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YorkNecromancer
08-07-2013, 07:58 PM
One of the topics that doesn't come up a lot is that of quality tools for conversions, and useful things for the work area. I thought I would share mine, as we've had a number of people recently suggest that more articles are needed for beginners.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/MaltonNecromancer/Summer%20Holiday%202013/2013-08-08015034_zps9f4ced23.jpg

So these are the only tools I really use with regularity; if you don't see it here, I can guarantee it's probably not going to come in useful. The golden rule with tools? NEVER BUY TOOLS FROM GW. This includes glues. GW's stuff is obviously overpriced, but more importantly, I have found it to be of inferior quality compared to the things you will buy from actual tool shops. Get to know your local tool shops (or hardware stores), as they are usually a mine of useful kit, and often at good prices.

So, my modeller's kit, starting from the top right and going clockwise:

Small steel set square. Absolutely critical if you want to scratch build tanks, buildings, and anything from plasticard. It needs to be stell so I can use it to cut clean lines without gouging it into uselessness. This cost me £2 from Halfords.

Pin Vise. A small hand drill, and an absolute workhorse. I use this for drilling out gun barrels, adding battle damage, and "pinning" older metal models (and occasionally plastic ones too). I put off getting one for years, as it didn't seem essential; seriously, it's incredibly useful. This one cost £3, again from Halfords.

Syringe. Why do I need one? For mixing paint! Every old pot you use can be washed out, and then used to hold new mixes of unique/useful colours. A precise, small syringe is perfect for getting your mixes just right every time. This one came from my school's science lab; I just asked if they had a spare, and they did.

Clippers. These are the only thing you should use to separate models from sprue. They are also highly useful for battle damage, though they aren’t solid enough for clipping things like guitar wire. I have a pair of more blunt clippers for that (not pictures as I use them more rarely). These cost £2 from Barnett’s, a local tool shop in York.

Steel ruler. I used to use a 30cm steel ruler, but having moved to a 15cm one, I wouldn’t go back. A steel ruler is critical for precise, clean cutting of plasticard, and I find 30cm just too big for effective use. This ruler cost £1 from Barnett’s.

Scalpel. I know some people love using these for removing mould lines, but honestly? I don’t; it’s too small and dangerous for that. I’ve cut myself way too many times. No, I use this for adding rivets to models, as well as carving hardened Milliput - an epoxy putty alternative to Green Stuff that sets harder and is more brittle than GS, but can be far more easily altered once hardened. You can get some really beautiful results from carving Green Stuff, and the scalpel is perfect for this. The scalpel was £1 from Barnett’s, and the blades cost between £3 and £4 for 5.

Craft knife. This is my workhorse blade. I literally use this for everything I convert, as well as tidying up mould lines and the like. The bigger blade gives greater control, as well as allowing you to use more pressure than with a scalpel, which is useful when cutting thicker plasticard. Of course, always bear in mind it’s not safe to ever push a blade too hard, or you’ll slip and do yourself a serious nuisance. Finally, the snap-off blades mean your blade stays sharper (and therefore safer) for a lot longer, which also works out a lot cheaper than a scalpel. This craft knife cost me £3 from Barnett’s, and replacement blades cost £3 for a pack of five – which will last you about six months to a year (depending on how often you convert models).

I’ve also just realised my tweezers aren’t pictured. I use them for sifting through my bits boxes, as well as holding fiddly bits in place. I’ve ever used them to sculpt GS (you can see the results on my Dark Eldar Grotesques here: http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?16703-Dark-Eldar-Grotesques).

