Been meaning to ask this for a while now:
What would you all consider to be essentials for the Model Railroader's toolbox? Not so much in regards to layout building, but more towards detailing/painting loco's/rolling stock and building kits. I'm looking to put together a few tools and I'd like to know what your opinions are on the matter.
I know the list can be expansive, so if you're inclined to participate, perhaps you could list your top 10 (not necessarily in any order of importance).
Bonus points for an additional top 10 list of "parts" you keep on hand (ie: couplers, wheels, etc.).
~ Jason
My "Top 10 11 Toolbox Essentials", in order of importance:
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
You'se forgot the "screw drivers"!!!!!
Mark
I have the basic tools like screw drivers,Dremel tool with drill bits and cut off discs,files,jewelers files,NMRA gauge,KD gauge,3 prong holder,HO ruler,Zona saw,X-Acto knives,extra blades,sanding sticks,500 grit sand paper,various drills,2 sizes of pin vise,long,short and blunt nose pliers,tooth picks,trip pin pliers,tweezers,various pill bottles with washers,screws,KD148 and #5 couplers,centering springs,coupler springs, extra trucks,wheels etc.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Tools:
Optivisor, tweezers, screwdrivers, emery boards, pin drill and bits, extra lighting (at least 2 - one for each side), Dremel tool and bits, NMRA/NASG gauges, scale ruler, safety glasses. Actually these aren't enough but you asked for a list of ten.
Parts
Trucks, Wheelsets, Kadee Couplers, Kadee springs, grapite, oil, No Ox, solder (yeah I know the soldering tool isn't listed above, but 10 is not enough), paints, glues. Again there's only the ten you asked for, you'll need more.
For both these lists a lot depends on what you're doing at the moment.
Enjoy
Paul
Gear lube and lubricating oil.
Need a smaller hammer and nail punch.
Hot glue gun.
Soldering iron.
Snip nose pliers.
Spare part: supply of Kadee couplers, Intermountain metal wheels, fiber washers,
Alton Junction
1 Rail Cutter *****
2 Small Sharp Knife *****
3 Small screwdriver set *****
4 Tweezers (spell check) *
5 Cordless Drill ****
6 Drill bits ****
7 Thumb vices **
8 Magnets, great to keep screws from becoming lost. *****
9 Needle Nose ***
10 Magic Hand ***
11 Small Nail Punch ***
12 Sandpaper all grits *****
13 Small wire strippers *****
14 Alligator Clips **
15 Voltage Meter **
16 Small DC Transformer and or DCC power for the bench and test track ****
17 Decoder Pro and Digitrax PR 3 Interfaces *****
18 Truck Tuner *****
19 Oil *****
20 Nail Polish Remover **
21 Sanding Block ***
22 Old boxes to put projects in when I am tired of them *****
23 Small file **
24 NMRA Gauge ***
25 Low and High Temp soldering Irons ****
26 Package of Kadee Knuckle springs ***
27 Kadee Washers 010 and .015 *****
28 Center, drop and raised Kadee Couplers *****
29 Testors Model Glue ***
30 Super Glue **
31 Tire Weights *****
32 Bag of Athearn Center Gears **
33 Extra Drive Shafts **
34 Old Pill Bottles *****
35 Straight hard surfaces for sanding *****
36 Extra wire, from bus wire sizes to decoder harness sizes ***
37 Electrical Tape *****
38 Latex chalk ***
39 Rubber bands **
40 Scales ****
41 **********************************************************
Cuda Ken
I hate Rust
The model railroader's most essential and important tool is lightweight, portable, made of plastic and easily slips into a pocket or wallet. It can have rounded corners, many colors, and a large variety of numbers on the front of it, usually in a series of sixteen. There is a magnetic stripe on the back that, when actuated, makes an astounding variety of railroad equipment appear on the layout, sometimes to the consternation of the MR's spouse or domestic partner, directly proportional to the amount of times the magnetic stripe is used. But the tool is unquestionably indispensable for the procurement of a vast array of gottahavethose.
Robby
All~ Thanks. You can begin to see which are most important by what tools keep popping up as the common denominator in each list.
...and the 'top 10' doesn't have to be hard and fast. If you have more than 10 essentials (like Ken-thank you, Sir!) feel free to share. I'd love to see your thoughts. The top 10 was more of a jumping off point.
