what are good supplies for modeling

I use the panel line scribe from Squadron for a whole lot of stuff not just panel line scribing.

Files: round, fine needle tipped are broad purpose tools as well. Flat ones are useful for some stuff too, but the round ones are the most useful.

Those white, hard plastic drawer organizers by Rubbermaid that hook together are good for airbrush baths (and paint removal baths) with alcohol, water or mineral spirits. I don't think I'd do a lacquer thinner bath in one of those though.

For harsher chemical baths for metal airbrush parts in chemicals such as Turpentine or lacquer, I use a Red Lobster condiment cup... It's the ceramic one that you're not supposed to walk out with.

Cuticle scissors (from the cosmetics section) are good for lots of masking tape situations.

A very slim, mini flathead screwdriver for getting Gundam model parts apart if you like to dry fit before doing all the gluing, seam sanding & all that. Don't use needle files for stuff like this, or you'll break the tips off instantly.

About 20 gator clips (aka roach clips). A styrofoam block to put sticks in for mounting the gator clips.

Different masking tapes even though Tamiya tape is the best. I don't like using the Tamiya stuff for everything... only for the masking jobs where only the best will do.

Regular size vice grips to get the lids off of used Testors, Gunze and Tamiya paint jars.

A bunch of q-tips.

My tackle box holds stuff like airbrush bottles, pipettes, pipe cleaners, Micro Mesh polishing stuff (3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 and 12,000 grit), 220, 400, 600, 1000, and 1500 grit sandpaper, chalk pastels: a gray set and an earth set, sheet styrene and other scratchbuilding varieties. I heard that some people use tackle boxes for fishing.

It doesn't even need to be said... Xacto knife. Every time I put it down, I'm about to pick it right back up.

I use a shallow drawer organizer for a bunch of the common tools. A deep drawer organizer (such as a silverware drawer thing) would be a hassle. Shallow keeps everything a lot more visible. If you find one with rounded bottom inner edges, it makes grabbing tools out of it easier than cornered off edges.

I have a deluxe sort of divided pencil cup for Pigma Micron pens & watercolor pencils in one half and natural brushes in the other half of it. I store the pens tip down and the pencils tip up.

I bent a coat hanger in the perfect fashion for holding 1/24 car bodies from the inside while airbrushing. Its base is a regular metal electric guitar neck bolt plate. I can let a car dry upright on it, or I can hang it upside down from a shelf.

HEY,
Wow this guy has set you up with the works.lol Hes got pretty much everything.

You would also want to get some toothpicks, both round and flat, plus the empty boxes make aawsome storage for spare parts.

A drmel, probably with a cord, although it is up to you. I have a corded one with the stand and the little snake thingy so you dont have to hold the whole thing to do detailed sanding and such.. Gets ome spare cutting disks and sanding heads, and some small drill bits for it, youll need em some time.

Some nice liquid model glue.

A pair of small sharp scissors for cutting decals. I like scissors better than using the hobby knife.

I have a tupperware box for my current projecys so i can take them out of the box and have more room.

Some good paintbrushes.

Randy

I have a Dremel too. I just haven't gotten around to shopping for good attachments to use on plastic. The regular Dremel bits seem to be for nothing but wood, metal or other hard stuff. I sure would like to find a way to attach Micromesh to something like a buffing wheel & use that on the Dremel.

Tweezers are another tool I somehow left out of my earlier message. Pointed tweezers are the only ones I use. The flat ended ones and the eyebrow ones that I have don't ever get used.

For chalk pastel applicators, I use those Testors plastic brushes with blue 3M tape around the bristles. The tape holds the brush together tight & stiff with just a millimeter or two of brush sticking out. So, there is one use for those white handle brushes.

I have more to add but to tired right now so I will post it tomorrow. I know Online buying isnt good, but if it is absolutely not an option then ignore what I am going to say next....
Most of what we talk about here in terms of tools many of us have ordered because most LHS's dont have them in consistent stock... plus most come from over seas so you are at their mercy. If you would reconsider about online ordering you might have a better go at it.
Ok I will give ya a list tomorrow.
-Jeff

HEY,
Also, alot of the stuff we use is just stuff we find at random places by accident, or stu we have made ourselves. It may take time to get all the stuff but what i usualy do is get it as i need it.

Randy

add a dremel I cant model without it. I prefer scalpals over xacto, a glass or plastic jar to hold brushes. Sprue snippers. Extra hands with magnifyer lens. workbench mounted light with its own switch. I fan to keep yaself cool. Future floor wax, nail polish remover. Squadron white putty. Putty applicator spatula.
Add all that to the list on the first post and you should be rocking.

HEY,
To hold my brushes, i hav an old soda can with the top cut off and cleaned out. I painted a desin on it just so i didnt have a mountain dew can lying around. I took straws that i had gotten from mcdonalds(i work there) and cut them to fit inside the can and filled the can with straws standing on end. Now there is a place for you brushes to go into, and it works prety cool, and dont cost nothin. Im thinking of just going to wal-mart and buying that thing thy have there by testors that has the revolving paint tray with the brush holder in the middle. Not sure though.


