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Tools & Supplies
Discussions on the latest and greatest tools, glues, and gadgets.
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Best FREE modeling tool from work?
MLD
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Vermont, United States
Member Since: July 21, 2002
entire network: 3,569 Posts
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Posted: Monday, February 17, 2003 - 06:20 AM UTC
Ok, so I'm taking a break from airbrushing the cruddy Italeri F-15E Strike Eagle, my 'silk purse from a sows ear project.. yeah, I know how nice the Hasegawa kit is..got one of those.. and an Airfix one too..

anyway, I'm airbrushing on a lazy susan that came from the bottom of the box that a set of teachers math curriculumn materials once came in.. Why the box needed to be spun around I dunno...

This got me to thinking, I have 30ml medicine cups the flouride mouthrise used to come in and this lazy susan all pulling airbrushing duties right now and I'm wondering what's the best free, not 'borrowed' goodie for modeling you got from where you work?

Mike
maybe the paint is dry by now...
slodder
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North Carolina, United States
Member Since: February 22, 2002
entire network: 11,718 Posts
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Posted: Monday, February 17, 2003 - 06:23 AM UTC
It's got to the the T1I'm on right now. It gives me screamin' speed on this site all day long!

Other than that - this place has little hollow stirrer sticks I use a bunch and a color printer!

Stirrer sticks are good for a bunch of stuff - Stirring (Ok duh), exhaust pipes in 1/48, pipettes for small quantities of liquid, any kind of straight piping for any kind of diorama.
Sabot
Member Since: December 18, 2001
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Posted: Monday, February 17, 2003 - 07:19 AM UTC
Endless supply of techincal manuals and time and ability to crawl around any piece of equipment I have ready access to. Definitely better than any book or online reference site.
MLD
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Vermont, United States
Member Since: July 21, 2002
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Posted: Monday, February 17, 2003 - 07:28 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Endless supply of techincal manuals and time and ability to crawl around any piece of equipment I have ready access to. Definitely better than any book or online reference site.



Rob,
Yeah, ok, ...
You win...

Mike
warlock0322
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North Carolina, United States
Member Since: January 13, 2003
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Posted: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 - 12:37 AM UTC
Best free modeling tools from work.. Lets see working in an hospital I have access to all the srynges and needles needed for measuring making holes and such. Other things that have probably saved me boocoo bucks is the endless and numerous types of forceps, tweezers, scalpals, long cotton swabs ( the ones made out of wood), tongue depressers, medacine cups, and various sizes of silk suture threads for wires and such. That is about it off the top of my head but I always got my eyes open for things that I can always use.
Paul
slodder
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North Carolina, United States
Member Since: February 22, 2002
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Posted: Tuesday, February 18, 2003 - 12:53 AM UTC
I need to add - Wire. Being an IT rat I have endless access to wire. Old Cat5 and coax cables yield wire of all sizes. Strip back the insulation and you can find up to three different thicknesses in some. You can even find very fine foil like sheathing too.
Howitzer
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United States
Member Since: February 24, 2003
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Posted: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - 03:44 PM UTC
I dont work. Only 14.
TwistedFate
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Virginia, United States
Member Since: February 11, 2003
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Posted: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 - 05:01 PM UTC

Quoted Text

I need to add - Wire. Being an IT rat I have endless access to wire. Old Cat5 and coax cables yield wire of all sizes. Strip back the insulation and you can find up to three different thicknesses in some. You can even find very fine foil like sheathing too.



When I left Verizon I snagged a scrap section of 50 pair cable about 3 feet long. That's 300 feet of wire in various colors. They make great spark plug wires for my cars.
Grasshopp12
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New Hampshire, United States
Member Since: September 28, 2002
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Posted: Monday, March 10, 2003 - 03:00 PM UTC
When not in school I deliver pizzas, so we don't have a whole lot of specific goods, however, we do have those little serving cups that we put salad dressing in, which are great for holding custom paint mixes. Any time I need a mixing cup, or feel I may soon, I grab a couple.
M4Nut
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California, United States
Member Since: March 22, 2002
entire network: 148 Posts
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Posted: Monday, March 10, 2003 - 05:41 PM UTC
Well about the only thing I get from work (outside of a paycheck) are those yearly calander desk blotters. They make excellent work areas and when one gets dirty just rip off that month and you've got a clean surface.
Eric
scoccia
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Milano, Italy
Member Since: September 02, 2002
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Posted: Monday, March 10, 2003 - 07:29 PM UTC
Working as a self employed consultant and having to deliver often professional slideshows (with the slides on film not an a PC) the most valuable thing I've got for modeling are my Alps Md 5000 and Oki Dp 5000 for printing almost any kind of custom decal I need.
cfbush2000
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North Dakota, United States
Member Since: December 01, 2001
entire network: 1,796 Posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - 04:16 PM UTC
I work at a nursing home, so there is a lot of medical stuff. The best thing I ever got was one of those binocular magnifiers mounted on a head band. It was in a box of stuff the activities department was disposing of. :-)
Now if I could just get used to using it.
PLMP110
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Alabama, United States
Member Since: September 26, 2002
entire network: 1,318 Posts
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Posted: Tuesday, March 11, 2003 - 04:36 PM UTC
I agree with Warlock. I am a firefighter/paramedic and there are so many uses for the medical stuff I can get from work that I would not where to start. If I had to pick one, I would say that the disposable suture kits are the best. Bandage scissors and smooth tipped hemastats are in them. Love them freebies.

