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Mavryk
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| Joined: | 18 Jan 2013 |
| Location: | Canada |
| Posts: | 61 |
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I'm just starting to get into this whole scratch building hobby but my tools are almost non existent.
I have a metal saw, and an X-acto knife.
Would some of you be kind enough to give me a list of some must-have tools?
I'll be working with wood most of the time, but also using styrene.
Thanks in advance.
____________________
I suffer from A.D.I.D.
Attention Deficit Idea Disorder! It's where you start working on one idea, but get distracted by other ideas., then bounce around from idea to idea, only to end up having lots of ideas with absolutely nothing to show for it.
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Herb Kephart
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Three absolutely essential tools for what you propose
Zona razor saw
Exacto handle, with #11 blades
Scale rule for your chosen scale.
From there, you can add hundreds of other tools--but you're not going to get much done without these three.
Herb
____________________
Fix it again, Mr Gates--it still works!"
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mwiz64
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I love my NWSL Chopper.
It really makes quick work of cutting strip wood and styrene.
After that, I like my Foredom so much more than a Dremel.
It's foot speed control and it has gobs of torque, allowing you to use it a speeds much slower than a Dremel, without stalling.
After that, get yourself all sorts of different grits of sand paper,
and be willing to make all sorts of different shape sanding blocks.
An old guy once told me, the mark of a good modeler is the assortment of different sanding blocks he has made.
I have lots.
I make new ones all the time too.
____________________
Mike
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Dwayne
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Pin vise,
jewelers file set,
miniature screwdrivers,
soldering iron,
track gauges if you're going to handlay track,
small diagonal cutter,
and a Dremel tool.
And the most necessary tool...
money.
____________________
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy".
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Mavryk
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| Joined: | 18 Jan 2013 |
| Location: | Canada |
| Posts: | 61 |
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....with money being the hardest to get.
Thanks for the info guys.
I'm gonna start picking away at this list as soon as I can.
____________________
I suffer from A.D.I.D.
Attention Deficit Idea Disorder! It's where you start working on one idea, but get distracted by other ideas., then bounce around from idea to idea, only to end up having lots of ideas with absolutely nothing to show for it.
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Dallas_M
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Here's an incredibly cheap & simple one that goes well with using stripwood:
a BROWN PAPER BAG!
Yup, next time you're at the grocery, ask for paper ... tuck away a couple of those.
Tear or cut off a piece and use that as your "final sanding" on stripwood
(or even instead of sanding on stuff that looks okay).
By some mysterious principle,
that coarse paper will do a beautiful job of removing wood fuzzies.
____________________
Cheers,
Dallas
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mwiz64
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Interesting tip, Dallas.
I'm going to have to try that.
____________________
Mike
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Mavryk
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| Joined: | 18 Jan 2013 |
| Location: | Canada |
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Ya, no kidding, VERY good tip.
Unfortunately, I can't remember the last time I've seen a brown paper bag anywhere.
Do you think a chuck of corrugated cardboard will work the same way?
If so, it comes as it's own sanding block.
____________________
I suffer from A.D.I.D.
Attention Deficit Idea Disorder! It's where you start working on one idea, but get distracted by other ideas., then bounce around from idea to idea, only to end up having lots of ideas with absolutely nothing to show for it.
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NathanO
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You can ask for a paper bag at Target, they still have them.
Some of the local Mom & Pop stores in our area have them or if you have a Hobby Lobby or place like that they sometimes have them for sale.
You may find having several of each tool good to have.
I have two small pin vises that I use,
generally set up for two sizes of holes I tend to drill when working on a model.
I have an X-Acto knife set with three different size handles and many different blades.
Besides my 'big' tools for working around the house,
I have some small needle nose pliers, small wire cutters, and several different types of glue to use depending on what I am working on.
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mwiz64
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Here is one that I find quite valuable.
It's a small disposable plastic bulb for holding CA or ACC.
It's clear plastic with a long narrow tube at the end,
and it allows you to place very small drops of glue as opposed to the larger drops you get straight from the bottle.
The nice part is that the tubes on the end are about an inch long and when they get clogged at the tip, you just slice the end off.
They last a long time and are very cheap.
My LHS sells them.
I'm not sure of a mail order source.
You might also find them at a craft store.
Also, single edged razor blades come in handy.
I buy them at the hardware in boxes of 100 for a few bucks.
When they get dull on one side, flip them around.
When they get dull on the other, pitch 'em and get another.
These are also the blades used in the NWSL Chopper 2 that I mentioned above.
That's a great tool....
I also like the snap off blade type box cutters.
They are cheap and a new blade is just a snap away.
There are some jobs where only the sharpest of blades will do.
Go to your local medical supply store and buy a scalpel and some blades.
Be very careful...
That baby will lay you open like nothing you've ever seen.
When you are there at the medical store, get some ace bandages.
They make wonderful devices for holding parts tight around round forms.
There is a product called See Temp. Google it.
It's wonderful for laying over blue prints and other drawings to trace over and make templates.
Why would you want to build from a template?
