Jump to content

invaluable modeling tools


Recommended Posts

Hello Modeler!

Title says it all. Show and tell us about a tool (or technique) you came up with or found thats makes your modeling life a little easier. :)

I'll start. Mine is just flat sanding area. I use it all the time. All it is a piece of 1/4 masonite (about 8X8in) with a sheet of sandpaper glued to it. It great for cleaning up resin parts, weapon halves, wheel halves. Hell, I even used it on fuselage halves. Use any grit you want. I get some 320 or 400 on mine and I used Super 77 to glue it down.

IMG_9335.jpg

Share your invaluable modeling tools!

Steven L :)

Edited by FAR148
Link to post
Share on other sites
..., and beer. Beer is a crucial for all my problem solving.

Damn, what a good idea. Can't figure out why I didn't think of that one myself...

As for my invaluable modeling tool, I picked up one of those 'pick up thingies' with a sticky point, to get hold of little parts. That thing probably cuts building time in half for ham fisted people like me. Next time I'm in the shop, I'll bring a few more(because I haven't found anything to counter my 'misplacing stuff' habit yet).

Link to post
Share on other sites

We call it "Liquid Courage." However, when it comes to modeling, (as far as me anyway) it should be called "f--k up juice!" Of course that's only when consumed prior to airbrushing, gluing parts together, using sharp instruments, applying decals, etc.

If I have to pick one item, it would be those little syringes used by diabetic folks to give themselves insulin shots. I have a friend that uses them, so I have pretty much an endless supply.

I use these little syringes for:

1. Applying Tenax or M.E.K. to seams

2. Putting Tenax or M.E.K. into my Touch-N-Flow (I can't seem to do it according to direction!)

3. Applying any thin liquid into tight areas

4. Pitot tubes

NOTE: These little guys are really sharp. Make sure that you either keep the cover on or put a piece of styrofoam on the needle to cover it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

3M U-Line plastic Tape. I think it's the best kept secret in modelling! This stuff is a must-have for any masking project.

A blue vinyl plastic tape that is highly conformable and is excellent for masking off curved surfaces and tight-radius corners.

Provides an excellent, sharp edge

Highly conformable for hard-to-mask shapes

Excellent for masking over rivets

Seriously, you could mask a spiral with this stuff. It comes in 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" and 1".

Aaron

Link to post
Share on other sites
3M U-Line plastic Tape. I think it's the best kept secret in modelling! This stuff is a must-have for any masking project.

A blue vinyl plastic tape that is highly conformable and is excellent for masking off curved surfaces and tight-radius corners.

Provides an excellent, sharp edge

Highly conformable for hard-to-mask shapes

Excellent for masking over rivets

Seriously, you could mask a spiral with this stuff. It comes in 1/4", 1/2", 3/4" and 1".

Aaron

Do you have a photo or a product number? Is U-Line part of the name on the package? A web search didn't find anything, and this looks interesting.

Stacey

Link to post
Share on other sites

Micromesh Sanding kit, this has proven invaluable to me over the years. It's a milspec item I used alot during my days as a microminiature solder tech in the Navy. It's most common use is for sanding out nicks and dings from real aircraft canopies. The kit consists of different grits of latex backed emory cloth that graduate from 200 grit all the way down to 12000grit. The 12000 grit is so fine it actually feels like skin. It also has a rubber sanding block, a bottle of static nuetral plastic polish with a very fine grit in it and a polishing cloth. I have two of these and one of them I use exclusively for clear plastic the other for every other color of plastic. I do this because although the sheets do clean easily, the cloth sanding sheets do pick up minute amounts of the colored plastic dust, and can make a nick in a canopy even more noticeable by adding the colored dust into the sanded area. This is the best way I have ever found to clean up a messed up kit canopy. One of these kits and a bottle of Future and you'll have no worries about clear parts ever again. The sanding cloths last a VERY LONG time as a matter of fact I don't think that I have EVER worn one through. The latex backing and the specific kind of non-crystaline grit they use just rarely wears out. These ARE available to the public, the company that makes it is based in Iowa I believe, so if anyone is interested I could provide their name and address. This little gem is as invaluable to me as my Dremel tool, which for me is saying alot. I'll post the ordering info when I get home tonight, or you can Google it under Micro Mesh Abrasives.

Edited by Expat Tomcat
Link to post
Share on other sites

In my hobby area the two most important things are:

1. Low Heat Magnifying Lens with the built in light. Even though my eyes are still fairly young, the finer details like instrument panels, scratch building small parts, etc. are made so much easier using this very lamp:

lamp.jpg

and 2. Lamps, Lamps, Lamps... I have 6 different lamps set up and it's fairly hard to see any shadows on the work bench... makes it really helpful as well in taking pictures, but I've sometimes walked out of the 'den' thinking I got a nice summer tan.

As for specific tools or supplies that make my life easy and I wouldn't want to go on building without them are toothpicks. I use those suckers for everything from applying glue, pushing decals, fine painting (by cutting the tips really sharp with a knife), rubbing off paint, applying/pushing in masking tape to the hard to reach areas, and many many more things.

Cheers,

Mark.

Link to post
Share on other sites

PICT0933.jpg

My family of redneck scribers and scrapers. All made in one hour from stuff found in the workshop, that is wooden rod 10mm and 4mm nails, beheaded and shaped with a file.

From right to left: Scriber, wide cleanup tool (like a sharp screwdriver), narrow cleanup tool, round cleanup tool for inside curvatures, needle for cleaning up panel lines.

that and tamiya tape make for most of my equipment ;-)

andy

Edited by Dotcom
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...