NEVER spray paint on the dining room table without first checking you can't see it through gaps in newspapers!
Tom

When all looks well, never ever be tempted to do that extra little tweek to the washes,dry brushing,and/or weathering......
....another tweek is just around the corner and another,oh yes and another and perhapse if I just did this.........no just walk away,don't look back and go to bed......do not lie awake wondering and on no account go back to the tweek......

October

always put a cap on a hobby knife if you decide to carry it across the room because if you drop it uncapped it will land point first on your foot and stick in ya.

1)Never work on more than one kit at a time on the same bench.

2) If you find a part on the bench from a kit that you needed a break from, throw it back into said box and not on shelf. Later on you'll have it

Hell, at my age I need a pre-flight check list...... before I even make it to the work bench........ :-)
But a few simple ones I've found over the years that work well for me.
1. never model when over tired, a sure way to have it hit the dustbin in a hurry.
2. never model when POed at current female companion, a sure way to have it or her hit the dustbin prematurely.
3. Always test your airbrush spray pattern and settings on cardboard before the model. A sure fire way of preventing mistakes, and keeping your super duper, expensive 1907 Farly Fruitbat out of the dustbin.
4. Smell the glass before drinking contents, a sure way of preventing you from puking in dustbin, and trip to hospital, and the embarrassing call to poison control.
5. CA applied very carefully will stem the flow of excessive bleeding of fingers until emergency services arrive.
6. And last but not least, keep cell phone by work bench to call emergency services if #5 doesn't work.
:-) :-)

Ok....been in the art field and figures over40 yrs, still put the the wrong end of my brushes and sculpting tools in my mouth.. have the u beaut first aid kit,.. roll of masking tape, the textured 1 inch wide is by far the superior...Must say can not smell the difference between paints any more, but I can taste the difference, sculpting resin come under the same heading, and I dont read lables, other than these small failures life is cool......

Phil..

note to self:

Your girlfriend isn't qualified to draw the line between hobby and obsession, but she's drawing it anyway....and depending on what she wants, you probably crossed the line ages ago.

The fact that you are typing those words, and reading this reply, means that you have already entered the Abyss..there is no way back..

" you can check out anytime you like
but you can never leave.."

Note to self...

Put narrow, high paint bottles ( eg. Vallejo) into a custom made holder, to avoid painting a large surface area of your desk/diningroom table Dunkelgelb...

Cheers
Henk

Wow, Henk...
I just read your post to this thread, and at approximately 4:30 a.m. EST this morning, I was sitting at my dining room table, applying a fine wash to a Warrior MCV, when lo and behold, a large flying insect critter(I live deep in the woods of PA) had a kamikaze mission with my left eye, and in the process of deflecting his attack, promptly knocked over the "high paint bottle" of wash that I had mixed up for this project, painting not only the table, but also my hands, pants, and both socks...Thank god the misses was sleeping, and it was an acrylic wash!...had the whole mess cleaned up before it hit the carpet! Went to work with nasty stains on myself, though(didn't dare wake up my wife with this shameful act of stupidity!)...
Guess what I'm fabricating today, Henk? ...thanks for the tip!
Gunny

I'm with Dave, I need a checklist.

Note to self, when starting to airbrush it's helpful if you put the nozzle back into the airbrush after cleaning it. (yes, I couldn't figure out why my brush wasn't spraying anything,)

Note to self, no matter how long until the next model show, model club meeting, campaign deadline, you can't just figure on loafing each week, or you'll be up late the night before.

Note to self, if you see SWMBO ANYWHERE within six feet of a model with a duster in her hand, RUN, don't walk, to get between her and the model.

Note to self, READ THE DIRECTIONS!

Note to self, take the lens cover off before trying to take pictures of your masterpiece.

Note to self, never, ever, let SWMBO know your user name on Armorama so she can read posts like this.

Prior to varnishing your model, remember to check that hands are clean from changing son's diaper.

Im sure this wouldnt be a popular weathering technique.

I think that most of us have found that out the hard way. I know I have... Luckily I heal rather well so I have no scars to show for it.. :-) :-) .

Don't take risks with your blades....

Cheers
Henk

No matter who you are, how many years you've been modelling, no matter how many models you've completed, and especially this, no matter how much money you've spent, there's always room for improvement. There's a lot of good tips here!

Here's a fundamental one that is often.

"When reading instructions, try assembling the parts (dry) first to ensure they fit before applying cement. "

Also...

"Before assembling parts with glue, confirm if it should be painted first then assembled or vice versa. "

(Note to my children): Resin is not candy... no matter how good it looks.

*Always clean the airbrush after usage.

*Use a mask if you use chemicals and thinners, you won't feel dizzy and sick.

*Work with enough light