Any special or home-made tools you use?

I wonder if velcro strips the kind for cables would work for holding

the fuselage together. Also god bless the person who invented the

styrofoam base, wooden skewer, alligator clip drying rack, so

simple but epic in this hobby.

jelliott523

 

 

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

LOL! I swipe a few from my office

 

 

Someone stole my stapler....

 

Bwahaha!!!

BTW...I just use regular ole masking tape to hold parts together, when needed.

It's already on hand, and I don't have to find room for any clamps or the like.

Dash8

Also god bless the person who invented the

styrofoam base, wooden skewer, alligator clip drying rack, so

simple but epic in this hobby.

I use rubber bands, sometimes bag clips, sometimes Scotch or masking tape. I've never tried it but you make me think of this. You could take two small blocks out of a 2X2 or whatever and saw a V into it. Place the V against the model and use small bar clamps on the outside flats. Clamping force can be modulated and the wood shouldn't mar the plastic. Sand small radii all around the wood to ensure no scratching or gouging of the plastic. 

Ok... here's another one I made myself that helps alot.  Couldn't afford those "helping hands" rigs that tend to sell for about $50-80 bucks so I decided to make one myself using a plastic Testor's bench vise, a couple of alligator clips, and a length of coat hanger.  I used a pair of pliers on the ends of the wire to "roughen" them up and then some epoxie putty to hold the alligator clips on tightly (for some reason, I tried solder but it never worked, not sure if I did something wrong or not).  Then clamped  the middle of the wire in the vise and bent the wire up and viola... instant helping hands.  Cost me about $3 for the vise and $1.50 for a pack of 10 alligator clips.  But what makes it even better is that I can break it down and store it in my toolbox when I don't need it! :)

Hi all ..like to share with you my home made painting base. .if you have the tamiya turn table paint bases .witch I feel there not big enough for the work I do (1/32scale )...last time I went to pet store I found a cat scratchin disc made from cardboard. It's coragated it's ..10 inches dyameter and 2 inch think ..I cut it in halve ..it splits apart easily into 1inch halves then take the turntable bottoms. And wedge them into the middle of the cardboard disc. .then do the same with the table ..same with the other stand ..now you have two large turn paint bases. .and also you have alot more holes to mount toothpick or lollipop sticks to hold parts ...it's open both sides great to paint on too ...pete

I shape clothes pins to fit what I need. It works pretty good and is a cheap alternative to buying hobby clamps and such. Some times a bag of rubber bands also can go a long way. Clothes pins also make a good stand for small parts holders.

I also shape clothespin ends to make them more useful clamps. I use two sizes- the real clothespins used to hang clothes, and the mini ones sold in many craft and hobby stores.  The later are a bit hard to saw, so I just hold the jaw end up to a disk sander.

Don Stauffer

I also shape clothespin ends to make them more useful clamps. I use two sizes- the real clothespins used to hang clothes, and the mini ones sold in many craft and hobby stores.  The later are a bit hard to saw, so I just hold the jaw end up to a disk sander.

 

I just grab the old dremel and have at it. I can shape a clothes pin in a matter of minutes.

Here's something I discovered while working on my C-3PO build a long time ago.  Say you need a little rod, but it needs to be turned on a lathe, take a piece of sprue and insert it into your dremal... viola... instant lathe.  Come in so handy! :)

LrdSatyr8

Here's something I discovered while working on my C-3PO build a long time ago.  Say you need a little rod, but it needs to be turned on a lathe, take a piece of sprue and insert it into your dremal... viola... instant lathe.  Come in so handy! :)

 

That's a good'n...used it several times.

Also...you can cut a "T" from the sprue, slap it in the Dremel and you have a paint stirrererer!

Another homemade tool...

I have a double ended pin vice...one side has a small needle, the other has a larger needle (for scribing, riveting, poking a starter hole for drilling, etc). One the flip side of the needles, I ground em down into a chisel...

It is actually very sharp and works great!

To dash8,

"wonder if velcro strips the kind for cables would work for holding

the fuselage together. Also god bless the person who invented the

styrofoam base, wooden skewer, alligator clip drying rack, so

simple but epic in this hobby."

