Hello all,

I find myself doing more and more scratchbuilding on my products. My problem is I don't have any tools for doing straight cuts or any other scratch building tools. The local hobby shop has a few tools that look like they would help but I thought I would ask what everyone here thinks are must have tools for scratch building.

Found this on One Step Further homepage today.
http://one-step-further.just.nu/

Workbench

Everyone has things on their work bench or hobby desk that they use to help them build their models. I will list what I use in the hope that it might help others with their particular needs. For serious modelers there are a couple of things I consider essential. First is a Dremel. I have both the AC powered Multi-Pro and a battery powered one when I need something that turns slower. X-acto makes a great assortment of drill bits from 0.0135 to 0.039. I use them constantly. Micro-mark offers a three tooth adjustable drill chuck that is worth many times the meager $7 investment. As assortment of different Dremel bits, wheels and brushes will have a multitude of uses.

Another essential item for the workbench are a wide assortment of good paint brushes. I use sable brushes because they last longer. i have brushes from 1/4" down to 20/0. I have taken an old 20/0 and removed all but about 1 hairs on it. It is indispensable for painting the tiniest details.

Lastly on the essential list is an assortment of X-Acto (or their equivalent ) blades and handles. I have 3 small handles with a #11 blade, an X-Acto micro saw blade and a third with a very sharp needle in it. I have a medium handle that I use for an assortment of chisel blades. Along with this assortment of knives I would recommend a couple of small spatulas for spreading putty, a scribing tool and an assortment of tweezers and forceps. A great source of these are flea markets, gun shows and Army surplus stores. A pair of locking clamps comes in very handy for holding parts for painting.

Other vary handy items include:

An assortment of spools of wire and soldier

Rolls of Dymo Tape to serve as a straight edge when scribing lines

Green Stuff™ putty (white and green variety)

Masking and Scotch tape

A good pair of dividers

A small thin steel ruler

A good set of calipers

A wide assortment of Evergreen styrene bar, rod and sheet stock

Plastic syringes (1 and 10ml) and an assortment needles

A lighted magnifier (preferably the kind on an articulating stand)

Plastic polishing compound (I use Turtle Wax Clear coat polish)

Bottles of "the Detailer" for panel lines and washes

Clothes pins (lots of them) - million and a half uses



A few other odds an ends that I use:

Cut the outside out of spray can lids ( the big cans, not the hobby ones) leaving the bottom and inside collar. The inside collar is perfect for holding Model Master bottles. This will make it very difficult to knock over the bottles.

A piece of wood with holes drilled in it to accommodate all your paint brushes, knife handles and Dremel bits. I have attached this to a large piece of 1/8" Plexiglas that I cover my work area with.

This list is not meant to be all inclusive and I have not included everything on my hobby desk. Paint, thinner, brush cleaner, adhesives, sandpaper and decal setting solution and solvent are something that everyone should have regardless of their skill level.

Another tool that I have used extensivly and is a great tool is a silicone cone atached to a paint brush handle. I think they are called paint removers and I got mine at Hobby Lobby. They come in a lot of different sizes and shapes, but the cone is the best, in any size. Thats the only thing I can think of right now to compliment the list already supplied

One of the earliest articles on this site was one I did on a modeler's toolbox. I think if you check the "Features" section and go to the "General Modeling" section. It's listed as "Model Maker's Toolbox." Some good general tool info that carries over to the scratchbuilder's needs.

Some specialised websites offer a broad range of interesting tools. Some of these are extremely handy, others are not at all necessary.
Even if you don't buy anything online, it's an interesting idea to look into the Micro-Mark website and order their free catalog. I spent many fine hours browsing through that ! :-)
When you see an interesting tool, don't order it straight away, but THINK. Are there alternative tools you have in the house that can be used for this purpose ? Could you find comparable (cheaper) tools in the local DIY store (Home Depot... ) ? Model Hobby shops sometimes offer a broad range of tools, but the same rule applies : you often find the same (or almost the same) tools cheaper at other locations. Other hobbies (artists) have specialized shops that can help you find interesting stuff, too !
Happy hunting,
Jan

I should have been a little more clear, seem like we are getting a little off track. I am not looking for general modeling tools, but the tools you need to take a sheet of styrene or a styrene rod and turn it into a nice neat part for a model. What do you cut with to keep things square or at the angle you want. And what steps do you take in designing and laying out a part before you start cutting. I have been using a ruler and exacto knife with some success and just picked up an exacto razor saw that can cut at 90 degrees and 45 degrees I believe. Somehow I know there are some great tools and techniques to help in scratch building.




I remember the article, It appeared the same time I did. It was one of the first articles I read and used. Ahh the good old days.......

Here are the two ultimate tool for scratch building --------- Research and Imagination ....

A good compass, that can take a knife blade, used to cut circles.

Circle / square templates.

Miter box for making square cuts on large pieces.

One thing I have found very useful for scratch building is a 1/35th scale ruler. If you want to make something 3'-1 1/2" long in 1/35th scale, this saves doing the math. I got mine from Micro-Mark. This isn't a tool that does the cutting , but it could help keep you from making the same cut over and over until you get it right!

Metal T square (Office supply or hardware store)
Locking compass or drafting set (Office supply store)
Metal straight edge, 6 inch and 12 inch, with metric markings (Office supply hardware store)
NOTE: Metric scale is much easier to work with than SAE since when you're scaling ,you wind up with decimals (.1 inches, e.g.) which is not typically listed on a ruler.
Calculator (anywhere)
Equation:
O (Original) = 1
X (size of scaled part)=S (Scale, e.g. .0285 for 1/35)
Multiply S by O and 1 by X
Divide (S*O) by (1*X) the result is the scale size