FAR148 Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 (edited) 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. Share your invaluable modeling tools! Steven L :) Edited December 25, 2010 by FAR148 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dragonfly Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 JLC saw.....use it alot. Jerry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Miccara Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Don't have a picture of it here but, I build on a "Lazy Susan" and it's one of the best things you can have! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Old Blind Dog Posted December 25, 2010 Share Posted December 25, 2010 Microbrushes! cheers Old Blind Dog Quote Link to post Share on other sites
johnsan Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 Calipers, Tamiya paint stirring sticks, and beer. Beer is a crucial for all my problem solving. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
huntermountain Posted December 26, 2010 Share Posted December 26, 2010 ..., 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). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dahut Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 (edited) Scribing tool Multi hand tool Needle files Super GLue Edited December 27, 2010 by dahut Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn M Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 forceps tweezers tape binder clips beer music light Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PNW_Modeler Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Beer is a crucial for all my problem solving. back in my race team days, we used to call that "Crew Fuel" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shawn M Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 back in my race team days, we used to call that "Crew Fuel" we still do, also liquid motivation Quote Link to post Share on other sites
I love airbrushing Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 Oh I like this topic: Q-tips, toothpicks, clips, those thin wires you wrap find on wrapped producuts (like the market), tape and... music indeed Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PNW_Modeler Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 we still do, also liquid motivation Now I just call it Anti-SWMBO medication. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
balls47 Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jester292 Posted December 27, 2010 Share Posted December 27, 2010 A razor saw. Smooth, clean cuts everytime. You can even rescribe panel lines with just a few swipes in certain areas. Aaron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sebastian Haff Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 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 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
NathanG123 Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 blue tack and cocktail sticks for stiring holding etc. blue tack can be used for masking camo's and tacking paint scheme guides up so they are close to hand. Nathan Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Zotted Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 A plastic matt underneath the desk. It beats the carpet monster away. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zeus60 Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 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 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Expat Tomcat Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 (edited) 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 December 29, 2010 by Expat Tomcat Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kostucha Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 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: 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
thegoodsgt Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 Windsor & Newton Series 7 brushes. Expensive but make me a better painter! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zeus60 Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 I thought I was looking at a miniature toilet at first..... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dotcom Posted December 29, 2010 Share Posted December 29, 2010 (edited) 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 December 30, 2010 by Dotcom Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Billabob Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 My new Ott Lite with three different magnifiers that my wife got for me is great. It's really helpful in masking the canopy on my 1/72 SLUF. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PNW_Modeler Posted December 30, 2010 Share Posted December 30, 2010 I thought I was looking at a miniature toilet at first..... OK....glad someone said that before I had to! Aside from beer.....I also find my flexi file pretty handy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.