I use self sticking Ace Bandage. I get it for free whenever I get my blood tested at the Doctor. They use it to hold the cotton ball on my arm after the needle goes in, but I'm sure you can buy it at the pharmacy store.  it's very handy as you just wrap it around the fsg or anything else and it sticks to itself very well and can be cut to any lenght or width needed.

Here's a great tip for scribing.  I have always been terrible at scribing, especially around curves (always end up scratching what I didn't want).  Anyway, a friend suggested something that ended up helping for scribing.  Remember those old punch labelers... the kind that had that thick plastic tape that you punched the letters into.  They still make those and the tape for them.  That TAPE comes in real handy for scribing as well.  Lay it down on the surface you want to scribe and it will stay there.  Then use it as a straight edge for your scribing tool of choice.  Comes in real handy and is an essential tool to my modeling toolbox!

LrdSatyr8

Here's a great tip for scribing.  I have always been terrible at scribing, especially around curves (always end up scratching what I didn't want).  Anyway, a friend suggested something that ended up helping for scribing.  Remember those old punch labelers... the kind that had that thick plastic tape that you punched the letters into.  They still make those and the tape for them.  That TAPE comes in real handy for scribing as well.  Lay it down on the surface you want to scribe and it will stay there.  Then use it as a straight edge for your scribing tool of choice.  Comes in real handy and is an essential tool to my modeling toolbox!

 

Yep, the tape is called Dymo Tape, I have beed using it for years.

I've used the Dymo tape too, and also small pieces of vacumn cleaner belt works well as a guide for scribing too.

Gary

Until something heavy falls on it and breaks it.... Not the most ideal material for an airbrush spray booth especially with an exhaust fan attached to it. But hey, if it works for you.

Here's a handy tip: I use coat hanger for everything when I need a third helping hand to hang something for spraying paint from a can, or from an airbrush. HOSE CLAMPS for automotive use are an alternative for gluing BIG fuselages together. This is easier to use than holding them with your hands, and no solvents to melt the plastic, or messy fillers, or sticky adhesives left behind from tape leaching into them after being glued.

I use masking tape for holding fuselages together until the glue dries.  Assemble your fuselage as you normally would - hold it together, then put your tape onto the seam in several places so that you don't have to worry about conforming to all the different shapes of it. Then open it up again, and then CAREFULLY add your glue to the edge of the fuselage so that this will hold it in the exact spot with the correct alignment.

Popcicle sticks, rubber bands toothpicks, razor blades, sandpaper, and small styrene pieces, and old credit/debit cards are indispensible for modeling, and repairing things around the house. I melt styrene pieces in acetone to fill holes, or small imperfections in plastic models, or to smooth uneven spots, or sometimes I use it to glue two things together in large sheets. Tweezers, cotton swabs, old T-shirts, and jeans, broken appliances for wire, LEDs, old computers for the same including small parts - capacitors, transformers, wire, chips/cards with gold trim, the bread boards that they're attached to for scratch building. I use all kinds of things for the support for cutting mats - wood boards, small aluminum sheets that I cut down to credit card size for gluing small projects, scraping, paint mixing, etc. Name it - I've tried it, or made/make it for better modeling effects. Also, Harbour Freight has some amazing tools like dental picks, and the like for scribing, and other tools that you can easily modify.

~ Cobra Chris

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Until something heavy falls on it and breaks it.... Not the most ideal material for an airbrush spray booth especially with an exhaust fan attached to it. But hey, if it works for you. 

I thought that too, but surprisingly it's quite strong!  I was surprised at how sturdy and solid it feels as well.  I have reinforced the inner fan area with a couple of pieces of foam board and it is quite solid!  I remember a friend of mine once made a chair out of nothing but cardboard once.  Just glued a few layers together and it was as strong and solid as wood and he still has it... it's quite functional too!  You'd be surprised at what little is actually needed! :)

And I totally agree with you Chris about wire coat hangers!  My ex wife used to hate them, but I use them for just about everything!  From making my own tools, to making support rods, solder an alligator clip on one end and you've got a nifty part holder.  I even made myself a home made set of helping hands using coat hanger wire, a couple of soldered on alligator clips and an old testor's suction bench vise.  Comes in handy for soldering cuircit boards.  I've used them for skeletons for figures as well.  That wire really comes in handy.

