Hi all,
If you could recommend one tool or piece of equipment for kit building, what would it be?
I'm pretty new to the hobby and I'm both overwhelmed and drooling at all the options for tools, jigs, etc. As a newbie (and someone trying to keep to a monthly budget) I'm trying to keep myself to "essentials" and build up my workshop as I go.
I currently have a couple wood kits and a set of 4 Tichy MOW car kits to assemble.
Thanks
-matthew
Glues are worth another whole thread.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
... a Swiss Army knife!
Seriously, I doubt that one tool will suffice to do a good job - you will need a little more than that.
Welcome, Matthew!
If you don't already have one, the absolutely most essential tool is the hobby knife. Model Railroader associate editor Cody Grivno shows and explains the tools that belong in any modeler's toolbox in this Basic Training video. Check it out. It's a free video.
http://mrr.trains.com/videos/expert-tips/2012/02/model-railroader-basic-training-video-essential-tools-for-model-railroaders
--Steven Otte, Model Railroader senior associate editorsotte@kalmbach.com
Steven Otte Welcome, Matthew! If you don't already have one, the absolutely most essential tool is the hobby knife. Model Railroader associate editor Cody Grivno shows and explains the tools that belong in any modeler's toolbox in this Basic Training video. Check it out. It's a free video. http://mrr.trains.com/videos/expert-tips/2012/02/model-railroader-basic-training-video-essential-tools-for-model-railroaders
Thanks! I have collected a lot of the tools mentioned in the video. Maybe the thing I need most right now is a toolbox! I'm just using a table and have all my misc. knives etc. laying around. Organized, I am not.
A small well stocked tool kit. As the others have said there is a group of basic tools, beyond them you start to get into more specialized. Wood kits, plastic kits and scenery all take different basic tools. Something I found doing more advanced plastic kits was the need for a pin vise and a set of small drills or a reamer set to open small holes for grab irons, earlier, basic kits I had done had no need for such things. For foam scenery a sharp knife and a Surform Shaver are the most used.
You'll end up with quite a collection before you are done.
Have fun,
Richard
This website is the best tool for new modelers.
Jim
Soo Line fan This website is the best tool for new modelers.
This website and the magazine are great resources but they also set a very high bar and can be quite intimidating as well.
There is one tool that I use for EVERY detailed project: Magnification.
It might be an Optivisor, which I use, or it might be an eye loupe or some other device; but something to magnify the work is essentia for all detail work, from painting & decaling to complex kit building & detailing. Without that, many projects are doomed to failure or mediocrity.
Tom
P.S. But you'll also need a bunch of other stuff including abrasives, clamps, screwdrivers, drills, tools for cutting, etc. Start with the basics mentioned by others and gradually build up your tool collection.
You don't need all that much to assemble rolling stock kits, either wood or plastic. A hobby knife (Xacto) and a pack of #11 blades (the straight edge sort that tapers to a needle point). After that, some small files (jewelers files) for removing flash and squaring things up.
Small tools tend to walk. A toolbox to keep them in will keep them around longer. Gives you a place to put them away where you can find them again.
I try not to buy tools until I am actually doing a project that calls for them. This way my tool collection builds up with stuff that I actually use, as opposed to those nifty sets of things that don't get used much.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
I read the OP to be asking about specialized tools assuming there are already some tools in the house. Thus I agree with Steve Otte and others who named the hobby knife (and yeah plenty of fresh blades!) as the single most important specifically hobby related tool that is needed. I mean, the normal household presumably has "regular" (non-hobby) tools that in a pinch can be pressed into hobby service, but it is likely that nothing in the "normal" home can quite do what a hobby knife can do.
For example yes you need files but the normal home workshop likely has files that can be pressed into service, or at least emory boards if not sandpaper or emory cloth stapled to a piece of wood. I am not arguing that these are just as good as the hobby specific files and reamers, but that they can be used - you can get by.
A "normal" house might even have a good magnifying glass which again is not as helpful as an Optivisor but can be used.
Dave Nelson
Agree, the "hobby" knife is really thr most essential tool.
When at about 8-9 years old doing those AMT and Revelle kits, you couldn't get the part off those old "nasty" sprues w/o some sort of single edge razor or an Xacto knife. We all graduated into the full on Xacto/ hobby kits and the mirard of a tool for almost every facet building.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
dknelson I read the OP to be asking about specialized tooks assuming there are already some tools in the house. Thus I agree with Steve Otte and others who named the hobby knife (and yeah plenty of fresh blades!) as the single most important specifically hobby related tool that is needed. I mean, the normal household presumably has "regular" (non-hobby) tools that in a pinch can be pressed into hobby service, but it is likely that nothing in the "normal" home can quite do what a hobby knife can do. For example yes you need files but the normal home workshop likely has files that can be pressed into service, or at least emory boards if not sandpaper or emory cloth stapled to a piece of wood. I am not arguing that these are just as good as the hobby specific files and reamers, but that they can be used - you can get by. A "normal" house might even have a good magnifying glass which again is not as helpful as an Optivisor but can be used. Dave Nelson
I read the OP to be asking about specialized tooks assuming there are already some tools in the house. Thus I agree with Steve Otte and others who named the hobby knife (and yeah plenty of fresh blades!) as the single most important specifically hobby related tool that is needed. I mean, the normal household presumably has "regular" (non-hobby) tools that in a pinch can be pressed into hobby service, but it is likely that nothing in the "normal" home can quite do what a hobby knife can do.
