what are some tools you use that others might not think of

[lanesteele240]

here are a couple that i use that help me keep bench clean.

this cork board helps me get stuff of the work area by pinning stuff up.

these squirt bottles from a lab help add just as much thinner as needed. from one drop for thinning paint in a airbrush cup to a stream for flushing airbrush parts. i have one for water, alcohol, and lacquer thinner. no more wasting or over using.

i painted them different colors so i wont mix up

Edited April 18, 2010 by lanesteele240

[Greg Cullinan]

Good topic,I'm trying to think of something but everything I do I learned here. How about your paint rack?

And whats the alcohol for? (I know I've heard before but it escapes me)

[diymirage]

Good topic,I'm trying to think of something but everything I do I learned here. How about your paint rack?

And whats the alcohol for? (I know I've heard before but it escapes me)

a few shots of that in the morning coffee really gets the creative juices flowing

[crazyjim]

I make use of clothes pins (wood and plastic) to clamp pieces together when glueing.

[MikeMc]

Hey Gary....I thought that was a virgin workbench......the Tamiya stand in the second pic gave it away!!!!!

[Tom T]

That cork board is a great idea!

One thing I like to do with my work bench (which is an old card table) is stack about a dozen pieces of large, white sheet paper on it. It brightens up the work area a great deal so you can see everything easily. Then, when I have finished a project, I simply take the top sheet I was working over and throw it out. TA DA! Now my bench looks fresh and new and just begging to get started on a new kit!

Tom

[Railfreak78]

I have a few things I can't think of right now but I use this Ice cube tray to hold a LOT of stuff and it helps keep my bench clear.

[Nick Winter]

Well I have a pin board and it holds every hobby related peice of paper I have and a few Revell part packs.

you can see it in this picture and no the painting isn't there anymore,

another thing I use is old Canada Post snap lid boxes, they hold my kits, there perfect for it, it's just the right six for 6 kits,

BTW: these pictures are very old, almost a year old, but the pin board and postal boxes still reside in the same place, allthough there one of the few things that still do.

Edited April 18, 2010 by Dukefan69'

[Railfreak78]

Nice idea I see for the instructions Nick. The binder looks like a great way to protect them. I as well never get rid of mine.

[Nick Winter]

Nice idea I see for the instructions Nick. The binder looks like a great way to protect them. I as well never get rid of mine.

Lol the reason I keep mine is that I seem to build 5 versions of the same kit, and only ever have 1 set of instructions. I also keep my decals, reference, tutorials and a few other things in that binder.

[Jon Cole]

One thing I did to quit drilling holes every time I needed to find out what size drill bit I needed, so I drilled and labeled each bit in a scrap piece of plastic. It saves me time.

[Railfreak78]

Mark I am so glad to know I'm not the only one that thinks tookpicks are paint brushes and Jon the template is awesome

[charlie8575]

Lots of good ideas here...all I need is a someplace semi-permanent to work!

Nick, I really like your way of setting things up, very efficient.

Gary, the cork is a good idea. My dad uses it to when building stick-and-tissue airplanes. You lay the plans out over it, cover it all with wax paper and pin the sheets to each other, and use pins to align ribs, stringers and so forth. I also like the squeeze bottles for the thinners.

Greg, alcohol is used to thin acrylic paints, but caution should be use as it causes some of them to become flat instead of glossy or flat paints to become really flat.

Tom, the paper on the table is very smart; I like that. And that Chevy is beautiful. You should bring it to MassCar sometime. Dedham's not that far away.

Charlie Larkin

[Tom T]

Lots of good ideas here...all I need is a someplace semi-permanent to work!

Nick, I really like your way of setting things up, very efficient.

Gary, the cork is a good idea. My dad uses it to when building stick-and-tissue airplanes. You lay the plans out over it, cover it all with wax paper and pin the sheets to each other, and use pins to align ribs, stringers and so forth. I also like the squeeze bottles for the thinners.

Greg, alcohol is used to thin acrylic paints, but caution should be use as it causes some of them to become flat instead of glossy or flat paints to become really flat.

Tom, the paper on the table is very smart; I like that. And that Chevy is beautiful. You should bring it to MassCar sometime. Dedham's not that far away.

