Tools

[SHAY09]

One "tool" I would not part with is my jewelers apron.  My jeweler said you want to stop cussing when you drop those tiny grab irons?  Here wear this apron and I'll bet you will never work without.  Well, not a 100 % but maybe 90%!  He was right.  Give one a try.

On the visor issue.  I'm 75, very poor eyesight due to a mild stroke  and my visor is the only means  I have of continuing with my modle building.

[PASMITH]

This is a test for adding paragraphs to forum responses: Test Test Test Peter Smith, Memphis

[lvanhen]

Tools:  "Headlight"!!  it's a LED light on an elastic strap that goes on your head - great for looking in those spots that your overhead leaves in shadow, like putting a car on the track without a re-railer!!  Also for working under the layout on a switch machine or wireing!!

Peter Smith, have you tried doing your response in "Word" and copying to the forum?  Just an idea.

[PASMITH]

Jcopilot, Ever since the last forum modification, I have been having exactly the same problem with paragraphs as you have. There was even a whole thread that tried to help me resolve this problem but nothing that was suggested would work for me. I have since given up. If you find a way to resolve this paragraph issue, please let me know. Each sentence in this post has been separated using standard practice. I am beginning to think it's my MAC. Peter Smith, Memphis

[Anonymous]

Get a stainless steel dentist's pick.  I have two - one has a straight pointed end and a hook end, the other has two ends that are bent-out & in to get inside corners and crevices.  These tools have been absolutely indispensable to me.  I've used them for clearing the inside of rail after ballasting, as hole punches for scenery, for gently positioning decals, for ripping-up & removing scenic material or ballast, etching, and a hundred other uses.  I've even used the straight pointed end to apply pinpoints of paint where needed.

You can get them in hobbyshops, or science supply stores, or I'm sure your dentist could order one for you.

[shayfan84325]

If you do much in the way of craftsman kit building, kit bashing, or scratch building you'll likely find the NWSL Chopper to be a useful tool.  They make precision cuts in wood or plastic.  These may seem a little pricey at hobby stores.  I got mine (gently used) on eBay for $10 plus shipping.

[loathar]

miniwyo

Are the Xuron Track Cutters worth the money, or is a razor saw  the best way to cut flextrack?

 

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062764

I just got a pair of these flush cutters from Radio Shack. They work GREAT for cutting rail and you can't beat the price.

[ham99]

I use the MicroMark vacuum attachment for a full size vacuum.  The Xuron track nail puller is great.  Many sizes of tweezers.  Mirror on a stick.  A good natural light lamp with magnifier lens.  Cotton swabs.  Power wheel cleaner.  Bright boy.  Measuring caps from laundry soap bottles.  Paper towels.  Spring clothes pins.  Foam cradle for working on locomotives.  Grab-it.  Staticmaster brush.  Medicine droppers.

[jcopilot]

I apologize for the appearance of this post. As I type this, there are blank lines between the descriptions of each tool. Why it looks like one run-on sentence, I don't know. I have many 'tools'. Some will be found in the hardware section, others not. Dremel tool with the cable attachment. Used with cutting disk is my preferred way to cut flextrack. Cutting disks - larger ones for cutting flex track. My flextrack is nailed until I get around to ballasting it. I use a common kitchen knife, not the steak knife, the one that barely can cut butter to pry up the nails. It's great, long handle, long skinny blade, enough twist to raise the nail. I've used lead shot to add weight to rolling stock. I do the work over a piece of scrap carpet to keep the lead shot from rolling away and a common kitchen spoon to pour the shot in place. Small wire strippers. Small needle-nose pliers. Opti-Visor - magnifying lens on an adjustable headband. Drill bits from 50 to 80. Pin vises for those drill bits. An old-style, egg-beater hand drill. Great for when the job calls for something more controllable than a power drill and bigger than a pin vise. Lots of 2-56 screws in different lengths. Reamers - very useful to open small holes that have been clogged by paint. Also eliminates the 'force fit' with small breakable parts. Files - I have the small jeweler's files and another set larger than the jeweler's and considerably smaller than standard files. Those mid-size files came in a set of 6. The special cutting tools for removing parts from sprues. Resistance soldering tool - best thing ever for soldering track feeders. A 4' metal rule. Great for laying out straight track. I call it my 4' yard stick. A power miter saw - my God what a blessing when building benchwork. Radial arm saw - I wish I had one. Table saw - See Radial Arm Saw. Sabre saw. Circular saw. Trammel stick - a long ('long' determined by your need), slender, straight piece of wood with many holes drilled at desired curve radii. Put a nail in the hole at a particular radius and hold a pencil point at the other end. Hold the nail at the center point of the curve and then push or drag the pencil at the end of the stick as you swing it in an arc. It's so much easier to see it in action than to describe it. Cordless power drills - 2 preferred. One for drill bits, one with a screwdriver tip. Drywall screws in several lengths. Track alignment gauges - really helpful for keeping track straight or in a smooth curve. Right-angle clamps - great for holding 2 pieces of wood together in a 90-degree joint while you drive drywall screws with your cordless power drill with the screwdriver tip. Small screwdrivers - straight and philips tips. I got a set of 5 of each from Radio Shack. X-Acto knives and blades, particularly the chisel and #11. Different (not X-Acto) blade handles, the ones with rubber-coated shafts and a nut-like ring to keep it from rolling away. Liquid Tape - a thick gooey liquid that you paint on a solder joint. I used it a lot when installing speakers and decoders. Much better than heat-shrink wrapping. Tweezers - especially the longer ones (4"?) with the curved points. Great for picking up dropped small parts and spikes and track nails. These are just the ones I can think of now, give me some time and ........ jcopilot (so many tools, so little money/space)