Thanks, that is more what I meant. For example, in the MRR article this month about building wood kits the author uses a pretty nifty magnetic jig and machinist squares.
(How many posts do you need before they stop reviewing them?)
I get by with an economy set of X-acto knives, a cheap miter box and zona saw and a good pair of tweezers. Recently added a pair of magnetic assembly clamps. You can build craftsmen quality kits with these simple tools. However I am a fan of Norm Abrahms school of you can never have too many tools (from a guy who owns 5 circular saws as I used to supply them on construction jobs to the crew).
Sir Madog ... a Swiss Army knife! Seriously, I doubt that one tool will suffice to do a good job - you will need a little more than that.
Unless, the one tool is eyes, right Ulrich ?
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
The mosy important is a sprue nipper of the PBL type, next is sheet sandpaper or the nail type, hat takes care of the Tichy kits. Next is x-acto knife and small drill pits (you ussually need both for the wood kits if cars). You realy don't need a Dremel at first though it can come in handy later.
rrebell The mosy important is a sprue nipper of the PBL type, next is sheet sandpaper or the nail type, hat takes care of the Tichy kits. Next is x-acto knife and small drill pits (you ussually need both for the wood kits if cars). You realy don't need a Dremel at first though it can come in handy later.
If you build kits with fine plastic parts such as Intermountain, Proto 2000, even ExactRail etc. the sprue nipper is a huge help! I would place the hobby knife and set of small files 2nd and 3rd. I use my small files all the time to dress parts etc.
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
Eyeglasses.
- Douglas
Well, as others have noted, one isn't enough. Here's my list in order of importance.
1. Good light. If you can't see what you're doing it won't be right. You need more than one light source to avoid shadows. I like to have 2 desk lights and an overhead.
2. Optivisors. Again to see what you're doing. Get the real Optivisors - they cost extra, but are worth it.
3. (tie) Hobby knife.
3. (tie) Tweezers.
3. (tie) Toothpicks (or other glue applicators)
I can't think of a single kit that I've put together that didn't use all of these.
Depending on the kit you may need screwdrivers, paintbrushes, files, miter box, saw, scale ruler, weights, micrometer, NMRA/NASG gauge for your scale, sandpaper/sanding sticks/emory boards, etc.
Good luck
Paul
Single most essential tool for kit building? That would be a bottle opener to crack a beer with.
Modeling the Pennsylvania Railroad in N Scale.
www.prr-nscale.blogspot.com
rrebell The mosy important is a sprue nipper of the PBL type, next is sheet sandpaper or the nail type, hat takes care of the Tichy kits.
The mosy important is a sprue nipper of the PBL type, next is sheet sandpaper or the nail type, hat takes care of the Tichy kits.
Have you ever built a Tichy car kit? You will need some sort of magnification lamp and tweezers for the small parts, and small wire cutters and needle-nose pliers to cut and bend the little wires for all the brake lines underneath.
I use a replaceable-blade utility knife from Nack.
GP-9_Man11786 Single most essential tool for kit building? That would be a bottle opener to crack a beer with.
Right. It's best to go with quality kits and quality tools. None of those pop-top cans or twist off bottles for me, either.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Have fun with your trains
Hi Matthew!
Welcome to the forum!!
I am going to take the liberty of offering you a list of basic tools, not just one. You said yourself that you want to aquire a tool kit so why not start with an idea of everything that you might need.
At a bare minimum, for the kits that you already have, I would suggest:
- Hobby knife like an X-acto with #11 blades - lots of them! Nothing worse than a dull blade. Bulk packs of blades can be purchased on eBay - much cheaper than buying 5 at a time. If I was buying an X-acto handle today I would likely get one with a comfortable grip.
- Tweezers. They will be an absolute neccessity for the Tichy kits. I prefer tweezers that are sprung to stay closed as opposed to the type often found in medicine cabinets which are normally open. The normally closed style allows you to use them as clamps as well as tweezers. I solder tons of SMD LEDs and my tweezers make the job relatively easy. Here they are with an LED gripped in the tips.
- Jewelers screwdrivers. As a previous poster mentioned, the sets usually come with three Phillips and 3 slot blades.
- Files - one small one for detail work and one medium sized for straightening edges etc. The larger one happens to be triangular but that really doesn't matter:
- Small needle nosed pliers. I suggest two sets - one with teeth and the other with smooth jaws.
- Wire cutters.
- A proper cutting mat, or a piece of glass at least 1/4" thick.