Randy

I have an old wooden coffee table that I work on, on top of that I have a round piece of marble/masonite that is about 15 inches or so in diameter, I use that to cut all my parts on etc etc, glue won't stick to it, paint cleans off easily.. etc etc etc...
ahh yes Pastel chalks for weathering...
Both liquid and regular model glue, you can also get these little tiny brushes to apply your liquid glue with, also there are tips that they make to put over the top of your regular glue so you can get more precise in applying glue.
Dremel, Airbrush and air compressor...
Piece of glass about 15 inches square to set your model instructions underneath.
A variety of artist brushes(just the cheapy ones even don't really need anything that expensive) to apply pastles when you are weathering.

HEY,
And some sort of drink to keep you awake on those long nites you stay up till midnight working on your model. I prefer jolt soda, but some people drink cokee or mountain dew.lol

Randy

Don't forget dust covers, especially if you have a cat in the house (like me) or if you're a little bit lazy about keeping the house clean (ditto) or if you live on or near a busy street (once again, ditto, at least until I moved to a new apartment on a much quieter street). I have a variety of little containers for that purpose--the tiniest subassemblies go into one of those seven-day pill containers; slightly larger ones go into the little plastic covered cups that you get when you do take-out food (clean the cups, of course), and I have a variety of larger containers that I upturn over larger subassemblies. These range in size from sour cream containers to an old motel room ice bucket. My favorite dust cover? A (clean!) hospital vomit tray that my respiratory therapist friend once gave me! Its unusual kidney shape fits around multiple or awkwardly-shaped subassemblies. Indeed, I use this tray more than any other dust cover and have wished I had a second one.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jim Barton A (clean!) hospital vomit tray that my respiratory therapist friend once gave me! Its unusual kidney shape fits around multiple or awkwardly-shaped subassemblies.

And your collection will be complete once you get a bedpan.

This is a list of tools that I have:spure clippers works better then fingernail clippers.Xcato knife set and plenty of blades,all sorts and sizes;because you don't know what you might run into.Clamps and rubber bands.Tape all sorts and sizes.Wire plires can find at wal-mart real handy.Hot knife and soder iron.Sanding sticks,paper and belts with stick can find in hobby shop-testor makes them.Pilers one adjustible the other regular for paint jars.Putty knife from cosmeditics kit.Glues all assortment and types.Pastels and water colors for weathering.Paint cups and snap containers small for assoried reasons.Assorment of paint brushes,all different shapes and sizes[lots of them,you can not ever have too many].Two lights,one with magnifier and desk top with storage to put brushes in.Big assorment bine for paint and extra parts.Airbrush and lots of mixing jars also compressor.Assorment of paintsand puttys.This is about it untill I go to a hobby shop and fine something else I can use.Digger
P.S.forgot the twizzers a good assorment.

A small swivel vise is also an excellent complement to the rotary tool.
A big enough paint rack is also a must.
The support to hang the rotary tool when using the flexi-shaft.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Errex A small swivel vise is also an excellent complement to the rotary tool. A big enough paint rack is also a must. The support to hang the rotary tool when using the flexi-shaft.

Yes a paint rack is exactly what I'm wishing I had. I am shopping for spice racks for that purpose, but I think I can fill 3 average spice racks with the paint that I have. I'll probably be building one. Maybe I'll finally get to use my Dremel for something besides the four pilot holes I drilled for airbrush hangers.

I can only add to the above a pin vise and a good set of mini-drill bits. Great not only for making holes, of course, but giving realism to gun/cannon muzzles, exhausts, tubes, etc.

OK, here goes...