Patrick
propboy44256
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Ohio, United States
Member Since: November 20, 2002
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Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 04:07 AM UTC
Im taking a break from my Bf110g4 nightfighter, as the future coat dries..
Id say, 11x17 paper to do my work on, Rubber bands, Tire tread wire (for antenna)
free epoxy when needed
scoccia
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Milano, Italy
Member Since: September 02, 2002
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Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 04:56 AM UTC
Other handy things are:
- 3M magic tape (the low tack one)
- kits (every time I go to Italian kit manufacturer for a consultancy I come home with a few boxes...)
PLMP110
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Alabama, United States
Member Since: September 26, 2002
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Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2003 - 04:51 PM UTC

Quoted Text

kits (every time I go to Italian kit manufacturer for a consultancy I come home with a few boxes...)



You win. Can't beat free kits.

Patrick
Donatelo
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United States
Member Since: February 15, 2003
entire network: 39 Posts
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Posted: Friday, March 21, 2003 - 06:16 PM UTC
Anytime I'm around a constuction site I pick up disregarded cooper wire( for grab handles), lumber(for bases), and any interesting piece of metal that I can find. The compamy I work for just built an addition and I walked around savaging any left overs I could find.
Don Porter
Manchu34
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Missouri, United States
Member Since: March 08, 2002
entire network: 493 Posts
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Posted: Friday, March 21, 2003 - 06:36 PM UTC
Believing a photographer and doing my own delevoping I have a lot of the plastic slide film holders. Works as well if not better then plastic struct sheet plastic, its softer and easier to bend.

I also use phone line extensions, cut open the exterior cover exposing 4 insulated wires. I've use the a stran with its insulation to depict thick cable. Remove the insulation and then either twist the wire strands together for thin wire or even rope. Its pretty close for 1/35 scale. I've used this wire on my M966 that I built and posted here on Armorama
Matrix
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Oregon, United States
Member Since: October 24, 2002
entire network: 528 Posts
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Posted: Monday, April 14, 2003 - 12:32 PM UTC
I get the same stuff off of construction sites as Donatelo.
keenan
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Indiana, United States
Member Since: October 16, 2002
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Posted: Monday, April 14, 2003 - 01:45 PM UTC
I guess I get the paycheck and a whole pattern shop. Just about every thing you could ever imagine that is castable. However, I always make a point of asking before I liberate anything, besides my time. Hit the link to see the place where I work...

Atlas Foundry
PorkChop
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Wisconsin, United States
Member Since: September 11, 2002
entire network: 3,179 Posts
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Posted: Monday, April 14, 2003 - 01:58 PM UTC
Lets see..... I don't to crawl around on tanks, and I don't get free kits....
soooooooo
Paper clips, x-acto blades (from the paper I left 3.5 years ago) and film containers for mixing paint. But since we don't use film anymore, all digital, that supply has dried up.....

Nate
Wisc. USA
2-2dragoon
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Washington, United States
Member Since: March 08, 2002
entire network: 608 Posts
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Posted: Tuesday, April 15, 2003 - 06:02 AM UTC
Mouse cables and keyboard cables from old keyboards. I got 4 old plaques from work that are out of date, nice, hard wood plaques that will make GREAT bases.
Toysoldier
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United Kingdom
Member Since: April 17, 2003
entire network: 13 Posts
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Posted: Friday, April 18, 2003 - 08:20 AM UTC
All kind of goodies ! Being in the telecom industry I have easy access to an endless supply of different diameters of cable, tons of different gold plug connectors which are excellent for using in scratchbuilding and loads of different tools.
propboy44256
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Ohio, United States
Member Since: November 20, 2002
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Posted: Friday, April 18, 2003 - 09:41 AM UTC

Quoted Text

Other handy things are:
- 3M magic tape (the low tack one)
- kits (every time I go to Italian kit manufacturer for a consultancy I come home with a few boxes...)



I agree, WOW , free kits
chip250
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Wisconsin, United States
Member Since: September 01, 2002
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Posted: Friday, April 18, 2003 - 05:18 PM UTC
I would say the best thing and most helpful thing would be strips of balsa wood that I jacked from the tech ed area of school. They are great for dioramas, signs and other things.

Thanks School!
~Chip (:-)
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