Here's a good tip... Old ribbon cables from older computers have some very good small wires in them for all kinds of projects.  Just separate the ribbon wires from each other and strip them bare for use in all kinds of things!

LrdSatyr8

 

 

Here's a good tip... Old ribbon cables from older computers have some very good small wires in them for all kinds of projects.  Just separate the ribbon wires from each other and strip them bare for use in all kinds of things!

 

Telephone cables too!  Many years ago I came to work in the morning, and they had rewired the telephone lines in our office.  The trash bin had about a dozen lengths of that telephone cable, about an inch in diameter, that has a couple dozen twisted pairs.  When I left that night I had an armful of lengths of that stuff, about two to four foot lengths. I told the gate guard they were in the scrap bins and it did indeed look like scrap, so he let me take it out.  I still have one short length of the stuff left.

I wondered where those went .LOL.LOL.LOL. Great idea .Those cheap garage sale or flea market types are the best for that , I agree .  T.B.

No Pics ;

 But I can explain it easy .Take storm door springs and staple them to the inside of the stand between the LEGO elements . Put in ship and slightly twist the coils together .

  This holds them closed and the LEGO gives the strength you need to drill , punch or whatever on the deck .The springs act mainly as shock absorbers for all this . The LEGO stabilizes it against side to side movement .

 You can also glue foam ( soft ) to the LEGO with white glue to cushion a painted ship . Just leave it loose over the coils .      T.B.

TB, I have to confess that I have no idea what your last post is talking about. LEGO elements? The stand?

I think maybe an earlier paragraph got left out.

I agree with jt... TB... I believe this calls for a photo or two for verification of what it is you're trying to describe there about the LEGOS!

Don Stauffer

Telephone cables too!  Many years ago I came to work in the morning, and they had rewired the telephone lines in our office.  The trash bin had about a dozen lengths of that telephone cable, about an inch in diameter, that has a couple dozen twisted pairs.  When I left that night I had an armful of lengths of that stuff, about two to four foot lengths. I told the gate guard they were in the scrap bins and it did indeed look like scrap, so he let me take it out.  I still have one short length of the stuff left.

I like the ribbon cable ones over the telephone wire ones because the ribbon cable wires are a solid core single wire.  The Telephone wires are like 50 wires wrapped and spun together.  Oh... but that reminds me.  If ever you run across an old alternator... take it apart and rip the wires out of it... those resin coated wires are all solid core and are great for all kinds of projects.  You can also find them in old worn out ceiling fans.  If you still want some small gauge solid core wire, do what alot of us do and burn the plastic/paper off a twist tie.  They come in various sizes and are always useful for projects!  A last resort is bending paperclips straight.  They are great for simulating piping but not so great for electronics.  Always make sure to paint them too because they will tarnish and lose their "sheen" after bending... don't know why!

Old radios and tvs are good sources of magnet wire, the solid varnish or resin coated stuff.  All the transformers and coils are wound with that stuff- different coils or transformers have different size wires.  The power transformers have large diameter stuff, the signal coils like tuning and interstage transformers have very fine stuff.  That is about the only place you find the fine stuff these days, most electronics catalogs do not offer fine magnet wire these days.

The varnish or resin coated stuff is essentially pre-primed- it will hold paint fine, without priming.

I agree... it's next to impossible to find that stuff anymore.  I remember when I was a kid my family used to buy me all those cool little electronic project kits from Radio Shack.  One of them was an alarm that used a magnetic coil.  I still have that coil (don't know what happened to the rest of it) but I've used that wire for tons of stuff over the years.  Comes in so handy for little things!

One good source of really fine wire is a pair of earbuds. They cost less than $5.00, and are available all over the place. Strip the insulation off the wire and pull out the individual strands. One pair of earbuds will give you enough wire to last years.