Robby~ I just paid off and cut up all my plastic tools. From now on, I'm going to stick to good old fashioned paper. I figure if I can't do it with paper, I don't need to be doing it.
I sort of have 2 groupings. One is the stuff in a relatively small tool box that I can easily take with me - and I do when I go away for more than a few days so I can work on car kits and so forth. In there I have jewelers screwdrivers (flathead and philips), small multimeter (the cheap Harbor Freight one), sandpaper, set of needle files, CA, Tenax-7R, microbrushes in the two smallest sizes, Xacto knife and blades, single edge razor blades, 2 kinds of sprue nippers (the tweezer kind and the one that look like small wire cutters), needle nose pliers, tweezers and forceps, Kadee coupler gauge, NMRA gauge, couple sections of snap-track, truck tuner tool, pin vise, small drills, and maybe a couple of things I can't think of at the moment.
At home, the stuff that doesn't travel are things like my magnifier lamps, helping hands, benchtop multimeter, soldering station, clip leads, track cutter, etx.
And then I have my parts boxes, divided compartment boxes I get in the fishing section at WalMart. One is for couplers and includes various couplers and springs, plus at least for now all the discards (non-Kadee) that I remove from thoise that don't already have genuine Kadee. All segregated by type - once I have enough perhaps I'll sell like a dozen pair of Accumates on eBay or something. Anotehr box has wheels - same deal, I generally use P2K wheelsets are replacements unless they are the wrong axle length, so I keep soem on hand, and then I've saved all the plastic ones I've removed. And a third box is for DCC, I have spre decoder wire, the dummy plugs removed from locos, circuit boards I've removed from others, etc.
One thing I still need is one of those multi-drawer parts bins for things like small screws and nuts. If I get a large enough one, I may transfer the contents of the smaller boxes so everythign is in one place.
When I am preparing for a trip, I'll take a couple of couplers and some wheelsets and toss them in the kit box so all I need are the kit box and the toolbox and I have everything I need. Most of the kits I have are Branchlines, and I know they need about 10 pennies to get up to NMRA weight, in addition to the large steel nuts they supply. So I'll throw a handful of pennies in each box too.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Randy hit what I consider one of the most important items: places to keep things organized. It doesn't matter if you have a nice new tool - if you can't find it, you can't use it!
Sean
HO Scale CSX Modeler
I forgot to mention a small battery operated vacuum to clean up misplaced landscaping materials, especially stray ballast.
Also, heat shrink tubing and a heat gun.
I think the OP was right when he asked for the "short list", so I'll be brief:
Tools -- assuming that layout construction is mostly completed and we're in tweaking / maintenance mode (not in order):
1) Jeweler's screwdrivers.
2) Pin vice and small drill bits
3) Dremel tool and an assortment of attachments
4) A variety of adhesives (thick and thin CA's, Wather's Goo, tacky glue, hot glue and gun), because one size does not fit all when it comes to adhesives, and it's really frustrating not to have the right one.
5) A variety of lubricants, for the same reason.
6) 3 or more tweezers with a variety of ends, including at least one pair that requires pressure to stay open rather than closed.
7) A magnification device (I don't say Optivisor, because I find them extremely awkward -- I use 2.5x magnification reading glasses from Wal-Mart).
8) A good, self supporting light source (I use a "Gorilla Lamp" available from outdoor stores).
9) A locomotive work cradle, either commercial or homemade. 2 is even better.
10) A parts container like a tackle box, with lots of places to sort stuff.
Spare parts:
1) Couplers: high quality knuckle, with a variety of short, std, and long shanks and std and offset knuckles.
2) At least one spare truck to fit each type in use on your layout.
3) Spare metal wheelsets
4) Coupler springs.
5) Fibre washers in several different diameters and thicknesses
6) Extra screws in a huge variety of diameters, lengths, and materials. You can never have too many, provide that you have obtained #10 on the tools list, because if you cant find it, you may as well not have it.
Connecticut Valley Railroad A Branch of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford
"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." -- Henry Ford
One I don't think anyone else has mentioned - sanding screen. This is the metal screen used for smoothing out drywall mud on walls. It is great for smoothing edges and fine tuning hydrocal castings. Far better than sandpaper or files.
I like foam brushes for working Durhams Water Putty into good road surfaces.
I've also got a selection of small paint brushes, down to some very tiny ones, for painting really small details on models.