- Pin vise with drills. Don't buy a drill set with a whole range of sizes. You are going to break bits. If you buy a set and then break the size you need you are out of business. Instead, buy a few bits of several diffent sizes i.e. #78, #75, #72, #64. You won't need many of the larger sizes because they don't tend to break, but the smaller ones like #78 are fragile.
- Small spring clamps, or clothes pins. Small steel blocks and magnets are handy too. Ask around and you might get the blocks for free. The bar clamps aren't a neccessity:
- Glue applicator(s). Some have suggested toothpicks. I stuck a medium sized sewing needle eye first into a small piece of cedar about 4" x 1" x 1/2". It serves as a glue applicator and the point can be used to make a small indentation where you want to drill a hole. When the glue builds up I just file it clean. You can see that the handle has come in handy for other things too.
You will also need some consumable supplies, like glue for example. I use Canopy glue, yellow carpenter's glue, CA both gel and thin (often with a kicker to set it instantly), epoxy, and styrene glue (the type that melts the plastic, not the Testors stuff in the tube).For the wood kits, the carpenter's glue will work nicely, and you will need the styrene glue for the Tichy kits. I use Tamiya's Extra Thin styrene cement because it leaves almost no marks on the model. There are cheaper styrene glue options like MEK (Methyl Ethyl Keytone) which you can buy by the pint from your local hardware store.
A sheet or two of fairly fine sandpaper will be useful when doing the wood kits.
When you get into engines you will need things like a pencil soldering iron, rosin core solder, flux (NOT acid!) as well as lubricants and cleaning supplies like isopropyl alcohol, but all that is for another day.
I apologise for not sticking to your request for a single item recommendation, but you will eventually need all or most of the above so you may as well start your list.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Another vote here for the X-Acto knife with #11 blade. I have several, with various uses: one for cutting, obviously, and another for use as a glue applicator (mostly for ca or epoxy). They can also be used for cutting brass shimstock. Another is useful for cutting wire - it's good for brass up to about .050" and for phosphor bronze of perhaps .030" or stainless steel of about .015". It'll also cut fine music wire, but for that I use a cut-off disc in my Dremel - neither of those items are needed for kit building, though. The #11 blades, incidentally, work their way down the duty chain, from cutting out decals for the fresh ones, down to glue and epoxy service, then ending up as wire cutters - use only the heel of the blade for this and work on a hard surface - I use a sheet of glass, but steel is suitable, too. I also have a couple of X-Actos with #17 and #19 chisel blades - these are used as intended, but they're also useful for carefully scraping lettering off rolling stock.I seldom use needlenose pliers, but have a pair of small, smooth-jaw, square tip ones which are very useful for making grab irons or other small parts, and they're even better than tweezers for grabbing some small items.A set of pin vises is needed for some kits - Tichy for sure, but you'll need them for scratchbuilding and kitbashing, too. I do a lot of that, so have a full set (with spares) of numbered drills from #1 to #80, along with the usual fractional and lettered ones, too - most of the larger ones don't get much use. A razor saw or two can be useful, but I've also used other household tools like handsaws and hacksaws - you likely have those already.Small screwdrivers of various types, and perhaps a set of calipers. I find one of my most useful tools is a set of dividers - indispensible for marking-out consistent hole-spacing or cut-points, and transferring measurements, too. Good lighting has been mentioned, and an Optivisor, too, but you may also find a loupe to be useful for some jobs. There are, of course, many others, but there's no point in buying any of this until a need for it becomes apparent. That lessens the financial hit, too.The X-acto is a good place to start.
Wayne
to the forum. Tichy Kits, a whole heap of #78 drill bits and a steady hand.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Although a number of tools are required for kit building, the one I find I use the most is a Micro-Mart Desprueing Tool followed by an Orange Stick nail file, and then a pin vise for small drills.
Rick J
Rule 1: This is my railroad.
Rule 2: I make the rules.
Rule 3: Illuminating discussion of prototype history, equipment and operating practices is always welcome, but in the event of visitor-perceived anacronisms, detail descrepancies or operating errors, consult RULE 1!
Thanks for all the replies and welcomes!
It looks like I already have a decent start tool-wise. I started a kit last night and I think the next item on the list is going to be a good light w/ magnification.
-matthew (How many posts do you need before they stop reviewing them?)
That many.
MisterBeasley rrebell The mosy important is a sprue nipper of the PBL type, next is sheet sandpaper or the nail type, hat takes care of the Tichy kits. Have you ever built a Tichy car kit? You will need some sort of magnification lamp and tweezers for the small parts, and small wire cutters and needle-nose pliers to cut and bend the little wires for all the brake lines underneath. I use a replaceable-blade utility knife from Nack. GP-9_Man11786 Single most essential tool for kit building? That would be a bottle opener to crack a beer with. Right. It's best to go with quality kits and quality tools. None of those pop-top cans or twist off bottles for me, either.
Most modelers build a collection of tools over time, but we all start out with just some basics.
Hobby knife with a good supply of spare blades, a dull blade is next to useless. Sand paper - is that a tool? And then build up the contents of your tool box as & when you need too.
Dusty