Model Boat Mayhem
Technical, Techniques, Hints, and Tips => Tutorials & "How To’s" ... => Topic started by: Jankers on May 14, 2006, 03:14:45 am
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Ok,
So, this a request to members for those tools you find useful, or even indispensable.
They need not be shop purchases,or even complicated.
to start the ball rolling my suggestions are.
1) A small model saw, the hard backed type sold by model shops with
interchangeable blades of different thickness, virtually indispensable.
2) Small metal blocks. These are home made, about 0.325 in (3/8) thick x 1.5 in long and 1 in wide.
Very useful for sanding small areas of deck or hull. Buy metal from a local supplier or scrounge some from a local works. I find these extremely useful for sanding bits that need to remain flat, especially so if using high number (400 plus) wet and dry paper.
J.
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1.A good magnifying glass with its own illumination and on an articulated arm (maybe it's my age!).
2. A pair of self grip tweezers.
3. An Xacto knife with a range of blades.
4. Clamps of all sizes.
5. More clamps.
6. ....and did I say, yet more clamps.
Roger in France.
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...glue.
- 'Doc
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All the above, but the one best buy is the one inch belt sander, will cope with even steel.[clarkes]
second is the tweezers [splinter removal, with the magnifing glass] and more clamps. and shelves lots of them [mine are all full]
and the least used tool, just an ornament in reality is the scroll saw, useless! [ferm]
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don't forget the bolt hole chaps.........................the shed ::) ::)
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Don't forget the kettle and the "Do Not Disturb" sign for the workshop door.
A stopped clock is always good for the "I didn't realise how long I'd been in here" excuse!!
;D
CK
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Hi ya All
hey Young at 65 you had me thinking there 'the bolt hole' in our household its called The Leprosy Room - when I get my cup of tea its put on the stairs I collect it...... ;D
couple more tools very small long nosed pliers, side cutters, small selection of needle files and various shapes sizes of blocks of wood to use as sanding blocks - I normally used double sided tape to stick the sandpaper to these.
Aye
John E
BLUEBIRD
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Most usefull tool I have is a pair of cheap reading glasses from a pound shop with a x3 magnification. They are invaluable when doing detail work and detail painting as both hands are free!! Remember to take them off when going downstairs or the results are painfull!!! 8)
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Bluebird you obviously don't come from the same part of the country that I do .....................LOL
I have just thought of another usefull tool .........her in the kitchen................ she keeps me going with endless cups of tea and butties
cheers
Bob B
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HAMMER for when it goes wrong
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Here's another,
Wooden clothes pegs, some laft as is, others cut down to
about 1/8 in "jaw". Very cheap clamps albeit limited in scope.
J.
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The beer fridge!
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Magnifying glass, reading glasses, good lighting - and most important of all the will power not to touch a model after having a drink !
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Can't think of the name of the silly thing, but it's used to duplicate odd shapes. Bunch of little sliding thingys in a frame. Push up against the thing to duplicate, then trace it on paper. Huge improvement in making boat stands that fit the hull.
- 'Doc
(@#$ ! Going to have to go see what the name of it is...)
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Masking tape! Several rolls of it! Keeps items in place while glue sets.
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Not truely tools,
Clean rag to catch the blood. Box of surgical plasters of various sizes to seal the wound so as not to get blood on model.
Colin H.
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Can't think of the name of the silly thing, but it's used to duplicate odd shapes. Bunch of little sliding thingys in a frame. Push up against the thing to duplicate, then trace it on paper. Huge improvement in making boat stands that fit the hull.
- 'Doc
(@#$ ! Going to have to go see what the name of it is...)
Heh! Is 'profile gauge' what you're looking for by any chance? Personally I think I prefer the 'bunch of sliding things in a frame', but they'd have to increase the size of the packaging to get it all in ;)
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Knee pads...for the time ive just spent on the "xxxxx" pile looking for that last white metal fitting thats just shot off of the kitchen table :'(
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Mortise lock on workshop door for when very young grandchildren with inquisitive fingers visit ;)
regards
HAWK
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Hi, Just a quick recap on the tools and materials we need to become a competent modellor:or is it modeller? ???
1. You must have the vision equal to a nocturnal bat
2. Your hands must resemble a well scarred battlefield with plenty of sticky plasters/electricians tape on
3. You must have an alcoholic consumption (this could account for some of the battlescars on your hands)
4. You must have thick skin on your knees to enable you to grovel on the floor to find missing parts - this is where you will find the use for a portable hand lamp/magnifying glass with a lamp on it
5. We must have zero tolerance level for anyone interrupting hence the door must have a lock so we can only growl at ourselves
6. Bunch of sliding thingies just to wonder what they are and what we can use them for
SUMMARY: So....we must all be....short sighted, bad tempered, battlescarred..........no wonder nobody wants to speak to us at the Lakeside? ;D ;D ;D
No good denying it - we must all fit the bill.
Aye
John E
BLUEBIRD
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Doc,
Your description of Sliding thingy, Do you have the equivalent to B&Q in USA?
John E,
You make us sound like we should be in line for am ASBO, great, always wanted to be a juvenile delinquent!
