The tool list...

Dental picks Help.......

It depends on what you're modeling. Here's some stuff I have that I use a lot...

1. Drafting pen for applying liquid cement.
2. Calipers for measuring thickness.
3. A couple of different sized hobby knifes. Oops you have that!
4. Precision sanding disc.
5. Chopper (Think made by NWSL)
6. A mirror that i put super glue on before I apply it with a hobby knife or pin.
7. Hand vise. Drill for very small drill pits.
8. Several different kinds of a vice. (No, I'm not talking about drinking or smoking).
9. Airbrush and paint booth.
10. Flexible sander.

Hmmm nothing else comes to mind at the moment. Hope that helps.

Make friends with a dentist, if that's possible, and get some of his discarded dental tools. I've found the ones I have invaluable for numerous applications.
Dick McC

I had thought about the dentist picks...

I ended up picking up an 8 pack of them on Ebay...for like 5.50 shipped...gotta be happy with that...

I am curious what y'all are paying for 800, 1000, 1200, 1500, and 2000 grit sand paper...is three bucks for 10 sheets too high?

Two questions on your list David Waples...what is a Chopper, and a flexible sander? Is that like the dremel attachment? Or would that bea precision sanding disk?

And, what attachments for your dremel tool do you find the most valuable?

I think we're missing 'tweezers'. I use em all the time...

After trying to paint my Community Build Project F-18 with a brush, I am REALLY appreciating my airbrush. This is rapidly becoming one of my most appreciated tools...

M.

I have a nice page that shows most of the tools I use.

It's here: http://www.naplak.com/modeling/articles/my_tools.htm

There are also some notes on where I got thigns.

naplak.com/modeling

Tweezers , you must have tweezers and a few clamps. As you get into modeling a need for a certain tool will arise & you will buy it . You also need steel scales. Alot of items you will find that you can use are probaly lurking around the house & also there is a company known as "micromark" which is a excellent source for modeling tools. Jamest

if you can, get to know someone in the medical profession...you can get the hemostats (they look like scissors that when you close them, they stay closed...very invaluable) and you can get needles - I cant tell you how many times I have used needles for pretty much everything (toobing, antenne, gun barrels, etc)
Oh, and if you know someone in to music, guitar strings come in handy as well (for mixing paint, and detailing models) It will get to the point that you see something and realize that it would make a perfect model accessory (either part or tool)..hope this helps

Man this thread is, well for lack of a better word in my current adelled brain's state...awesome.

Y'all have stepped up and given me the ideas and notions for my very own workbench..

This weekend I'm gonna start construction on building my workbench for modeling, and some other hobbies I have laying around...LOL

Ebay Ebay Ebay...I've got a 4 pack of dental picks along with a 4 pack of tweezers coming to my door for under 6 bucks shipped. Another pair of hemostats (locking scizzor tweezers) coming for under 4...

God I love ebay...I even managed to pick up a bunch of models for $1 plus shipping..average shipping 3-4 bucks..AWESOME

Soon, my model room will be ready..I'll get y'all some pics then..

What makes me laugh is while I'm going through things in that back bedroom (storage room to be more exact - being converted to work area) is as I'm going through boxes of stuff...I get ready to throw something away, then think...hmmm...I bet I can use that..and into the 'spares' box it goes...ROFL

Sears has these rachet clamps that you can use to keep things like fuselages or wings clamped tight- but not too tight. I use the big ones for fuselages, and the small ones for things like horizontal stabilizers. Easy to use-- squeeze them to clamp- and then hit the red button to release the spring....they are invaluable to me :)

I also use a mini Swiss Army knife-- I use the scissors to trim out decals, the small tweezers for small parts, and the toothpick for setting up decals or pushing small parts into place.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jeeves I also use a mini Swiss Army knife-- I use the scissors to trim out decals, the small tweezers for small parts, and the toothpick for setting up decals or pushing small parts into place.

I guess that would make you the MacGuyver of Modeling?

ROFL

Thanks for the tip on the clamps...I'll have to look into them...Especially since I've been making dollar bids on Ebay on some armor and aircraft...

Figure for between 3 and 5 dollars shipped to my house per model It's hard to beat. LOL...thusfar I've managed to pick upsome luftwaffe ground crew, some USAF ground crew from WWII, some accessories for war stuff, barrells, sandbags, signs, barbed wire (etc...), a toyota starter truck, a mig 27, f16, A10, a mitsubishi zero, (all the previous in 1/72 scale), and some cars...

I guess with all that stuff I oughta do some sort of Jap dio using the starter truck, zero and accessories...maybe give it a jungle background, runway going off the edge...with the zero and starter truck under a camo net...hmmm...that would be interesting...

Beauty is, none of teh models have cost me more than $5 shipped to my door...three of the planes, and all the figurines will end up costing me less than $3 to my door...hehe...I sure do love Ebay....

just being curious what subject s are you going to model cars planes ships trains? I myself do warships & trains sometimes depending on what you are modeling sets the reguiement for certain tools that in other subjects may not be needed . For example I use a portable electric screw driver with a chuck & put round rods of styrerne and use it as a small lathe and file & sand them into a taper to make gun barrels, but then say someone who does cars or trucks etc may never need use of this. Anyway good luck and enjoy

See that's the thing...

