The thread about 'things learned the hard way' got me thinking - how about sharing the GOOD tricks and things that you've picked up that may not be intuitive to others. Cost savers, time savers, etc. . . Here's one to start - I save my 35mm plastic canisters that film come in - and use them to mix paint for the airbrush and also to mix different shades of scenic material together. You can then sprinkle the scenery right from the canister. Another trick for mixing paint is to use a small piece of aluminum foil and form it over the lid of a paint jar, to make a temporary, disposable 'cap' to mix a small amount of paint in. When you're done, just wrinkle it up and throw it away. So share your tricks! I'm sure there's a wealth of knowledge here on this forum
Medicianl pill containers from druggist also work very well for the above purpose. For storage of bits and things, for those of you still silly enough to smoke either cigars or a pipe, the boxes or tins are a natural. Method for white glue- If you have a large area to do or don't want it to run and adjoining scenery already down AND don't need a thick paste ( a lot of if's there) put diluted glue into a small plastic spray bottle and spray it.
Here's a similar trick. Got to do a little touch up on something you spray bomb painted? Added a detail to something you sprayed with Dullcote? Don't have the color or the Dullcote except in a spray can? If you are familiar with the clear vacuum formed packaging truck sets or superglue come in, simply spray a little of your color or Dullcote into one of them and brush on. Spray heavily and you'll get enough liquid on a corner to paint a small spot with a brush. Then, just throw the packaging away, which you were going to do anyway.
I save my larger spice bottles for sprinkling ground foam for scenery. I even bought one of the big restaurant sized bottles (bay leaves, I think it was) specifically for the purpose. And a warning: if you do this, label them well. Ground foam can look a lot like oregano but it deosn't have quite the same flavour.
I get 1 oz cups from a medical supplier nearby. 200 of them cost about $5. Great for mixing small amounts of casting resins.
Costco used to have a small cup. Cannot recall it's stated purpose. It was a restaurant type supply. Similar to those you'd get tartar sauce in at the fast food place. They were very inexpensive. Still have a few of them around here..... Filed somewhere in this mess..... Boxcab E50
For mixing small amounts of paint or using a dab of glue or water for decals I use the little tops that they have on a drink called Fruit 2O, or something like that. The caps from 12, 16, or 20 oz. bottled water also work great. Another trick I learned from my 1/700 ship modeling is when sanding down a resin hull or a loco, or car that has been filled in with putty I use a can of Plasticote auto primer spray paint (gray) and give it a quick spray. It dries in minutes and you can see the rough spots that still need work and start sanding with out much loos of time. A good primer is very fine and will not hide any detail.
Stop in the sewing store and pick up a thimble that's big enough for your thumb (yes, they come in a variety of sizes because seamstresses' fingers are different sizes). It makes the job of adding rail joiners to rails _much_ less painful. As much of my modeling is done on NTrak layouts, I've got a thimble in the toolbox that I take to shows (I've also got one of those low seats with wheels on the bottom and a tray underneath the seat that helps immensely when we are under the layout placing clamps or plugging electrical connections between modules; I got the seat at the local liquidator's outlet for ~$25). Also, at the sporting goods store, pick up a package of metal dart tips. Use the tips as awls to create dimples where you want to drill. Starting your drill in the dimple, you're a lot less likely to get the "drill walk" when you start twisting your pin vise.
I use a lot of bamboo kebob skewers. The tapered ends are easy to wedge into truck bolster holes for air brushing cars. For engine shells I have small blocks of wood with holes drilled in them. I put a piece of double stick foam tape on one side and wedge the skewer into the other. I have a few with aligator clips attached for painting other parts. Next to my paint booth I have a large block of wood with holes drilled in to stage all the skewers while painting. Coffee filters make great cleaning rags because they don't turn to lint very easy. I use them for track cleaning, blotting decals to clean them up after the setting solution has dried.
I use hemostats, or forceps for the medical types--to hold stuff while airbrushing.. Cheap, about a buck apiece, and a gazillion uses. Well, maybe not a gazillion, but they are useful for many things!
Before I got my paint shaker, I use to take a large blade in a jig saw, stick the paint jar on the end of the blade with a piece of duct tape, and turn the saw on to shake it. Works great. Just hold it over a bucket in case something happens. I made a paint booth by taking two of those big clear plastic storage tubs you can get at Target or wherever... Then I cut squares in one side of both of them, and taped them together top to top with painter's tape. You can take a small florescent light and lay it on top. The clear plastic lets the light come through well so you can see what you're doing. You can also screw a brush holder into the side o hold your brush. And when you need to move or clean it, you just take it apart and hose it out. Dave Los Angeles, CA -DPDP Model Accessories- http://eje.railfan.net/dpdp/
If you need lots of autos, try to get some old N-scale auto racks, such as Bachmann. They are usually quite cheap and you can remove the autos, repaint them, and you have cars by the parking lot full. Frank
must have a set of jewelry pliers. the ones with smooth flat jaws do not damage soft metals. chain nose are designed to make very small loops in wire (and again no teeth marks). emery boards, both the cheap ones and the ones with four different "grits". oh yea, chopsticks. can't be with out them. great for boring holes in foam among other things. in the where to find column. homasote. try your local stained glass store. david
For airbrushing I use a variation on the bamboo skewer technique. White glue the part/shell to the skewer. Use th skewer as a handle, stick it in a piece of blue foam to try.
You can use cardboard rolls from paper towels or toilet paper to use as handles for holding the frame while airbrushing.
For planting trees in hydrocal terrain, use a jeweler's screw driver or a metal tap to punch the hole. Then drop in some white craft glue and plant your tree/trees.
Anyone looking for some? There are some for sale in the Yellow forum if you're looking (see my pre ebay sale thread)
Quick brick mortar work Hi there, If you ever wondered how to make your brick or stone work really pop try this, Take some hydrocal with a 2 to 1 mix of water a color of your choice for grout and generously apply to your brick and stone work. When dry brush off the extra and there you go easy brick work. Seal with a dull coat and you are done.
