Must Have Tools

[Sir TophamHatt]

With Christmas coming up, are there any must have tools for a modeller?

There's the obvious ones like hammers, nails and such, but anything else you'd recommend?

[BlackRat]

Apart from baseboard building, I do t think I've ever used a hammer and nails for modelling purposes!

 

A cutting mat, scalpel, blades, good steel ruler, tweezers, files and paint brushes is a good start, along with some small screwdrivers.

[Torper]

A set of small cutting broaches, eg Squires 0.6 - 2.0mm.  I'm astonished at how often I use them.

 

DT

[wagonman]

With Christmas coming up, are there any must have tools for a modeller?

There's the obvious ones like hammers, nails and such, but anything else you'd recommend?

 

 

It rather depends what you want to do. If it's just a case of building baseboards then hammer and saw will do most of it. If you want to build the stuff that goes on top of the baseboard there's lots you could add, depending on material.

 

For plasticard, a metal straight edge, scalpel + blades, fine brush for applying solvent, tweezers, various files (needle, warding etc), drills and a pin-chuck, a metal square, and a pair of engineers' dividers (or an Olfa cutter) for cutting arcs, holes etc. Paint brushes, of course and a headband magnifier also necessary.

 

For metal work add piercing saws, more files, a scriber, long nosed pliers, snips, and of course a soldering iron. A set of bending bars and some sort of rivet press would be useful additions., as would various dental scrapers and the like.

 

If you get really involved then a lathe/milling machine, rollers, gas torch, resistance soldering kit, air brush and compressor, wheel press, chassis jig and so on.

 

Really the sky (or your purse) is the limit. And I dare say others will have lots more suggestions...

[Kylestrome]

Here are a couple of tools that I wouldn't now want to be without.

 

Maun snipe nose parallel pliers:

http://www.maun-industries.co.uk/jewellery-hobby-and-craft/maun-snipe-nose-plier-smooth-jaw-125mm-5/

 

A good soldering station, for instance:

http://www.kurtzersa.com/electronics-production-equipment/soldering-tools-accessories/soldering-desoldering-stations/produkt-details/rds-80-1.html

 

Mini power drill:

http://www.brimarc.com/products/Proxxon-MICROMOT-50E-DrillGrinder-12V-DC-792750.htm

 

And you can can never have too many pin vices!

[nick_bastable]

a box of plasters 

 

Nick

[Kris]

Others have said a scalpel, I would agree but it needs to have a good blade on it. There is no worse tool than a blunt scalpel blade.

[DCB]

Lathe,  Pillar Drill.  

 

And for that awkward recalcitrant RTR loco a Sledge hammer.  Stops you wasting time trying every which way to fix it if you give it a good whack. 

[Junctionmad]

At my age , an opti-visor

[backofanenvelope]

Das modelling clay

[Mike Storey]

Xuron track cutters - have saved me a millenium in layout building time.

[Andy Hayter]

Others have said a scalpel, I would agree but it needs to have a good blade on it. There is no worse tool than a blunt scalpel blade.

 

Which is why I favour the Swann Morton PM10 - Post Mortem knife.  Much more robust blade.

 

Edit:

As noted below this should be a PM40 not PM10.

You can also use it as a paring chisel in woodwork.

[The White Rabbit]

Others have said a scalpel, I would agree but it needs to have a good blade on it. There is no worse tool than a blunt scalpel blade.

 

And pincers/pliers for replacing the blades. Maybe I'm a softy but I'm allergic to pain... 

 

As well as the items listed above, I find a tub of cocktail sticks useful for odd jobs, especially on the scenic side. And maybe not a tool in the traditional sense, but a good portable/tabletop adjustable light's very useful too. 

[MarcD]

Depending on scale 1/8th or 3/16th reamer and a tapered reamer.

 

Marc

[sp1]

And pincers/pliers for replacing the blades. Maybe I'm a softy but I'm allergic to pain...

 

As well as the items listed above, I find a tub of cocktail sticks useful for odd jobs, especially on the scenic side. And maybe not a tool in the traditional sense, but a good portable/tabletop adjustable light's very useful too.

Rather than pliers I use artery forceps to change blades -as I used to work in an operating theatre it's what I'm used to.

[jamesg]

A good craft lamp or torch (I'm looking for one at the moment).  A Dremel or similar rotary tool for cutting track, it's a lot quicker and gives better results than a hacksaw.  I used the milling bit the other day to make a recess for a platform edge in the baseboard.

[RhBBob]

Others have said a scalpel, I would agree but it needs to have a good blade on it. There is no worse tool than a blunt scalpel blade.

 

Agree, which is why I still have many of those 5-in-a-packet Swann Morton blades - many types bought as a box of 20 packets !!

