Seeing the medicine cups thread, I thought "Why don't we have a thread dedicated to just our tricks and tips for the hobby"? You know, what we do to make the hobby a little easier monetary/labor/time consuming. For example. I got a whole sheet of NMRA labels, and it says in the paper included that members have used those labels on their tools,trains,etc
Some of mine:
I use an old Fishing tackle box for my tools and paints (Note to self: get more paint-out of Conrail blue, and need some more cream,need gray, and some more red)
Friend of mine has suggested using the glass plate from an old microwave to work on models. The raised edges keep stuff from flying out.
Purchase a high quality square. Save you tons of headaches
I use a cardboard box outside for spray painting my shells.
I;ve been thinking about turning an old chocolate milk container-one of the one serving ones- into a roadside store/attraction.
Let's hear what you have
(My Model Railroad, My Rules)
These are the opinions of an under 35 , from the east end of, and modeling, the same section of the Wheeling and Lake Erie railway. As well as a freelanced road (Austinville and Dynamite City railroad).
I choose my battles carefully. I've learned that I have a limited amount of time and money, so I have to balance the two to actually build a layout. Hence, I don't build locomotive kits, but rather buy them RTR. I build freight car kits, though, and enjoy that. I don't hand-lay track, either. On the other hand, I spend a lot of time on scenery.
My benchwork tip is to get a frame clamp that holds two pieces of wood at 90 degrees while you drill and screw them together. That work also goes a lot faster with 2 drills. I use the plug-in one to drill the holes, and the cordless to drive the screws.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
I use a plastic fishing lure box for storing small parts like couplers,wheels etc.
I have 2 tool boxes.One is large and one small.The small is for my regularly used tools and the larger box holds tools like track saws,rulers,square,cordless Dremel etc.
I keep decals in two cigar boxes-received free for the asking.
I have a large plastic jar I keep scrap parts in.
I use empty pill bottles for screws,washers,KD springs etc.
I store paint in a plastic storage box.
The list is endless.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Not my original idea but I use #11 surgical scalpels rather than Exacto (or other brand) hobby knife blades. They are thinner, much sharper ans seem to hold their edge at least as long as hobby knife blades. I purchased a box of 100 through Amazon for less than $7 including shipping.
Some things that I do include:
I use baking sheet trays as project trays - keeps all the stuff together and the shallow sides keep parts from rolling/sliding off. I can store it on a shelf when I need/want to work on something else.
I use an old fishing tackle box with plastic tray insert that lifts up and out when opening the top as a tool box.
I use a 2x4 1/2" plywood panel with felt glued on to one side as a work surface on a desk. It keeps the desk surface from getting paint/glue/nicks.
I use an old oak drawer divider as a cutting board.
I use 2 desk lights on the workbench/desk to have lots of light.
I use an old silver ware tray for tools that don't fit in the tool box - I seem to accumulate lots of tools as the years go by.
Enjoy
Paul
skagitrailbird Not my original idea but I use #11 surgical scalpels rather than Exacto (or other brand) hobby knife blades. They are thinner, much sharper ans seem to hold their edge at least as long as hobby knife blades. I purchased a box of 100 through Amazon for less than $7 including shipping.
Do they fit into an Exacto handle?
Richard
Jimmy you a cardboard box outside to paint. Do you sit the model on top or spray it inside the box? Also I use a old jewellery box to store tools and extra parts inside. Most of the time I airbrush models on a shoe box in the garage or patio table. rambo1..
Richard,
Yes, they fit in an Exacto handle although the tang is longer than a #11 hobby knife blade so it sticks out a bit farther. That has given me no trouble.
skagitrailbirdRichard, Yes, they fit in an Exacto handle although the tang is longer than a #11 hobby knife blade so it sticks out a bit farther. That has given me no trouble.
The No.11 is an elongated triangular blade sharpened along the hypotenuse edge and with a strong pointed tip making it ideal for stab incisions. Used in various procedures such as the creation of incisions for chest drains, opening coronary arteries, opening the aorta and removing calcifications in the aortic or mitral valves.
If you don't have water close to your work area, a mouthwash bottle that you squeeze to get a measured amount is a good clean water supply for rinsing water base paint from brushes. Fill the bottle with water and squeeze up a cup full. Rinse the color of the brush, dump the dirty water into another container, refil cup to wash the next color out of the brush.
As mentioned in the other thread, a parmesan cheese containers make great scenic foam shakers, as do other larger holed spice containers.
EDIT: To add to the above response that was being posted as I wrote, I have seen 3/4" PVC pipe used for similar applications. The one I saw had several different lengths of tubing glued together, a number of rows wide, used to store different sizes of wood or plastic strips.
Have fun,
rambo1 Jimmy you a cardboard box outside to paint. Do you sit the model on top or spray it inside the box? Also I use a old jewellery box to store tools and extra parts inside. Most of the time I airbrush models on a shoe box in the garage or patio table. rambo1..
