Harry2013 Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Hi, I'm thinking of developing some basic card building skills. I would appreciate advice on 'the must have toolset' for a beginner. So far I've thought of: cutting board probably, A3 craft knife steel rule good pair of scissors a selection of of paint brushes weathering colours any other suggestions and advice would be most welcome. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 My amendments cutting board probably certainly A3 room to put the cutting mat down with space to spare round it craft knife scalpel and plenty of blades - a craft knife will cut at a steep angle and may tend to tear because of the angle. fine sharpening stone steel rule - several good pair of scissors can't cut straight or smoothly tweezers - try Maplins some engineers squares a fine point glue dispenser a soft wallpaper seam roller - get rid of air bubbles set of varied colour felt tip pens a selection of of paint brushes - good quality ones watercolour paints weathering colours Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubber Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Try looking at these threads...my 'bits and pieces' seem obvious, cost nothing but are so useful... https://www.model-railways-live.co.uk/Articles/270-16/Structures_and_Scenics/Cardboard_Modelling_the_Scalescenes_Way_with_Doug_Dickson_-_glazing_interirors_and_some_assembly_ti/ https://www.model-railways-live.co.uk/Articles/269-16/Structures_and_Scenics/Cardboard_Modelling_the_Scalescenes_Way_by_Doug_Dickson_-_making_openings_cutting_and_folding/ Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry2013 Posted November 27, 2013 Author Share Posted November 27, 2013 Thank you for your suggestions, I've read many of the posts on the forum hopefully I will be able to achieve something reasonable in due course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
11B Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 A good light would not go a miss! Ian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Removed a/c Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 I would suggest also a few different felt tip pens for colouring in the white edges of the card. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubber Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 .....oh, an apron, which might sound a bit pansy, but PVA is difficult to wash out of the 'New Xmas Pullover' once dried, and domestic harmony promotes a calm modelling environment... Doug [Mine's maroon, quite a butch colour] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philsandy Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 If using Scalescenes kits I print them out onto self adhesive A4 sheets, available from Rymans: http://www.ryman.co.uk/0220010460/Ryman-Address-Labels-P1-Universal-289x205mm-A4-25-Sheets/Product It save alot of messing glueing paper to card. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 .....oh, an apron, which might sound a bit pansy, but PVA is difficult to wash out of the 'New Xmas Pullover' once dried, and domestic harmony promotes a calm modelling environment... Doug [Mine's maroon, quite a butch colour] And if you're intending to do any soldering wearing the apron, get a cotton one rather than a polyester one. Solder splashes are hot and hot and polyester means holes. (Sainsburys - a fiver) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 A child's watercolour paintbox should be dirt cheap & is just right for painting in edges and basic weathering. I am using one from when I was a boy & happily all the colours I need now (brick reds, muddy browns etc) are the ones I didn't use when little (all the bright shades). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry2013 Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 A child's watercolour paintbox should be dirt cheap & is just right for painting in edges and basic weathering. I am using one from when I was a boy & happily all the colours I need now (brick reds, muddy browns etc) are the ones I didn't use when little (all the bright shades). Thanks for all the latest replies. Your comment C&WR is most apt, I was doing some household shopping this afternoon at the local discount store, and spied 120mm of burnt umber at 99p. A few items later I had sufficient paint, crayons, brushes and a toolbox upgrade of knive and hacksaw all for under £20. OK so the quality may not be so great but certainly sufficient for me to 'find what out I like / dont like'. The most expensive item will be a printer - but pcworld have a £99 canon printer/scanner which should do the job, which i can justify since the old one is long past its due replacement date. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bri.s Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 For a printer I got mine from Asda a Epsom 305 scanner printer and photocopier and it was £50 I think and it's done me alright for pruning kits off have a look round the supermarkets they sometimes do good deals on them Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry2013 Posted November 28, 2013 Author Share Posted November 28, 2013 Thanks for that tip Brian. The Epson prints and scanners at a lower dpi than the Canon, but from your comment I guess your happy with the quality. Do you print to card stock ? If so do you find it gets bent in the paper feed at all ? Obviously a £40 cheaper option is a better deal. Thanks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Steven B Posted November 28, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 28, 2013 Add an engineers square and a range of knives to your shopping list. The engineers square will help you get your walls nice and square (a pile of Lego brick can also be used!). I don't rely on just a scalpel - they're great for thin material but to cut thick cardboard (1 & 2mm thick) then you'd be better off with a larger knife. I use a Stanley knife, a craft knife and a scalpel - choosing the best one for the job. Trying to cut thick material with a small knife leads to accidents. You'll also need some glue. PVA is great but takes ages to dry. Quick-grab or quick-dry glue is worth buying. Happy modelling. Steven B. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 As far as scalpels are concerned, a Swann Morton with 10A blades is very good for card. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philsandy Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Do you print to card stock ? If so do you find it gets bent in the paper feed at all ? No, you have to print on to paper and then stick this to the card. Card thickness can be up to 2mm, so that would never go through a printer. See my post above re. sticking the printed paper to card. Phil. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bri.s Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Thanks for that tip Brian. The Epson prints and scanners at a lower dpi than the Canon, but from your comment I guess your happy with the quality. Do you print to card stock ? If so do you find it gets bent in the paper feed at all ? Obviously a £40 cheaper option is a better deal. Thanks Hello no I've not tryed putting card through it might try next time ,i used the sticky back paper then stuck it to thick card .i get my thick card from the range £2.50 for a a2 I think I've got 2 and they will take me some getting through Brian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Izzy Posted November 28, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 28, 2013 In my experience Epson printers, even the cheapest ones, have better and more configurable software, giving a wider choice over paper type and size and print quality, than most other makes. Please be aware that print quality is about more that just dpi. The type and quality of the paper stock used has a bearing, as does the inks, and often testing is needed to find the best combination for any particular printer. Colour variation is a similar issue. The cheapest printer today will equal an expensive one of just a few years ago in terms of output specs and general performance. In the past I used to use high quality photo printers to get decent output at a reasonable speed - i.e. not take all day about it. Today I currently use a Epson 435sx ( the cheapest I could find at the time I needed a new one at £40) as nothing dearer is really any better overall. Izzy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Thanks for all the latest replies. Your comment C&WR is most apt, I was doing some household shopping this afternoon at the local discount store, and spied 120mm of burnt umber at 99p. Glad to be of help! My modest skills would be even more modest if it hadn't been for advice from people on site like this. The other thing I am really pleased to use is my father's old draughtsman's watercolours. It's also appropriate I have them as he used them doing his drawings as a Civil Engineer on the Western Region until his drawing board was taken away (and installed on the workbench in our garage) with the advent of CAD. The dark colours are great for weathering & the light for dying sawdust for making flowers & so on. They also have great names like Neutral Tint and Crimson Lake. Each had a very distinct significance in terms of what they represented, must get him to take me through them again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubber Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Thin card goes through my Epson no problem, currently I am using Rymans 160gm or 200 micron card for 'stick to thin card' applications in Scalescenes. As Epson Durabrite inks have a slight resin dye waterpoofing effect they are doubly useful if you westher with water colours. Doug Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium BR60103 Posted November 29, 2013 RMweb Premium Share Posted November 29, 2013 I would add: A lot more fresh knife blades. Replace when it won't go through paper in one cut or card in three. A lot of clamps. I have them from soldering tweezers, stamp tongs, up to spring wooden clothes pins (plastic if you use wood glue). I have a clamping box from MicroMart -- square metal box with about 1: sides folded up and magnets for holding stuff in place. A good square metal form -- I have a wheel back-to-back gauge. Wax paper. Aluminium foil. Toothpicks for transferring glue. The biggest self-retoring cutting mat you can find. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coombe Barton Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 For blades, instead of the model shop, try looking at post 5 of http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/78372-3mm-foamboard-supplier/ Cheap Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chubber Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 For a beginner, the best aquisition above all is pair of experienced hands..... Thesearefound on the end of abeginner's arms after he has made few small, inexpensive, preferably scratchbuilt models. They will be far more useful than a whole chest full of expensive tools and gadgetd! Doug cynos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
C&WR Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Ah yes, pegs. I find Lakeland soft-grip pegs are the dog's danglies for modelling. The soft pads mean no damage to surfaces and they also stand upright on their sides because of their cello-like shape and the internal spring. Seen here: In fact, less glue & paint, these are my essentials. Good cutting mat & steel straight-edge a given. Scissors for cutting individual components from the printed sheets and also to snip bits from frets before tidying up. A pin to mark the beginning and end of each cut & to then locate the blade & lock the steel rule at each end before cutting more by feel than eye, a tip I think Chubber shared. Large craft knife for thicker card/larger objects and small for paper/smaller objects, although this is not really necessary I find it more comfortable doing this and on the smaller pieces the smaller knife gets in the line of sight less. Emery board for tidying up edges. None of this was expensive - the pegs, emery board & pin were from domestic stock. The knives and rule were from a discount shop and cost £1.99 and 99p respectively. I think the mat was the most expensive item, costing more than a kit does! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campaman Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Another alternative for soft grip pegs is from the coat hangers that tend to come with ladies clothing that have the grippy things on each end that skirts hang from, and sometimes trousers. If you cut these off with a hacksaw leaving a small section of the plastic rail they slide on they make excellent free soft grip pegs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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