J.
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I found surgeon-tools (tweezers, scisors and tangs) very helpfull.
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Jankers,
I have no idea what "B&Q" is so don't know if we have one. We probably do, maybe.
Also don't know what "ASBO" is, but I'll assume you are right about it?
The name on the sliding thingy is "Profile Guage"... in three languages, which must mean it's an asian made thingy?
- 'Doc
PS - Never was a juvenile delinquent! By the time I knew anything about what they do, I was to old to qualify.
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B&Q is a chain of 'do it yourself' superstores catering to the nations requirements for everything from lengths of timber to new fitted kitchens, from handsaws to electric routers, screws, nails, paints, etc, etc. Kind of like a DIY Walmart...
The following from ASBO Concern (http://www.asboconcern.org.uk/):
What are asbos?
Anti-social behaviour orders, usually known as asbos, were introduced in the 1998 Crime and Disorder Act and came into force in 1999. Asbos ban people from specific activities or from entering particular areas. They last a minimum of two years, but can be imposed for longer.
The 2002 Police Reform Act and the 2003 Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 also contained measures on asbos.
Asbos can be served against children over 10 years of age or against adults if they have behaved "in an anti-social manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress", and that the order is "necessary to protect persons from further anti-social acts".
This has allowed asbos to be used to ban activity that is not in itself criminal, such as begging, prostitution and even playing football or being sarcastic.
Most asbos are imposed after an application by a local authority or the police. Asbos are made by magistrates' courts after civil proceedings and may be made on the basis of hearsay evidence.
Breaching an asbo is a criminal offence, carrying a penalty of up to five years' imprisonment, even when the original offence was not an imprisonable one. Around half of all asbos have been served on children and young people, who can be given detention training orders lasting up to two years.
Asbo facts and figures
More than 3,800 asbos have been imposed since they were first introduced in 1999 - half of them to children.
The use of asbos is increasing dramatically. Nearly 20 percent of the total number of asbos were imposed in the three months between July and September 2004, the last period for which figures have been released by the Home Office.
The proportion of people breaching their asbos has jumped from 36 percent at the end of December 2002 to 42 percent at the end of 2003.
Youth Justice Board figures show that nearly 50 young people were in custody for breaching an asbo in any month in 2004. That compares to an average of three young people a month between 2000 and 2002.
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The most useful tool? Complete the following:
If only I had a .... ;D ;D ;D ???
Cheers
Doug
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Hi ya all,
another one.....
but its not really a tool - its an old computer fan that I have wired up to a 12 volt battery - it helps? extract or blow away the fumes whichever way you turn the fan when I am using super glue or any noxious stinking whatever......and that as well....... :D ....... I have yet to find where those fumes go mind, but every now and then I hear a thump and find the cat lying on the landing with its legs in the air? ;D ;D ;D
Aye
John E
BLUEBIRD
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Hi ya all,
another one.....
but its not really a tool - its an old computer fan that I have wired up to a 12 volt battery - it helps? extract or blow away the fumes whichever way you turn the fan when I am using super glue or any noxious stinking whatever......and that as well....... :D ....... I have yet to find where those fumes go mind, but every now and then I hear a thump and find the cat lying on the landing with its legs in the air ;D ;D ;DAye
John E
BLUEBIRD
I used to have the same trouble with the wife, John. Never did work out why !!
Cheers
MikeK
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I find my vernier guage very useful and since I got one, I now drill holes that are actually the correct size to fit the bolts!!!!! ;D
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Dave,
Our equivalent to "B&Q" Is probably "Lowe's" hardware chain stores. No idea how they would compare though.
As for the "ASBO's"... when I was growing up it was called a 'spanking'. As age increased so did the size of the object you were spanked with. The upper limit was usually a baseball bat (only in drastic cases). Adults get a lot of "brow-beatings" (usually based on intelligence factors). Works about half the time. In difficult cases, revert to the baseball bat thingy. Another name for the "brow-beating" thingy is "peer pressure". That pressure is usually best applied around their neck. Usually found in the 'older' adults. Ever run across two old farts strangling each other? You believe all that too, don't you?
- 'Doc
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Nobody's yet mentioned the Dremel? Have I broken a cardinal rule: are we not allowed to use power tools? Well I did and it saved me weeks: cutting, sanding, shaping, routing, trimming etc. etc. Often wondered why they were sold in DIY shops. I can't think of a single reason to use one around the house, but for model making, they are towser's tackle as far as I'm concerned.
Mike
ps Oh yes, a pin vice too for drilling tiny holes (sometimes in the right place!)
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P38 car body filler for filling those holes drilled in the wrong place!
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I have a set of cork-boring tools, which are steel tubes with sharpened ends and Tee handles. I got them from a school laboratory supplier and find them incredibly handy for cutting clean holes in wood, styrene etc. Sizes go from about 4mm dia up to 9mm but there are sets of a dozen which go up to 16mm. I paid about ?20 for my set of five.
CAD2
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Forceps, the type which lock together when you squeeze the handles together. Excellent for holding small parts. Also I have a multi-jointed thingy with croc clips on the ends of the arms and a magnifying glass (which I broake years ago!). Good for holding small parts for painting and also good for soldering up wiring and the like.