Think your model is done? Take a picture of it. When you look at the photo, you'll see details you missed, and you'll want to go back and improve it. The camera is a modeling tool, too.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I see most is covered already. The only thing I have to add is an LED headlight. The light has a band wraps around your head and is great for working under the layout.
Springfield PA
Colorado_Mac Randy hit what I consider one of the most important items: places to keep things organized. It doesn't matter if you have a nice new tool - if you can't find it, you can't use it!
Last week I took time out to truly organize things. As happens to most of us, once there is a flat surface it becomes tool storage - not great when you want to lay track and so forth. So I picke dup 2 more 7-drawer rolling storage cabinets at WalMart and organized everything. One cabinet is for the benchwork and tracklaying tools. Another is for all the electrical/electronic things. And the third right now is mostly empty but I use it for decals and models under construction for now. This all coincided with a need to make a slight redesign on my track plan to allow room for my workbench, and moving said workbench into position. The corner where the workbench now is is sort of dark and I was initially worried, but I have a desk light, a small magnifier light with a circle flourescent tube, and a giant magnifier lamp which has dual flourescent lights - with all of these turned on I have PLENTY of light to work by.
I have plenty of other things I didn't mention as well. Things liek shrink tube, kapton tape, decoder wire, soldering gun (for the feeder to bus wire connections - need plenty of power for that), two thicknesses of solder, cordless drill, drill and screwdriver bits for it, wrenches, large file, about a dozen clamps, 10" miter saw (I got tired of using a hand saw for the benchwork), and a shop vac.
I've made it a habit now, when I work on something, after I finish I put the tools back where they belong and run the shop-vac to clean up any mess I made.
Lots of valid answers, but there is one key point: Every model railroader will have a different answer, depending on his/her primary interests and present activities.
I won't detail what I would strike from the preceding, but here are a couple of additions:
(One guess who's building benchwork from steel studs...)
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with a full toolbox)
Nice. Thanks for the input, everyone.
I must say that I find the most important thing I can have when working on small stuff is a clear head and the right disposition. If you don't have both of those, you might as well skip trying to use the right tool and go straight for the 12in roller, 5in paint brush, 8lb sledge and 20ton press since it won't make much a difference. Coffee, but not too many, beer, but not too much, never a cranky mood - it won't get better, medications can ruin it as well, which I am getting a nasty lesson in. I'm finally able to have more than 12hrs off in a day since I can't drive until this wears off (which the pharmacist says could be 2 days) but I also can't put a kit together to save my life while I'm waiting, which is harsh- I WANT to do them.
Jason, I forgot the Kadee Coupler Height Gauge, cannot believe I left it out. I all so like to keep some extra Trucks for for rolling stock.
By the way, you are welcome.
Ken
tinman1 I must say that I find the most important thing I can have when working on small stuff is a clear head and the right disposition.
I must say that I find the most important thing I can have when working on small stuff is a clear head and the right disposition.
Boy, isn't that the truth. About 3 years ago, our power was knocked out by a thunderstorm at about 9:00 on a Friday night. Naturally, it was in August, and it was in the high 90's and very humid out. After a restless night (owing to the heat), I took my kids out for breakfast and some errands. After we got back at about 1:00, we still had no power. At about 3:30 (still no power) I decided that I would change out some couplers. Unfortunately, between a rough night of sleep, listening to the kids complain about being hot, and being way too hot myself, I was frazzled. After the fourth or fifth time the coupler box fell apart or the spring went flying, I was fit to be tied, even though under ordinary circumstances, this stuff happens all the time and doesn't faze me a bit.
Wow. This is great. I'm really enjoying the feedback. Thanks Everyone.
One thing that's curiously absent from all these lists is mention of an airbrush. I would have thought that would be pretty high on the priority list.
I haven't the slightest bit of artistic ability and haven't found a need for an airbrush. I have some undec locos to do up but my road's paint scheme is basically all one color , and that color is available in a spray can, so I will be able to take the bodies outside and spray them in my spray box same as I spray car weights flat black before assembling kits.
--Radny
Jason, I have doing this going on 6 years and have only painted one car and that was a month ago. What I and other have listed is pretty basic stuff, Air Brush would be for more advanced tool box IMHO.
Roger that.
Anybody notice the “Workshop” article in this months MRR?
Maybe when I eventually get mine