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/MaltonNecromancer/Summer%20Holiday%202013/2013-08-08015132_zps2e5a9d17.jpg

This are my two desk tidys, in situ. As you can see, one is for tools, the other for wire, styrene rod, and plasticard off-cuts. This helps keep my working space organised, so I can find things quickly and effectively. You’ll also note the massive bottle of PVA. That was £2 from The Range (a UK chain of craft shops), and the previous one I had lasted me four years.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/MaltonNecromancer/Summer%20Holiday%202013/2013-08-08015142_zpsb90922da.jpg

These are my paint shelves. I couldn’t find anything useful, so I knocked these up out of some scrap foamboard I had. They’re pretty ugly, but they do the job. You’ll note I tend to remove the labels from my paint; it helps me see the colours more clearly, which makes blending an easier task. I also tend to cut the plastic ”hinge” that attaches the lid to the bottle, so that I can remove the pot’s lid and use it as a palette of sorts. This helps to avoid getting too much paint in the brush and ferrule, which obviously gives your brushes a longer life.

http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb183/MaltonNecromancer/Summer%20Holiday%202013/2013-08-08015153_zps3217f88c.jpg

This is my lamp; it’s one specially designed for crafts I bought from online for £35. It’s not ideal, as the lamp can’t be angled as I would like, but it’s still perfectly usable. It’s strengths are that it is a long bulb , which helps to avoid awkward shadows when painting, as well as a daytime bulb, which helps me to see colours correctly, rather than through the yellow “filter” of a regular bulb.

So, there’s my worksurface and tools. What tools have I missed?

Pendragon38
08-07-2013, 09:00 PM
These are the tools that I use.
1.modeling glue
2.Modeling knives with lots of spare blades
3.superglue
4.modeling saw
5.clippers
6.modeling vice and C clamps
7.Dremel
8.drill bits
9.speed square
10.files

Im sure I can go on with more stuff but that's a good start.

whargoul666
08-07-2013, 11:00 PM
I've found 2 pin vices to be a good investment. I have one for normal use and another that I have shoved an 1/8th inch bit into and dremeled down to size for magnet hole drilling.

I recently bought a caliper too. I don't know why I never thought of one, but its great to have!

eldargal
08-07-2013, 11:06 PM
Great article, and I second not buying tools and glue from GW. The stuff you can buy at hardware and craft stores is cheaper and usually better. Saving you money for actual models.:)

I really recommend a portable lamp with a daylight bulb, being able to paint anywhere at any time really helps get things done.

I've also found a hairdryer is quite useful (don't laugh) not only for re-shaping FW resin but for blowing away cat fur that has a nasty tendency to accumulate on my modelling space of late.><

Mr Mystery
08-07-2013, 11:39 PM
For me, the main issue is a general lack of space, as my flat is tiny.

Instead of a desk, a GW painting station serves me well. When not in use, it lives beneath my telly stand, and when in use, it sits upon my lap.

Tools wise? Again, it's GW tools I'm afraid. For me it's just a matter of habit coupled with convenience. They may not be the best, but they are up to the task, and to me that's what counts.

LordGrise
08-08-2013, 05:21 AM
Small steel ruler: Check. Essential for scratchbuilding and modding.

Selection of fine-grade files. I got mine from Home Depot (I live in Texas) but any decent hardware store should have same. DO NOT buy wood files; they're too coarse. You want files for working with metal.

Selection of X-Acto knives. I keep four loaded at all times; a #7 blade, a #15, a #12, and a #17 (chisel tip) dab of differing paint (red, blue, green, and black) on the ends of the handles makes knowing which is which easy.

Tweezers, the self closing kind; I have three on my desk. Gentlers than clamps, good for holding bits together (I make a lot of material from sprue)

Nippers. DO NOT buy cheap ones; do your due diligence and research online on these. Mine are from Japan, and have lasted me longer than every cheap set I ever wasted money on combined.

Pin vises; I have two, loaded with the correct drill sizes for the two sizes of neodymium magnets I use.

As weird as this might sound, some bits of plastic that Cyanoacrylate (CA) glue and Testor's do not work on. In my case, a lid from a domo cup and some small thin zip strips. The cup is very useful for making crevice fill, which is simply the shavings and filings from normal modding activity mixed with a couple drops of Testor's. Testor's melts modeling plastic, so you get a workable material that will go into crevices easily (hence the zip strips, trimmed to give a good point or whatever tip I need). Lots cheaper than constantly buying green stuff.

magickbk
08-08-2013, 07:00 AM
I am the opposite of YorkNecromancer, in that I have way too many tools. Sometimes I get a tool, don't like it for what I originally got it for, and find a new use for it a few years down the road. The selection below is what I use most commonly, and doesn't include some additional tools that I use only for scenery making.