[miniwyo]

Are the Xuron Track Cutters worth the money, or is a razor saw  the best way to cut flextrack?

I have a few tools that arent mentioned.

Instead of a hobby knife, I use a Scalpel and different blades. Blades are super sharp, and super cheap. When they get dull, just throw them out.

I use a pair of tweezers that release when squeezed, they hol tihngs a little better. I also have 2 pairs of Hemostats that are good for a tight hold. I also use some end cutting pliers that are really handy that I got in a plier Kit from ACE hardware. Another pair in the kit are some smooth jaw mini linemans pliers.

I also use a Ceramic tool. It is great for installing knuckle springs, but is not as sharp as a knife. and the curved end is great for prying things as well as scraping "gunk" off things. 

I use my digital callipers quite a bit as well.

 

[shayfan84325]

It seems that nearly everything on a model railroad eventually gets painted.  Good quality paint brushes are pretty useful.  Buy them at an art supply store and expect to pay $5-10 (or more) per brush.  Take good care of them and they will last a long time.

[Kenfolk]

jrbernier

Tools!

  I would break this down to:

• modeling tools
• powered modeling tools
• tools that are not model railroad specific

 

[IRONROOSTER]

I find emery boards very useful - they come in hard and soft and have different grits.

Also, if you work in the basement or garage, plug all your tools into a GFCI protected receptacle.  If you don't have one installed in your house wiring, then get a plug in model.

Enjoy

Paul 

[jacon12]

loathar

Some type of vision magnifier.

 

Amen on that!  One of the best things I've bought in this hobby has been a relatively inexpensive magnifier, the type on a head band that will flip up out of the way.  For painting tiny details, trimming small parts from the sprue, for checking obstructions in itty bitty holes and a host of other things it can't be beat.  How in the world can you accurately work on anything you can't see!

Jarrell

[MisterBeasley]

While building benchwork, I bought a clamp that holds two pieces of wood solidly at right angles so you can screw or glue them together.  It really made that process easier.

A "solder sucker" is a mechanical gadget used for removing old solder from a connection when you're re-doing it, or to remove excess solder when you get too excited about melting metal.  Heat shrink tubing is nice for making nice solder connections as well.

I've got a 2-56 tap and a bunch of 2-56 nuts and bolts.  It's a very common size in HO modelling, and these come in useful.

Less elegant - wood toothpicks.  These are great for applying small amounts of paint, and particularly for adding tiny drops of glue while putting things together.  I use a big cardboard box for spray painting.  (I use rattle cans from the hardware store.)  Rubber bands are good for holding things together while the glue is drying.

[jrbernier]

Tools!

  I would break this down to:

• modeling tools
• powered modeling tools
• tools that are not model railroad specific

 

Modeling Tools

• Xacto knives
• Small files
• NMRA gauge
• Kadee coupler gauge
• Small paint brushes
• Small screwdriver set
• Sanding sticks/True Sander(NWSL)
• Pin Vise/Drill bits/Taps
• NWSL 'Chopper'
• Scale ruler
• Good lighting over you modeling bench/table
• Multimeter
• Precision Square
• Precision 'bubble' Level

Powered Modeling Tools

• Dremel Motor Tool
• Air Brush/Compressor
• Precision Drill Press with an X/Y table
• Soldering iron/Solder Station

Tools that are not model railroad specific (Layout construction items)

• Power Mitre Saw(a $50-$100 10" one is perfect for layout construction)
• Radial Arm Saw(I used this to build the benchwork before Power Mitre Saws were generaly available)
• Sabre Saw
• Circular Saw(and a straight-cut guide if you do not have a table or radial arm saw)
• 3/8" Drill Motors(at least 18 Volt if cordless) amd a good set of drill bits
• The usual screw drivers/hand saws/levels/Sureform rasps/clamps(lots of them)/etc...