I posted this on another thread related to epoxy but it's worth repeating. I use small "post it" notes (sticky notes) about 2" x 2" for mixing epoxy or for putting a drop of CA on when doing fine work. No clean up of your mixing surface required!
I also have a rectified power supply screwed to my workbench right beside where I sit. It will put out between 1.5 and 12 volts. It is very handy to have it already set up and available when working with LEDs etc.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Great idea for a thread!
Some of my best tips:
1) You can never have too many clamps. Right angle clamps and so-called rigging clamps (cross latching ones that look like tweezers) are essential, as are miniature Irwin-type clamps and at least one frame clamp.
2) An OTC pair of reading / magnifying glasses and a camping LED headlamp are a good Optivisor substitute.
3) Empty cooking spice containers make great shakers for scenery material.
4) 3 15" pieces of 1x3 lumber screwed together in a U shape and lined with foam rubber make a great work cradle.
5) Mount a desk lamp with a flexible neck or moveable arm on to a spring loaded clamp. insert a 1500 lumen CFL bulb. Now you have light wherever you need it.
6) Save the fake credit cards you get in the mail. They work really well for mixing and spreading adhesives or paints.
7) Double sided carpet tape will hold two flat surfaces together like crazy. Perfect for "wedding cake" stacks of foam board.
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
Someone mentioned reusing those gimmick credit/debit/phone/affinity/etc cards that come in the mail. Together with strips of Blue painters tape (either tacked flat to the card, or a small loop of tape) these make excellent bases for spray painting/air brushing small to medium parts, easy to clamp, handle, and spray. Obviously larger parts need different mounting methods, and very delicate parts even Blue tape is too tacky - perhaps post-it-notes taped down to hold the delicate parts (I've had limited success with the cling wrap - peel and seal method).
If you have a coupler missing the knuckle spring, use it in your coupler height gauge. It still lines up, but won't lock it on if you push the knuckle on the gauge open first. Great for when your checking multiple cars, as you don't have uncouple them every time.
Never replace knuckle springs over a carpeted floor, they will end up in never-never land. As in never-never going to find it again. Same with other small (okay, tiny) parts and pieces. ( honey, I need to borrow the counter in the kitchen again.....) And while replacing them, have more than one to fix, because you will not want to do it again for a LONG time.
Skip the cheap soldering iron. They are not worth the trouble.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I got another one-white out for touching up white paint.
To make a concreted surface on timber or plastic I like to use artists texture paste, spread on with a spatula and sanded if needed.
Modelling the UK in 00, and New England - MEC, B&M, D&H and Guilford - in H0
Jimmy_Braum rambo1 Jimmy you a cardboard box outside to paint. Do you sit the model on top or spray it inside the box? Also I use a old jewellery box to store tools and extra parts inside. Most of the time I airbrush models on a shoe box in the garage or patio table. rambo1.. I place it inside the box. the spray is blocked in 6 directions.
I place it inside the box. the spray is blocked in 6 directions.
When I used to build car models, I just used a bent wire clothes hanger to hold the bodies when I painted them. It was bent to also act as a stand while the paint is drying. This kept the lower edges from making contact with anything while drying. I use the same method for painting RR cars and locomotives.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
A paint pallete for mixing multiple colors for brush painting to get that 'just right' effect - a cheapo plastic ice cube tray cut down to 4 or 6 little wells. Reduces clutter and won't tip over like bottles can. Then apply to a sheet of Evergreen .005 styrene to test before applying to a plastic model.
That same sheet of .005x6x12 goes through my desktop printer trouble free for making signs. Print then cut to size. Used Google Translate to make bldg signs in Chinese for the Chinatown section of my city scene. 保羅
A piece of coat hanger wire between 2 eye-screws inside a paint booth or any prop for suspending ladders, etc for spraying. Can also slip the wire through an office supply binder clip for holding a building side by the mold sprues.
I use a 9V battery to test electrical connections on HO passenger cars for lighting. Just place the terminals in between the two rails on a piece of track and make contact. It's quick and easy.
Will
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
More on clamps . I use the alligator clips from voltmeter leads to clamp somewhat thin stuff , the teeth hold things on place , or I have some where I have flattened the teeth to prevent marring. I also use those big black paper clips called Binder clips , they come in lots of sizes and are great for clamping plastic parts to a work board to keep the part from moving while glueing etc.
