Your best quick tip/technique/diy

[chriss67]

I also use Windex,never did find a better thinner,also works well with Lifecolor.

 

[the Baron]

I like to use Removable Mounting Putty for many things! There are several on the market, I like the gray stuff. I use it a lot for test fitting, quick mock-up builds, holding parts for painting, I've even used small balls to hold small parts while gluing. Even when it's been used for painting and has some paint on it, a quick kneading and it's ready to go again.

Erik

It is also good for masking off camo patterns. Roll it into little thin sausages, place it on your kit to outline the camo pattern, and then cover the section you don't want painted with tape. Leaves a nice soft demarcation line!

I'm with you, guys! I bought some recently for that very purpose--I thought it will make WWII Italian camo patterns easier to produce. And it's very reasonably priced.

 

[spud]

ahh Blue Tac. same thing and its cheap

 

[Elm City Hobbies]

Only difference I find between the blue tack and white tack is the blue will sometimes leach something onto the paint, I assume it is oil. Don't find that the white does the same thing.

Silly putty if you can find it will apparently do the same thing, but the blue and white tack you can usually find anywhere.

 

[dkev]

This works really well for masking those hard to tape areas. I found this to be really handy for landing gear bays. It's way softer then mounting putty, which I still use for tack.

 

[WebbyNZ]

i tried a cheap chinese version of 'cyber clean' which is designed to clean out ya keyboard etc.
I was hoping it would be good for removing dust etc before painting but it does leave a slight residue so back to tack cloths it is.
The goo is usefull for breathing like back into sanding sticks etc that are full of paint etc as it pulls that out leaving the grit behind.

 

[plane_mc]

Here's a tip for those that have a Tamiya Handy Drill. This is an extremely useful tool for drilling holes in plastic. It turns nice and slow and doesn't melt the plastic as you drill the hole.

I don't like using collets for drill bits as they never seem to fit the drill bit properly. I got a couple of micro keyless drill chucks from Micro-Mark and used a 1/8" collet. I had to make a shim out of a piece of aluminum to keep the collet centered as it is not designed for the Handy Drill. Now I can use any size drill bit up to 1/8" and not have to change out the collets.

Mark

 

[Ian]

Very nice.

I have three simple things that have been very useful to me recently.

1. Mini cutting/detail bench

Given the amount of time I'm hunched over my actual workbench - cutting, sanding, scraping etc. - I decided to make this little guy to help me hunch less. It's about 6" high which puts me in a much more comfortable position when doing small part work.

2. Reading Glasses +3.00

Instead of the usual magnifying headband, I'm now using these simple +3 reading glasses for close up work. They came in a value 3-pack, are inexpensive, lightweight and easily worn around any close lighting you might have (like a moveable work light.) I now use these on the bench and when spraying.

3. DIY drying stand

Got this from SMA user CheesyGrin. So simple, and effective. 3/4" spacing on a drill press gives me plenty of options when drying parts now.

 

[spud]

Ian that Raised desk part is the best thing you could have ever came up with, i say that because my spine is ferked but i doubt it from building models.

Well here is a Tip for Keeping CA or Superglue alive.

Use a Humbrol pot or something you can shape into a bowl, cover the top with tinfoil and press it lightly to make the bowl then pop some superglue in it and it will last hours in the tinfoil. i put it in there at around 6pm its now almost 12 and its still usable

 

[Jurasikfrank]

Great tips Ian & Spud.
Thanks!

 

[Grendels]

Here's a tip for those that have a Tamiya Handy Drill. This is an extremely useful tool for drilling holes in plastic. It turns nice and slow and doesn't melt the plastic as you drill the hole.

I don't like using collets for drill bits as they never seem to fit the drill bit properly. I got a couple of micro keyless drill chucks from Micro-Mark and used a 1/8" collet. I had to make a shim out of a piece of aluminum to keep the collet centered as it is not designed for the Handy Drill. Now I can use any size drill bit up to 1/8" and not have to change out the collets.

Mark

I have the handi drill and use it all the time. I came up with a similar solution. Dremel collets will fit in the handi drill. I can use a wide variety of drill bits, but I do have to change out the collet when I change drill bits.

I use silly putty all the time as a paint mask, works good. I was going to try play dough, and was told not to, oils can bleed out of the play dough. (I have never tried it, so I am not sure if it actually does this)

 

[Black Sheep 1]

A short video on cleaning and preparing armor road wheels.

Prep Wheels

 

[model maker jnr]

Metal candle holder dishes are great for holding thinners and washes you are using
or just about any liquid.

 

[Grendels]

Nice tip Blacksheep01!

 

[Black Sheep 1]

Nice tip Blacksheep01!

thanks
;D

 

[spud]

i really need to get me one of them tamiya Drills. the only problem people have here is eliminating the seem fully as they did have a seem., ive seen color photos of a Sherman in Italy with the mold line on the wheels.

Still a great tip. ild never have taught of the dremil bit to hold them.

 

[Black Sheep 1]

i really need to get me one of them tamiya Drills. the only problem people have here is eliminating the seem fully as they did have a seem., ive seen color photos of a Sherman in Italy with the mold line on the wheels.

Still a great tip. ild never have taught of the dremil bit to hold them.

Well if you're talking about a seam on the actual, real world tank, for what I've been told, after a while in combat, most of the rubber part was gone anyways.

As for the scale model part, depend on the type of tank and manufacturer, you're going to have a different type of seams to deal with.
For example, Tamiya Shermans, the seam is a small one in the middle, but the Tamiya A1 Abrams there is a serious ridge at the edge of the wheels that needs to be removed.

 

[spud]

yea that is tru so depending on how long you plan on making it live its a good reason to clean them fully. i clean them off mine fully most of the time because i like a well used and abused tank.

 

[andrei383]

Hi all, here's a tip i developed today for making weld beads. firstly i tried some styrene rod and found that the rod was fairly hard despite repeated applications of cement and was difficult to make a weld bead. and then i got the idea to use my old tube of Revell Plasto putty since it will stick to plastic on its own and is soft enough to make weld beads easily.

to make application easier and more precise, i looked to the pastry world and realized i could make a "piping bag" to extrude a bead of the putty. so i took a small ziplock bag and snipped off one corner and filled a small amount of putty into the bag:

with a little practice, i was able to make a consistent bead and using an old No. 11 blade with the tip sanded down to a rounded point i made the weld marks:

and here it is on an in progress build:

(this photo shows the comparison between the styrene rod and putty)

ive only tested this with Revell Plasto but im sure this would work with other brands of plastic putty. also, it may be easier to use a syringe with an appropriate size of needle since the needle can more easily reach tight spaces (although the syringe would probably be a write off at the end, so have a few handy).

 

[Quaralane]

Nice tip. Thanks for sharing it