Banana11000 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 What are your essential, favorite, or most useful tools in your collection? I've been looking at getting some new tools lately. Stuff like pin vises, dremels, razor saws, that sort of thing. I pretty much just have the basic tools. (Sprue cutters, Knives (Xato), sandpaper, rulers ) Thanks guys! :) Regards, Colin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
balls47 Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I have more than one, but I hope that this helps. (I'm not gonna add anything like glue, paint, etc., just tools): - sanding sticks - these things are a God-send. I still use wet/dry sandpaper with sanding blocks, but sanding sticks are great. I also use the ones that I buy in the ladies section (get some funny looks from the ladies) because they are a better buy than sanding sticks made by modelers for modelers. - razor saw - toothpicks - toothpicks are a must for any work bench. They can be used for anything, including a mini-paintbrush, a paint stir stick, etc. - Ex-Acto Knife - find me a workbench that doesn't have an Ex-Acto Knife with a whole slew of #11 blades, and, well, you know! - Cotton Swabs - same as the last couple of items. Cotton swabs, buds, etc. are a must. - Paint Brushes - a good selection of paint brushes is a must. Enough said there. - Files - all kinds of files are needed for modeling. - Sandpaper - Wet/Dry sandpaper is a must. After you file things down, they need to be sanded smooth or into shape. - "Clippers" - We need something to cut parts from the sprues and then to clean things up, and on and on. - We are just getting started. I hope that others chime in. I came up with this stuff in a rush. Oops, all types of tapes. I'm gonna stop, or I'll be here all night. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) My Go To tools, used on every single model I've built (OK, I didn't have all of these on the first couple/few of models...) JLC razor saw and miter box Knives, several Needle files Sanding sticks Sanding pads Sprue cutter Curved-tip pointy tweezers, normally open, for gluin' bits Pin vise with #60-80 drills. Don't know the brand, but I have a couple other brands relegated to other duties Mission Models micro chisels, two Mr Surfacer 500 Broad-tip tweezers, for placin' decals Sandwich picks for stirring paint (/very/ wide toothpicks) Cutting pads (1 glass, 1 plastic) Straight-tip tweezers, normally closed, for paintin' bits Airbrush, compressor, mixing cups, disposable gloves, pipe cleaners Brushes Tamiya masking tape, various widths Commonly used, on more than half the model I've built: Metal rules, straight edges Dial caliper (old school, but digital would be nice, too) Hand-held reamers Toothpicks Punch sets. Started with Waldron, but was always missing the Right Size. Just got three punch sets from UMM covering 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, ..., 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.2, 4.5, 4.8, 5.0, 2.2, 5.5, 5.8, 6.0, 6.2, 6.5, 6.8, 7.2 mm punches. Very Nice! Small Shop The BUG Photo Etch Bending Tool Mr Surfacer 500, ... Scriber Pin vise with pin, also for scribin' Small machinist squares, two Good to have, made it much easier to build models: Burnishing tool Small Shop PE rolling set Panavise with normal vice head plus a "parts holder" head. Scribing templates Silhouette Portrait cutter machine. I now always cut wheel masks with this bad boy. I've also done things like Cross Pattée, stars & bars, &etc. Frisket Decal paper (clear and white) Biplane jig Edited July 17, 2015 by dnl42 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
f14tomcat Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 One that I find to be very useful is a fly tie vice. It is great for holding small parts like landing gear, etc., while you work on them. Wayne Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crash Test Dummy Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I can never seem to have enough clamps in all sorts of styles. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Banana11000 Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 Thanks for the comments guys! My shopping list is about to get a WHOLE lot longer! Happy Modeling! Colin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ProfessorOfDeath Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 For painting I like to use slices of Kraft American cheese. I cut the camo shapes out of the cheese and apply them to the model they stick enough to hold while painting and they help create a soft demarcation. Give it a try. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Crazy Snap Captain Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 For painting I like to use slices of Kraft American cheese. I cut the camo shapes out of the cheese and apply them to the model they stick enough to hold while painting and they help create a soft demarcation. Give it a try. That sounds friggin crazy enough to be a brilliant idea... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
zeus60 Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 For painting I like to use slices of Kraft American cheese. I cut the camo shapes out of the cheese and apply them to the model they stick enough to hold while painting and they help create a soft demarcation. Give it a try. Does it leave any residue on the model? Stacey Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Banana11000 Posted July 17, 2015 Author Share Posted July 17, 2015 Kraft cheese eh? Sounds almost crazy enough to work! I'll have to give it a shot! :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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