 

Oh and one of these---- http://www.diy.com/departments/bosch-36v-lithium-ion-cordless-screwdriver-ixo-v/1076552_BQ.prd?ecamp=Seapla&ppc_type=shopping&ds_kids=92700014010394947&gclid=CjwKEAiApLDBBRC8oICb9NvKsg0SJAD9yOHspQm8ufSlkfJJxhdad1rih-i5uOxr6-Ei4XKBX-HTaBoCXuLw_wcB&dclid=CLLc3e6rrtACFaIi0wodFKMMZw

 

Although mine cost £25.13 with free postage and next day delivery........

[orford]

I use the good old Swan Morton craft knife too but always buy blades (or at least the No.1 variety) 100 at a time as I get through them at a rate of knots. As Kris said, there is nothing more useless than a blunt scalpel blade. It's also FAR cheaper to buy them this way (they actually come in boxes of 50, which can be got from Squires, among others).

 

But that's an aside. My own most useful tool ever is a pair of bent-nose tweezers, which I use literally many times every single day. I simply wouldn't be without a pair.  Far more useful than the straight nose variety - although you should have those too.

[PatB]

Fibreglass scratch brush. I never realised how useful they were until I actually got one.

[MarcD]

Rubber gloves if you don't want fibreglass in your hands

 

Marc

[Dava]

Garrett Wade: for entertainment

 

http://www.garrettwade.com/specialist-tool-kits-for-modelers-gp.html?green=5D73E45B-FE11-567D-05C3-B1DEF691FE34

 

 

I do have their ruler stop from Squire's & use it sometimes. Get a small toolbox, big ones get too heavy!

 

Dava

[orford]

anotheruser - levity apart, there have been some useful suggestions on here.

 

But the short answer is - try to get whatever tools you need for the job you are currently working on ...and try to get the best you can realistically afford. Not everyone can just go out and buy the best tools on the market all in one go. It's taken me the best part of 40 years to assemble my model-making tool kit, whether that be acquiring tools or getting better versions of the ones I already had.

 

As mentioned by somone above - it all rather  depends on what you are doing at the time.....ie building plastic kits, working in brass, working in card, building rolling stock or whatever. So there is no really definitive answer to your question.

 

If you are a relative newcomer, which I am guessing from the tone of your original question, then I would personally try to get as many of these as you can realistically afford to begin with:

 

- Good craft knife/scalpel - and pick one for which blades are easily available.

- Good steel rule/straight edge.

- tweezers (ideally both straight-nose and bent-nose).

- a small but decent bench vice.

- Soldering irons (12 watt if using on whitemetal, 40 watt for brass) if you are working in metal.

- at least one 'pin vice together with small twist drills (0.5mm to about 2mm are probably the most useful).

- selection of needle files, including flat, round, square and ideally eliptical as well. 

- selection of small/mini pliers with different jaws, including 'clippers' (typically found in packs from the likes of discount stores ..that sort will be fine to begin with). 

- some good small paint brushes (get the best you can afford, it will pay off).

- a small 'L' square for cutting right angles accurately if you are scratch building. Also useful for assembling building kits, etc., squarely).

 

Other useful items would include things like a magnifying glass, sheets of fine sandpaper (ie the VERY fine stuff - sold as 'finishing' paper, or 'garnet' paper).and so on. The list is really endless and that's without even considering useful small power tools or machine tools. Just try to build up your tool collection gradually as you go.

 

If you take on a new project of a kind not tackled before, think about what you might need to do, what tools you already have, and then buy a new tool if you feel it would be useful, or essential.

 

And don't overlook mundane or less obvious things either. One of my own most useful modelling 'tools' is the 'stock' from an old 6" steel 'L' square, sawn off when the blade became accidentally damaged years ago, leaving me with a solid lump of rectangular (but accurate) steel. I cannot even begin to describe how often I use that for any number of different uses in my modelling.

 

Oh - and a small sheet of 1/4" or 6mm plate glass about 12" x 12" is also most useful for serious modelling, guaranteeing a dead flat base upon which to assemble things.  Plate glass though - not window glass. From a safety point of view you don't want it shattering under the least pressure.

 

Hope this helps. Others will have their own ideas ..but that is what I would personally recommend.

 

- Don Mason

[PatB]

The glass used in scanners seems to be pretty flat and fairly robust. Old computer gear being, effectively, worthless it's a cheap way of acquiring a light duty surface plate.

[Kiwi]

Which is why I favour the Swann Morton PM10 - Post Mortem knife. Much more robust blade.

Andy, that's an interesting recommendation. I'm always keen to use the best knives, and this is not one I've seen. I use mainly the S-M 10A and 11. But I don't see a PM10 on S-M's web site, is that the correct number? There are certainly some interesting blades in the PM range.

[MarkC]

Andy, that's an interesting recommendation. I'm always keen to use the best knives, and this is not one I've seen. I use mainly the S-M 10A and 11. But I don't see a PM10 on S-M's web site, is that the correct number? There are certainly some interesting blades in the PM range.

PM40

 

http://www.swann-morton.com/product/96.php