1. X-acto
2. Scalpel
3. Small decal scissors
4. Small, shallow condiment cups from Long John Silvers (thanks, guys), perfect for mixing paint
5. 5 min. epoxy in the two-part squeeze syringe
6. TONS of super glue
7. Plastic welding glue (Tenax)
8. Testor's liquid glue
9. Tweezers of various sizes (be sure to have one that closes itself for decaling)
10. Toothpicks
11. Tack cloth (for removing dust from models before painting)
12. Electric Cup warmer (for keeping decal water nice 'n warm)
13. 91% Isopropyl alcohol
14. Lead fishing weights (for nose cone weight)
15. Sewing thread (for cutting plastic)
16. Self-healing cutting mat (VERY handy!)
17. Blocks of styrofoam for holding ordnance placed on toothpicks during painting
18. Every kind of paint brush you could imagine
19. Clothes pins (for clamping F-14 wings together during gluing)
20. Tape (Tamiya masking, Scotch, 3M blue painters)
21. Post-Its for masking
22. Rulers (plastic see-through, steel)
23. Syringes for applying liquid glue
24. Cotton squares
25. Q-tips
26. Pastel chalks
27. Dremel tool
28. White cotton gloves (for keeping fingerprints off of canopies)
29. Old t-shirts (for buffing metalizers, general clean-up)
30. Bondo spot glazing putty
31. Scribing tools (scratch knife, Squadron scribing tool)
32. Paint mixing plate
33. Pliers
32. Wire cutters (dykes)
33. Putty spatula
34. Plastic clamps of various sizes
35. Rubber bands
36. Foam core board as a work surface
37. Distilled water (decals)
38. Windex (for cleaning up acrylic paint, stripping future)
39. Mineral spirits
40. Lacquer thinner
41. Castrol Super Clean (for stripping paint)
42. Needles for pitot tubes
43. Straight pins (for pinning on horizontal stabs)
44. Various sizes of wire (for attaching ordnance, simulating brake lines, hoses)
45. Various grits of wet/dry sandpaper
46. Tissue paper (for fashioning pitot tubes)
47. Paper towels
48. Makeup sponge (for blotting water from decals)
49. Pin vise and small drill bits
50. Small plastic medicine cups (for washes)
51. Nail polish remover (for cleaning/thinning putty)
52. Drafter's eraser shield
53. Micro point Sharpies
54. .03 mm Kohinoor pencil for panel lines
55. Dishwashing liquid (1 drop to decal water, washing plastic parts)
56. Eye droppers (for transferring paint, thinners)
57. Various sizes of thin drafting tape (for masking stripes on missiles)
58. FUTURE!!
59. Food color (for tinting future for instrument dials)
60. Elmer's glue (for gap-filling, attaching canopies)
61. Testor's clear parts cement
62. Heavy duty scissors
63. Soda cans (cut in strips and used for seatbelts)
64. Vinegar
65. MicroSet and MicroSol
66. Piece of glass
67. Needle files
68. Brass tubing of various sizes (for scratch-building 30mm cannons, radome antennae, etc.)

I haven't even scratched the surface, and from this list, I could open my own general store!
Just got tired of typing!
Most of this stuff is ultra cheap and in many cases, free! You can get most of this stuff
at local stores like Lowe's, Wal-Mart, local hobby shop, etc.

HEY,
That is alot of stuff, and like he said, hes not even scratching the surface. Not counting the numerous paints you need, airbrush and compressor, and anything you find useful.

Randy

Hey Panzer,

You have gotten a lot of suggestions which are all fantastic. You must remember that to be careful what you ask for because you just might get it. The only tjing I can add is use your imagination when it comes to deciding what you need for your shop as problems can be solved in many different ways and are not that expensive.

Richard

OH and a couple more of the most important items.... SAFETY ITEMS!!!!
A good set of safety glasses and fans and face masks to ensure that you aren't breathing the fumes of the paints you paint and the glues you use....
The Safety Glasses will come in handy for when you are using the dremel modeling is supposed to be fun, but its not supposed to be dangerous to your health!

HEY,
Ya i dont wear glasses but i always get hit in the face by flying plastic and if a cutting disk breaks, those things fly right at you at about a hundred miles per hour, so i too suggest glasses for when your are using your dremel.

Randy

One thing I have not seen is those micro-brushes. They come in hand for cleaning airbrush and gluing in small tight ares. I think they are a must. Most of us don't get everything right away. It accumalates over time and when money comes available. I still don't even have half of what some of these guys have. If you on-line buy just check here first too see if they serve you well.

QUOTE: Originally posted by dubix88 HEY, if a cutting disk breaks, those things fly right at you at about a hundred miles per hour, so i too suggest glasses for when your are using your dremel.

Oh, yeah. I got those even before the rotary tool. What I should get is one of those particle masks too, since sanding with it produces an incredibly fine dust too.

HEY,
I have found that sanding the plastic doesnt make too much dust, seeing as the sanding disks and even the cutting wheels tend to kinda melt the plastic while sanding or cutting and it all sticks together and flys off and hits your face and burns, cuz it is very hot.lol You should get a good respirator too for spraying anyway. Make sure it is one of the ones that have the disk filters on it and lock over your mouth and nose.

Randy

Randy

I wish Dremels spun the other way, where they'd throw the junk away from ya if you're a right-hander. I can't get used to holding a tool in the left hand with the part in the right hand.

HEY,
They make a clear plastic deflector sheild that goes over the head of the dremel, but they are kinda cheap and inhibit the usability of the dremel. O know usability isnt a word but i cant think of the right word.lol I just hold the dremel and part near my chest and most of it hits my shirt.

Randy

QUOTE: Originally posted by jdavidb I wish Dremels spun the other way, where they'd throw the junk away from ya if you're a right-hander. I can't get used to holding a tool in the left hand with the part in the right hand.

Heh, nice to know I'm not the only one. I just got the thing last week, and was wondering if I was doing anything wrong, since I continually got hit by small bits of pewter.

The good thing about its spin direction is that it's correct for drilling with drill bits. So, it would have to be reversible in order to stop throwing stuff at us. I guess they'd charge us for two Dremels if such a model had that feature.

HEY,
With my luck id get so used to having it go one way that when i went to go drill a hole, id turn it on the wrong way and just burn a whole in the plastuc.lol

Randy

Dremel will just have to make special reversed drill bits and charge $8 a piece for them.