One I've stolen from somebody recently; take a small mixing cup, cover the opening with a small square of aluminum foil forming a bowl-like depression in the foil. Put a few drops of paint in the bowl (for brush painting), when done remove and toss the foil. No real need for further clean-up (well, except the brushes)I've been using this when applying washes, guess it should work with most paints, at least water based ones.I'd like to claim I invented the alligator-clip-on-a-post method for holding small parts when painting or soldering, but of course I didn't (and neither did Cody Grivino), because I just realized (derp!) that I have owned a "Helping Hand" magnifier w/ clips for decades now, years before I soldered some Radio-Shack clips onto some lengths of thin brass tube, and stuck them in holes drilled in a wooden block (as you may surmise, I have a number of blocks with such holes drilled in them, some holes sized to hold 1/8 tube/rod, and some sized to hold toothpicks - they are somewhat multicolored from various paint sprays nowadays).OK, so we all know Pelle Soeeborg's freight car paint cradle concept, with the bent wires stuck in a block of wood. OK, I wasn't feeling as ambitious, so I simply drilled holes in wood (again with the drilling of holes in wood), one post is fixed, torward the end of the block, and the other holes are spaced out so posts can be placed into them at the right distance to fit in the screw hole in the freight car's underframe. That's nice you say, but so what? Well, turns out 1/8" aluminum pop rivets, with the (pointy) shank facing up, fit fairly well into the screw hole in most HO rolling stock. The pop rivet head goes into the hole in the block. I recommend filing off the point on the shank a bit for safety
chutton01 OK, so we all know Pelle Soeeborg's freight car paint cradle concept, with the bent wires stuck in a block of wood. OK, I wasn't feeling as ambitious, so I simply drilled holes in wood (again with the drilling of holes in wood), one post is fixed, torward the end of the block, and the other holes are spaced out so posts can be placed into them at the right distance to fit in the screw hole in the freight car's underframe. That's nice you say, but so what? Well, turns out 1/8" aluminum pop rivets, with the (pointy) shank facing up, fit fairly well into the screw hole in most HO rolling stock. The pop rivet head goes into the hole in the block. I recommend filing off the point on the shank a bit for safety
OK, so we all know Pelle Soeeborg's freight car paint cradle concept, with the bent wires stuck in a block of wood. OK, I wasn't feeling as ambitious, so I simply drilled holes in wood (again with the drilling of holes in wood), one post is fixed, torward the end of the block, and the other holes are spaced out so posts can be placed into them at the right distance to fit in the screw hole in the freight car's underframe. That's nice you say, but so what? Well, turns out 1/8" aluminum pop rivets, with the (pointy) shank facing up, fit fairly well into the screw hole in most HO rolling stock. The pop rivet head goes into the hole in the block. I recommend filing off the point on the shank a bit for safety
Let's see a picture of that?
Southgate OK, so we all know Pelle Soeeborg's freight car paint cradle concept, with the bent wires stuck in a block of wood. OK, I wasn't feeling as ambitious, so I simply drilled holes in wood (again with the drilling of holes in wood), one post is fixed, torward the end of the block, and the other holes are spaced out so posts can be placed into them at the right distance to fit in the screw hole in the freight car's underframe. That's nice you say, but so what? Well, turns out 1/8" aluminum pop rivets, with the (pointy) shank facing up, fit fairly well into the screw hole in most HO rolling stock. The pop rivet head goes into the hole in the block. I recommend filing off the point on the shank a bit for safety Let's see a picture of that?
It works well enough:
chutton01
Thanks for the suggestion about using the truck screw holes to hold rolling stock while painting. Great idea.
hon30critterchutton01 Thanks for the suggestion about using the truck screw holes to hold rolling stock while painting. Great idea.
Final potentially useful tip that I use (and have mentioned) and could be helpful. Run a lenght of plastic gutter along the front edge of your workbench (ends capped) to help trap and capture errant parts that drop from your fingers/tweezers/pliers etc. (parts that go SPROING...not so much). I painted mine white, which in retrospective is not helpful in locating pieces of white styrene that drop when scratchbuilding, as the temptation to temporarily store tools like knifes, files, brushes, unused styrene strips, etc. in the gutter during projects is far too great to resist. Probably should have painted the interior hot pink, a color that I rarely find I use. Actually, the X-acto knife tends to reside in the gutter a lot, to prevent it from rolling off a shelf or ledge and into feet flesh - yes I know about the triangle piece you can put on the knife handle to prevent it from rolling, but I think it seems cumbersome.
I have used blocks of wood cut down to the correct shape and size of the hopper it's meant for. I then shape packing foam into coal loads, and sprinkle a coal material on the top creating a realistic load.
This is a great thread. Much to be learned. Does anyone have tips for re-springing a Kadee coupler? I've found the tooth pick method to work well, still not full proof though.
AltoonaRailroader This is a great thread. Much to be learned. Does anyone have tips for re-springing a Kahttp://www.micromark.com/spring-grabber,7636.htmlhttp://www.micromark.com/spring-grabber,7636.htmldee coupler? I've found the tooth pick method to work well, still not full proof though.
This is a great thread. Much to be learned. Does anyone have tips for re-springing a Kahttp://www.micromark.com/spring-grabber,7636.htmlhttp://www.micromark.com/spring-grabber,7636.htmldee coupler? I've found the tooth pick method to work well, still not full proof though.
Fools are too ingenious to make something COMPLETELY foolproof. However, these tools work even better than toothpicks:
(see next post for link -- this is the most frustration I have ever eexperienced trying to use this site with a tablet.