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5539/9463145711_49403a85d8_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47042253@N08/9463145711/)
Modelling Tools (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47042253@N08/9463145711/) by magickbk (http://www.flickr.com/people/47042253@N08/), on Flickr

Obviously a lot here is duplicated with what has already been said, but a few points:
1. Blu-tac/stik - This is really useful for getting poses and such down before gluing, or not gluing something you intend to paint seperately.
2. Fine-grit Emery Board - Files have a tendency to chew up resin pretty badly, so I use emery boards when working with Forge World resin or other large flat pieces like vehicles. They get damaged pretty quickly, but if you just spent over $100 for a FW piece, $1.59 for an emery board won't hurt.
3. Sculpting tools - A selection of tools for working with green stuff. This is a mixture of GW and Gale Force 9 pieces, as well as the wood handled one from a fancy art store.
4. Color Shaper - a silicon nub usually used by oil painters, I use this on green stuff when a hard or sharp tool is not desired.
5. Pin vices - I have 4, two set with my magnet sizes, two set with my pin sizes. Way back in the day I had difficulty locating replacement bits that didn't come with the drill, and I ended up just buying too many pin vices.
6. Glues - I keep both a thin and a thick super glue around. I rarely use plastic glue. It's a habit from back when GW plastics were very brittle, and more more likely to crack in a bad place than fall apart if they were assembled with polystyrene cement.
7. Clippers and pliers - I use dental clippers for cutting pins, and a pair of old, soft GW clippers for models. The needlenose pliers are there for when tweezers aren't working.
8. X-acto knives - I use two sizes, depending on what I'm doing. The larger one mainly gets used for scenery and basing. I love the x-acto with the grip on it after years of using the standard.
9. Files - Some of my files are over 20 years old, and I really need to replace some of these.

Below are my painting tools/brushes, where you can see that I second the dropper bottle. I save all the droppers from children's vitamins and medicines we purchase for our daughter. It's all pretty self-explanatory here. I am just getting into airbrushing. I've saved every brush I've ever owned, and I use beat up ones from the pile to do bases, washes, and drybrushing. I've just picked up a selection of new brushes for my next project, Dark Eldar.
http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5525/9465927122_60d43a2534_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47042253@N08/9465927122/)
Painting Tools (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47042253@N08/9465927122/) by magickbk (http://www.flickr.com/people/47042253@N08/), on Flickr

Finally, my work space:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2846/9466055316_22a63afcf1_b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47042253@N08/9466055316/)
Workspace (http://www.flickr.com/photos/47042253@N08/9466055316/) by magickbk (http://www.flickr.com/people/47042253@N08/), on Flickr

I am fortunate enough to finally have proper hobby space after many years of working on coffee tables and the like. Half the table is mine, half is my wife's. The light is a $30 hanging fixture from Lowe's with a pair of daylight fluorescent bulbs in it. The small clamp light also has a daylight CFL in it. The cabinets replaced a pair of bookcases that were unfathomably messy and not at all secure; the lower doors have magnetic locks to keep small hands out, and my paints are in plastic bins inside, along with bins with a variety of bits and projects in there.

Thaldin
08-08-2013, 11:34 AM
Best thing about that picture... the first aid kit...

Denzark
08-08-2013, 03:13 PM
The Ginger cat!

Yorkie must disagree actually - you can always get cheaper than GW for tools, sure, but their pin vice and files are just as adequate. Their table clamp is bobbins though.

One of the best Christmas present I received was when a friend, having seen the GW paint station (the wood one from a couple of years back) scratch built me one. Easy to do, if you don't have space.

magickbk
08-08-2013, 03:45 PM
The Ginger cat!

His name is Peanut. I've had him since he was 8 weeks old, and his hobbies are watching birds and animals and meowing at 3 seconds intervals for fish and treats.