 or $2.

On the same rack they sell wood match sticks, mini craft sticks, and mini wood dowels for the same price. These are not clamps but kinda nice to have around for use in a diorama, stirring sticks, glue/paint applicators etc.

Thanks everyone - great ideas and tips here!

In my experience nothing works better than rubber bands and clothespins of various sizes.

Ditto on the wooden clothespins. I turn most of them around on the springs. Watch out though when doing it, those springs bite. Don't ask how I know. Once turned, you can form the tips to fit whatever size you need.

Jim 

I like wooden clothspins.  They do not mar plastic. I cut the ends off to eliminate the fishmouth, using a jig saw.  Model expo sells a set of lots of tiny clothspins (about one inch long).  Those have normal fishmouth shape so I cut the ends of those too.

I also have a bunch of those plastic/spring clamps for a bit more squeeze than regular clothspins.

I sometimes use rubber bands depending on the situation of the build..

You can flip the wood of clothes pins around in the springs too. I like to use the long thin part as the clamping surface. It gives it a slightly longer reach.

Glue some 600 or 400 grip sandpaper to the inside of the clamping surfaces to keep them from slipping on the plastic.

I like plastic Binder Clips too. Get them in the office/stationary section of your local store. (not the metal ones, they are too strong)

 If you feel like spending some money, Berna clamps are nice in certain situations:

http://www.zonatool.net/beashocl.html

Cheap ratchet clamp:

www.harborfreight.com/4-in-ratchet-bar-clampspreader-68974.html

-they make replacement pads for these as well.  Buy an extra set and glue soft foam on them for delicate parts.

Cheap spring clamp:

www.harborfreight.com/22-piece-spring-clamp-set-69374.html

Cheap locking clamp:

www.harborfreight.com/5-1-2-half-inch-locking-clamp-99930.html

and clothes pins. Lots of clothes pins.

The ones I use the most I find lying around the house. Like clothes pins. They don't apply enough pressure to mar the surface and they can easily be whittled down to fit in tight spaces. Binder clips are another great find. Usually the small ones are best because the the large ones apply way too much pressure. I also have a stash of alligator clips that get used quite a bit.

Harbor Freight has the ratchet type with rubber pads in a lot of different sizes. I got 6 inch ones for $1.00 each. Sometimes they give 1 away free with anything you buy.

Jim 

There are some black Craftsman clamps with soft red rubber pads. They come in multiple shapes and sizes. Some are use simple spring pressure, others ratchet close with a little red release trigger. Google them, I came up with multiple hits. Some I have have small pads like needle nose pliers, others have larger square pads. Another type has a suction cup so you can mount it on a table top.