Hi Ya'll;
In talking with Greg in another thread, it got me to thinking( I know Dangerous, for sure). Anyway, I thought I would mention this. I have tools for models that come from a variety of sources. Many are quite common. The usual of course from The local Hardware Emporium or such. Saws, Regular Pliars, Channellocks, Screwdrivers from the teensy ones in sets along with some that have no hobby use(Who needs a screwdriver to use for modeling that's over a foot long with a 1/4 shaft?).
Saws, Well from the normal X-Acto ones to Japan saws of different thicknesses and TPI to little P.E. Ones that work quite well. Then there's the Saws Greg and I talked about. Like a coping saw but so fine and with blades that are round, spiral toothed and used a lot by Wood Carving Hobbyists. Theres, alse diamond blades ( Metal Blades infused with Commercial Diamond Dust for Glass cutting. They will clog with plastic, but not Wood, or Metal if not used agressively.
Stained Glass Hobbyists have a set of pliars that have a padded Slightly bent jaw for breaking small pieces of glass and another with straight jaw on one side and a curved one on the other for the same(Groziers) They are great for doing breaks on Plexi or Plastic thicker than .030. Yes, I also use Scroll saw blades with handles on both ends.(Don't have bench room for all those power tools.)
Now, on the hole making side there's the ubiquitus Hobby drills, Many victims of the carpet monster to ones big enough to drill a 1.5 inch hole in a piece of steel. You will find here that the hobby drills are available through Micro-Mark. there are others that you can get from Glass hobby sites and on and on.
Files? Now here's a sticker in my craw. Everyone has seen the nice little round, triangular, flat and flat with a half round obverse side and a half round with a blank flat side. Nice little files. Why is it ,that no one, makes a small enough cleaning tool for them? Plus Rifflers(From Woodworking, by the way). There are file units with and without Handles. That spear on the end or round plain area is supposed to be tapped down into a handle to make working with them better. Try to find handles that small!
Paint Brushes. If our models are big enough we can Bob Ross our way through weathering and regular painting, especially camo on those 1/16 Armor Kits! The rest, well ,you can go to synthetics for cheap, ( I don't recommend them for any model work). Or buy High and middle end brushes of all shapes and sizes. then Buy some Evergreen tubing. Now all those fine and regular round brushes. After cleaning and use (Make sure you double clean,) making sure no paint even comes out of the ferrule(The part holding the bristles) If you do this and shape the brush back to it's original shape then slide a Tubing piece on that is Long enough to cover it plus a quarter inch. Always form ALL brushs back to their original shape and store bristles up in a glass(weighted Bottom) or jar for future use in a dust free place.
Air Brushes, Can't say too much here. There's many types and you have to chose the A.B. and compressor and booth right for you.
Punches? Well, lets just say there are many out there . From the hobby ones sold in Hobby Mags and the good wood punches and metal ones from Ace Hardware, Or Home Depot. herein comes another tool. The Hammer you use. Most of these punches need a hard rubber or some kind of plastic head in which to hit your punch with. A bare steel head will damage the impacted end. If you are using many of the Hobby style punches then the little double headed hammers,(They look like a kid's toy) Will do. I have even used a simple block of some scrap hardwood for a hammer(It doesn't hurt the punch or your precious digits!
Lastly! A work surface. Now You can use a well made folding Table as I do in the winter. Solid bench in the summer! The actual surface for the work is Corian from Fifty years ago and it was a stove cutout. You can use anything like that. Cover it with a cutting matt of your color and choosing. I like the "Self-Healing" ones I get from Joannes.Their use even extends to the new rotary knives that are now in use in papercraft and sewing!