Charlie Larkin

Hi Charlie, I'll do that. My FHS has been trying to get me to go to Masscar for awhile now and I look forward to stopping by. As far as the Delray is concerned, it doesn't show up in the photo but the green had a bizarre reaction to clearcoating. The paint cracked until it looked like a dry riverbed. I managed to polish/sand about 90% of the damage off (I'm sick of stripping) but it still shows if you look directly at it. Still, I liked the outcome so much that I'll probably build a twin of it in the future and maybe plumb it out. Tom

[oldscool]

I like to use .177 cal pellets to put super glue in when you need just a small amount. Just squeeze a little into the hollow side of the pellet and throw it away when you are done. Dip it out with a toothpick or what ever you like to use to apply it. Of course this won't work with the pointy nosed ones

oldscool

Edited April 19, 2010 by oldscool

[VW Dave]

*I use small plastic medicine cups for mixing epoxy, and they are quite reusable; when the epoxy has set up, I flex the cup to free it up for another use.

*I'm another clothespin fan, and I've modified several for special clamping jobs as well.

*Dollar store emery boards make great sanding sticks...they're cheap & disposable too.

*A dollar store makeup brush set is my favorite application tool for pastels.

*A couple of Crosman 'copperhead' BBs added to each jar of my brush paint ensures good mixing when shaking.

[Nick Winter]

Mark Jones will cringe, but I use round toothpicks for hundreds of things...applying paint and glue, all the way to becoming the missles for this James Bond "Little Nellie" build...

Very cool Build Mark, that movie was on last night, I also use toothpicks for multiple uses, infact I buy them in bulk,

I got a great deal a few weeks ago, 1000 toothpics for $0.88

[torinobradley]

Awesome ideas, everyone! I'm picking up on a few like the squeeze bottles.

Now for mine. I'm loosing the hobby room for a relative and in so doing, have to condense my model area. We bought a fairly large computer armoir and I am migrating my essentials into that area. I bought several of the semi-clear organizers that you can find at almost any sporting goods (fishing), hobby chain or hardware store and am using them for a lot of my tools like knives, sanding sticks, etc... My tall toolbox wouldnt fit... Oh, and I use old coffee cups for pens, emery boards, hemostats and such. OH, Hemostats! Anyone else use these little gems? I bought a bag at a garage sale a few years ago with about 100 for $5... I always see 'em at the flea markets too. Great little clamps.

And my number 1 tool now. The one I use the most. I use it every time I hit the bench. Wait for it...

Reading glasses...

Friggin' eyesight... I don't need glasses, just reading glasses to see up close.

[weasel]

here's some things i use when i paint....

paint sticks with masking tape wrapped back on itself...

basic 2x4 and coat hangers...

some small, cheap pocket screwdrivers...tip wrapped with tape like the paint sticks...some cheap tweezers and an old needle nose pliers...

Pringle's lids for glue, and TOOTHPICKS for anything!!!

caps from bottled water make excellent 'mix cups'...

[Eric Stone]

I have some tiny C-clamps I picked up somewhere, maybe Big Lots, years ago and they're very handy. I use clothespins all the time for clamping stuff while the glue dries. I also use lots of blue tape, and tape small parts to the clothespins for painting, whether it's spray painting or brush. You can make an engine stand out of 3 clothes pins- one at the tail of the transmission pointing down, then one on each leg pointing forward to hold it up. I can post pics later... I use old microfiber towels for general brush cleanup, blotting decals dry, polishing... Hemostats are good, but I need to find a couple more pairs. I tend to bend them up clamping down on things and then they don't hold well anymore.

[RJWood]

I use the red stick in these Handy Snacks for mixing paint, epoxy, 2 part bondo, whatever needs mixing. And because they are plastic, you can sand down the end and use it to apply bondo, like a small putty knife.

you get one in each pack, if you buy 6 you have 6 sticks. And some yummy snacks for later.

Edited April 20, 2010 by RJWood

[Pete J.]

Mark Jones will cringe, but I use round toothpicks for hundreds of things...applying paint and glue, all the way to becoming the missles for this James Bond "Little Nellie" build...

Mark - The two most used tools on my bench are toothpicks and q-tips. After kits and glue, I couldn't build a thing without them.

[robertw]

I use the plastic lids off Pringles potato chip cans for mixing epoxy glue and mixing small amounts of paint. A lid will usually last a couple of projects then I throw it out. It's a good reason to buy the chips which of course are a nice snack while I'm modelling.

rob

[BigGary]

Just in case you have forgotten, the alcohol is for thinning acrylics, removing paint, removing adhesive, etc., so unless tour made of acrylics and dieting, its not for consumption.

Gary

Edited April 21, 2010 by BigGary

[Wayne Buck]

Sorry guys, I have no idea what this thing is called.

My fiance bought a bag of sham-wows at the Englishtown swap meet and the guy threw this in with em.

I found out that it is AWESOME at finding tiny parts that get dropped in the carpet.

You just rub it over the area for a few seconds, take the lid off and voila! There's your part!

I'll try and see if I can find out what it's called.

Edited April 22, 2010 by NJ-Wayne