  I also have some special tools like a NWSL 'Riveter', a Micro-Mark magnetic gluing jig, and several 'Tool Man' items/fixtures I have picked up over the years.  You can spend $100-$200 just for the items in that first 'Modeling Tools' list.  Buy good stuff - your models will reflect it!

Jim  'I have not met a power tool I did not like...' Bernier

[BRAKIE]

loathar

Some type of vision magnifier.

HAH! Speak for yourself..

 

I will  soon be 61 and still don't need 'em even working on N Scale.

Must  be because all those carrots I ate when I was a child.

[nof]

When working with foam it is handy to have some hot wire tools. I bought some from Hot Wire Foam Factory. I have also built some extra tools for cutting foam myself.

[PMeyer]

Drop sheets. Or if not a good divorce attorney

 

[R. T. POTEET]

I keep an 8lb sledge in my tool box; it comes in mighty handy when you can't seem to get those pesky handrails on diesel locomotives to fit!

Look, almost every introductory book to the hobby has a chapter on tools; in addition the hobby press frequently has articles on the same subject.

[Kenfolk]

In addition to what's already been mentioned, I have found a Surform tool particularly useful when shaping foam. Also, when my wife was discarding some plastic kitchen ware, I absconded with some airtight containers for storing scenery materials, large bowls that I use for ground foam when preparing trees (consolidates the mess), and plastic spoons for distributing scenery materials such as ballast on the layout. I also have a weighted "extra hands" device with alligator clips and magnifier useful for holding small objects for painting, soldering, etc.

[dstarr]

 It doesn't take all that many tools to be effective at model railroading.  Screwdrivers, pliers, diagonal cutters, a scale rule, an NMRA gauge, a test lamp, Xacto knife, hacksaw, pin vise, drill bits,files.  Soldering equipment, a Dremel, a battery powered drill.  For benchwork a table saw is helpful, although not essential.  I have a band saw and a drill press that get quite a bit of use.   Stationary power tools can be had off Craigslist for very little money.  Air brush and compressor are on my "to get" list.  So far I have been getting by with rattle cans. If you know how to use one, a multimeter.  Vernier calipers, dividers, hand calculator, architect's scale, pencil sharpener. 

 

[loathar]

Some type of vision magnifier. Coupler height gauge and trip pin pliers. An adjustable soldering station is nice to have too. A pack of hobby files.

[SleeperN06]

BlueHillsCPR

 I can't believe no one has mentioned an NMRA track gauge. 

The list of tools could be endless.  It just depends on where the hobby takes you.

Oh yes, that’s important. One tool that I wish I had when laying flex track is the Flex Track Alignment tool, but I still don't have one.

[BlueHillsCPR]

 I can't believe no one has mentioned an NMRA track gauge. 

The list of tools could be endless.  It just depends on where the hobby takes you.

 

[ICRR1964]

 My HO scale ruler and my Dremel seem to be used allot, and my knife set. I could go on with all the other tools, but these seem to get used allot the ones I listed.

[SleeperN06]

Well, I just got my 1^st rail nippers after years without, but I love my Atlas saw. I also can’t do without my combination magnetized jewelers screwdriver set and needle nose pliers.

[MisterBeasley]

A Xuron rail-nipper and the Kadee trip-pin pliers (along with the coupler gauge) are MR-specific items.

A Dremel tool and a hobby knife are more generic, but I use mine for train things all the time.  Also, tweezers, needle-nose pliers, small diagonal clippers and wiring tools like strippers and a soldering iron.

[Railphotog]

It all depends upon what you are going to do.  Of course the basic ones such as knives, screw drivers and such can be common to many different parts of the hobby.  If you are going to assemble structures and rolling stock, you'll need others.  Same with scratchbuilding, electrical, making benchwork, scenery, etc.   You don't need everything at first, just get what you need when you need it.  After a while you'll probably have quite a bunch of tools, just like the rest of us!