I plan on doing mainly old school cars..muscle cars and hot rods...eventually I want to be completely customizing the cars...chopping the roof lines insome cases, etc..etc.. Primarily in drag racing mode..

For warbirds and such, WWII prop planes mainly...

The biggest thing is I'm planning on working all my models into dio's..eventually...LOL.

I haven't decided where my subject will end up eventually...I'm working it from different angles and seeing what I enjoy the most...but I'll probably stick with hot rods and warbirds...doing armor and such only occasionally.

I'm brand new to the hobby....so I'm looking at everything..and seeing what I enjoy the most...( I would guess cars...but never know..LOL)

that's whats great about all this ,the sky is the limit & whatever you want to do is entirely up to you & nobody else what works for someone else may not for you etc & you will make mistakes & that is how one learns. i am in the process of tearing apart models of ships I did way back in the 60's because now I have more experiance and techniques I can make them look better.I also have some model cars that I intend to refurbish @ a later date so for now I will strip them in brake fluid so I can later airbrush them instead of brush paint. anyway LOL & remember there is never such thing as a stupid question. no one has all the answears but someone may have an answear that you need. jamest

serraded edge blades for an exacto knife. I bought some a couple of years ago, I thought they looked helpful. They have been invaluable. Kinda hard to find though.

I keep four Xacto knives going at all times. Two have #11 blades: One is used for what I call "general cutting," such as removing parts from the sprue or scraping away excess plastic. The other always has a new blade for more precision cutting such as decals. (I regularly switch the blade from the "new" knife to the "general cutting" knife, discarding the old "general cutting" blade; that way the blade in the "new" knife is always at its sharpest.) A third also has a very dull #11 blade that I use as a putty knife. The fourth has the curved (#10) blade that is useful for awkward angles where the #11 blade is difficult to use. The ends of the handles are each painted a different color for easy identification.

For heavier duty cutting, I keep a larger Xacto knife with a #2 blade (it looks like an oversize #11 blade). I also keep a few kinds of saws on hand also: a small hacksaw for cutting PVC pipe called a "Tiny Tim" (I got mine at the plant nursery I used to work at), a razor saw and some saw blades that fit into a larger Xacto knife handle. I rarely use saws, but when I want one...

While we're on the subject of tools, does anyone know where I can get a GOOD small wire cutters for cutting tiny wire? I have a regular size one which works OK but it's too clumsy and heavy for precision work. I have a small pair, but the dang thing is so cheap the metal it's made of is like butter! It won't cut; the soft metal just "scrunches" out of shape!

I find wooden coffee stirrers to be quite a versatile tool, for applying putties and mixing paints.

Rowdymon,

Since you seem to be on eBay as much as I am (LOL) try looking there for an airbrush. Killer deal? About a month ago on eBay, I got two airbrushes - a Paasche VL, a Vega (Thayer & Chandler) and an old Sears compressor in a lot for $62.00 including shipping. They were used with no accessories but in excellent condition. Kits, tools, whatever - you can find it if you look.

hi , for those in the uk or oversears i would visit Proops Brothers web site best deals in the country go to http://www.proopbrothers.com , no assoc with them cheers ian

toothpicks cotton swabs,masking tape,scotch tape alot of household items such as these can be of great help.I usally browse through hardware stores & generally end up getting something useful. Also a good magnifiying glass can come in handy. You will be amazed how quick your tool collection will grow. Even clothes pins make good glueing clamps

Low tack masking tape, hobby sticks (popsicle sticks without the popsicle!), small pair of sharp scissors, clothespins for everything, construction paper and saran wrap. Add this to all the other stuff presented so far and you have a fair approximation of most of the stuff on my bench. -Ed

Don't forget:
liquid mask,
flexible sanding bands,
rubber faced clamps,
bare metal foil for masking,
shot glass (turned upside down for holding super glue),
in place of the dental probes I use a piece of dowel with a straight pin glued into the end,
but most of all a good filter mask and air circulation for fume control.

And if things get too complicated, the shot glass can be used as it was intended--for mixing a good stiff drink!

Tools of the trade... it is like being an mechanic ( I know I am one ) ...You can never have too many tools

I use a heat gun to soften up the plastis.... Makes it easier to shape, and when making custom headers, makes it real easy to bend, the heat gun doesn't melt the plastic as fast and un controlably as a candle!!!!

Great thread!

I'm looking for advice on the best method for modifying a fuselage. In this case it will be the Hasegawa F-8E, which I want to convert to the D model. I have the Cutting Edge resin to do the replacement, but I'm not really sure of the best way to cut the plastic, and the resin, so that they accurately mate.

I think I'm looking for advice on just what is the best cutting tool, and method of using it, to assure nice clean and true cuts.

Thanks for the help,

Pish

toothpicks

 

 old thread, my bad