We're doing research for a project in a course called Engineering Design Development at Faith Christian High School. We are trying to come up with a tool that would help modelers of any skill get the job done. If you would please answer this survey in a reply, it would be greatly appreciated, or E-mail us at [email protected].
Thank You!

1. How long have you been modeling?
2. What type of models do you build?
3. Do you use any clamps or vises while building your models?
4. How often do you use clamps or vises?
5. What type of problems have you had with the clamps?
6. What types of clamps or vises have caused these problems?
7. What solutions have you found?
8. Were these solutions adequate or inadequate?

Thank You!

1. 18 years
2. Armor
3. Yes, for holding sheet styrene down while cutting, and for holding pieces together while cementing.
4. once or twice a week
5. Leaving mars in the plastic, not enough clearance to get to innaccessable areas, too much/not enough force applied, always losing them?
6. mini c-clamps and the little spring loaded paper clamps
7. holding by hand and using faster drying cement,
8. doesn't work as I have to sit there forever

1. 3 years
2. Armor, Dios and figures
3. Yes, for holding pieces together while cementing or filing.
4. once or twice a month
5. Leaving mars in the plastic, not enough clearance to get to innaccessable areas, too much/not enough force applied, unsuitable clamp area for odd shaped parts ..either too big or too small or no grip.
6. mini clamps, little spring loaded paper clamps and toothed clamps on the end of a metal rod and clothes pegs.
7. holding by hand, clothes pegs and leaving something heavy on top
8. They have worked but not the ideal solution

An ideal clamp is a pin vise with small drill bit. Drill into the bottom side thats fixed to the model to hold for painting or filing.

1) About 2 years
2) Figures
3) Yes, to hold the figure in place while painting and while letting the figure dry
4) Whenever I model, at least once a week
5) They often don't hold the model at the angle that I want of the distance from my face that I want. The actual clamp isn't able to hold smaller pieces or it leaves marks. Also for figure models most people will drill a hole in the bottom and insert a brass rod, the clamps won't hold the rod firmly and putting the rod into a block of wood means that I can't hold the figure at different angles.
6) The Exacto vise
7) I will wrap the rod in a adhesive tape and then put in in the clamps. There is nothing that I can do about holding small parts or pading the clips on this vise. It uses alligator clips which have serrated edges, this is a huge problem as the edges leave the marks. Something other than alligator clips is a must for a modelling vise.
8) Adequate, however it does not address the issue of how far away the model is from me. I would suggest a telescoping arm of some sort.