Because you might want to make several parts of the same irregular shape, and it makes doing so so much easier.
In that same vein, don't be afraid to make jigs to hold parts to shape,
and to help you with making several parts of the very same shape and size.
____________________
Mike
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Mavryk
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| Joined: | 18 Jan 2013 |
| Location: | Canada |
| Posts: | 61 |
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Excellent advice Mike.
I just got back from Michaels and I never realized the stuff that place has.
I always thought of it as a place women go to do those piddily little craft and knitting stuff they like to do.
Not the kinda place you'd see a self respecting truck driver.
WRONG!!
I mean, they DO have that stuff,
but I found a bunch of the tools on my list, plus some balsa wood for a tunnel portal.
They didn't have all the tools I needed, so had to go to the dreaded toy store and got hosed, but that's beside the point.
I'm well on my way to being a bonafied scratch builder.
All I need now is a ton of practice (can't find a store in town that sells that).
Wish me luck, I'll post my results.
____________________
I suffer from A.D.I.D.
Attention Deficit Idea Disorder! It's where you start working on one idea, but get distracted by other ideas., then bounce around from idea to idea, only to end up having lots of ideas with absolutely nothing to show for it.
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Herb Kephart
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Doesn't take luck--just a little tenacity.
Herb
____________________
Fix it again, Mr Gates--it still works!"
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Mavryk
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| Joined: | 18 Jan 2013 |
| Location: | Canada |
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I like you Herb.
You call it tenacity whereas my wife calls it stubbornness.
____________________
I suffer from A.D.I.D.
Attention Deficit Idea Disorder! It's where you start working on one idea, but get distracted by other ideas., then bounce around from idea to idea, only to end up having lots of ideas with absolutely nothing to show for it.
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thtroll
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Lorne,
Some cheep clamps can be fashioned from cloths pins.
I use my wife's disposable nail files,
and if you can get your hands on a cuticle cutter, it is handy for clipping sprues.
If you have a good dentist, see if you can hit him up for some old picks.
I got some moulding wax used for teeth impressions.
I have used it for making some small parts moulds, very handy, it softens in hot water.
Oh and yes, it drives my wife crazy when she runs out of her nail files so quickly.
Funny thing is, she hasn't caught on why she gets so many of them in her stocking every year.
Good tool hunting,
Heath.
____________________
Cheers,
Heath.
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Dwayne
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I have nothing good to say about truck drivers. 
____________________
"If the women don't find you handsome they should at least find you handy".
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Mavryk
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Speaking of truck driving,
I was laid off from my last job after they slowed down too much to afford to keep me on.
What did I do?
Went straight to the competition.
$2/hour less but better benefits.
They also don't mind overtime, so that balances the lesser wage.
Also, instead of strictly city driving, I'll be doing some highway driving.
Still home every night though.
Can't complain about that.
____________________
I suffer from A.D.I.D.
Attention Deficit Idea Disorder! It's where you start working on one idea, but get distracted by other ideas., then bounce around from idea to idea, only to end up having lots of ideas with absolutely nothing to show for it.
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thtroll
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Lorne, I use to have to drive for a living, but only an ambulance, nothing big.
From what I know about truck drivers is that they are usually quite patient in frustrating situations,
perfect attributes for scratch building models.
Looking forward to seeing some photos.
Cheers, Heath.
____________________
Cheers,
Heath.
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Mavryk
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| Joined: | 18 Jan 2013 |
| Location: | Canada |
| Posts: | 61 |
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We have to be patient.
An impatient truck driver is like a homicidal cop.
You don't want to be in front of either one.
____________________
I suffer from A.D.I.D.
Attention Deficit Idea Disorder! It's where you start working on one idea, but get distracted by other ideas., then bounce around from idea to idea, only to end up having lots of ideas with absolutely nothing to show for it.
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Ray Dunakin
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| Joined: | 25 Jul 2012 |
| Location: | San Diego |
| Posts: | 1240 |
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Michael's has a lot of great stuff for modelers!
And not just X-acto knives and balsa, either.
Some of the "womeny" stuff can be adapted too.
For instance, I've used various kinds of beads to make scale lamps and light fixtures for my buildings.
____________________
Visit http://www.raydunakin.com to see photos of the rugged and rocky In-ko-pah Railroad!
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Tramcar Trev
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I got an Archimedes drill.
I had one of these belonged to a rellie was a watchmaker, and he left me one in his will
(I was as a kid fascinated by watches) and a box of minute drills.
The drill dissapeared so a new one has been got.
Will be exceptionally handy drilling the rivet holes in my current project,
a normal pin vise would do the job,
a Dremel and a 0.3mm drill would ensure I broke more drills than actually are ever made ...
http://www.ebay.com.au/it...9.l2649#ht_5056wt_1097
... and a set of "micro drills" in Metric units seems a good deal too.
http://www.ebay.com.au/it...9.l2648#ht_2790wt_1330
____________________
There once was a man who said Damn!!
I perceive with regret that I am
A creature that moves
in predestinate groves
I'm not a Bus, I'm a tram
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