Mike
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Nobody's yet mentioned the Dremel?? Have I broken a cardinal rule: are we not allowed to use power tools?? Well I did and it saved me weeks: cutting, sanding, shaping, routing, trimming etc. etc.? Often wondered why they were sold in DIY shops.? I can't think of a single reason to use one around the house, but for model making, they are towser's tackle as far as I'm concerned.
Mike
ps Oh yes, a pin vice too for drilling tiny holes (sometimes in the right place!)
I'll second that!
My dremel is invaluable and I use it daily. Love it!!
Jason
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DE BONDER,S HANDY FOR THOSE STICKY MOMENTS ::)
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My specs are the most usefull tool I have since I got older ..............................now where are the bl....y things.........are here they are right in front of my eyes ::) ::)
Cheers
Bob B
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Plasticene, for moulding those simple, single sided fittings such as watertight doors, hatches, window frames etc.
Tony H
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The phone number for the A&E at the hospital to get your fingers sewn back on, or whatever else you managed to cut off...
Roy
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Wooden toothpicks/cocktail sticks - I find them very useful for mixing epoxy adhesive, applying small blobs of adhesive and mixing Humbrol paint in the tinlets.
I believe they're also quite handy for picking teeth and putting small cocktail sausages on! ;D
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contact lens containers.......... the sort for daily disposables........ are good for mixing adhesive or paint !
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God! I hope you've taken the lenses out first!
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toothpicks/cocktail sticks -
Wow this got by the ever vigilant censor. :o :o Things are looking up. ;D
Cheers
Doug
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How about a decent steel rule for measuring and as a straight edge, and the good old modelling knife, both make life a lot easier...
Roy
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A good pair of dividers for measuring several pieces the same size. My rules have a tendency to expand and contract spontaneously and unpredictably!
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Since half of this thread seems to list 'em, where can I get hold of unbreakable, unglooable, unpaintable specs that don't fall off your nose when you're bending over, painting the last half inch of a verry thin waterline and that have a self finding system when the b****y dog runs off with them!
Anyone got any spares?
TH
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Should have gone to spec-savers............Tony
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Tony
Try elastic to hold then on and/or a necklace thingy to keep them round yor neck when not wearing them.
Failing that feed your dog. ;D ;D
Cheers
Doug
(wears varifocals - no bloody good very close up)
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Ahh the good oll chip pan can't live without lads n lassies( if any)
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Since half of this thread seems to list 'em, where can I get hold of unbreakable, unglooable, unpaintable specs that don't fall off your nose when you're bending over, painting the last half inch of a verry thin waterline and that have a self finding system when the b****y dog runs off with them!
Anyone got any spares?
TH
have you tried contact lenses?
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What you could do is buy a set of motorcycles googles and then you cannot loose them as they fit right around you head...
Roy
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Good idea but they steam up when you get frustrated ;D ;D
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Thankks MitS, but I only use half-frames for close-up work so contacts wouldn't work - I'd probably spend most of my time in tears anyway after poking myself in the eyes too much.
Can you still get the old, round NHS type that always had sticking plaster on the frasmes? I don't think that the dog could digest them (Too PC) and they seemed to be almost indestructible and cheap.
Those, with the elastic band and a spot of superglo on the nose might .........
TH
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What you could do is buy a set of motorcycles googles and then you cannot loose them as they fit right around you head...
Roy
he hee..... yow not using yow spillchicker moitey....... ;D
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Motorcycle Googles is the fastest and most powerful search engine on the internet.
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well it might have been mispelled but you seem to have gotten the message thats the main thing, there are to many bloody keys on these keyboards and my fingers are to big, besides how many truck drivers do you know that can actually spell.
Roy
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Morning Roy,
No offence intended matey? ;)
I see you are in Oz... never been there......assume you have great distances to travel .
A few questions ?
DO you drive a Big Rig ?
DO you eat Yorkie Bars ?? ;)
Do you drink Castle Maine XXXX ?
ALL "essential / useful tools" in the outback, I would think? :)
( we are fed this? on Tv in the UK, our little "Treasure Island --- for others", or are the advertisers, just stereo-typing Ozzies)? ;D
Steve
ps...
DO you wear your googles when sticking your head out of the window, looking at Sheila's? ;D
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Steve,
Mate I did drive a big rig as you call them, I have never even heard of a yorkie bar, and as for beer of any brand not for me I only drink Jim Beam Bourbon.
As for wearing goggles to ogle birds don't have to as I wear a full face helmet with a tinted visor, they don't even know whether or not you are looking at them..
Sorry if I have shot down the tv's image but we are not all beer swilling yobboe's.
Some of us are almost normal.....
And yes we do cover a few miles with realitive ease not very congested over hear, on some roads you can travel for a couple of hours and not see another vehicle..
Roy
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Over here we have things called M25 and similar, where you can stand still for a couple of hours and see hundreds of vehicles. Maybe it has something to do with being on the opposite side of the globe ? ???MikeK
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Mike maybe it has something to do with the fact that your country can fit into ours something like 7 times and still a bit left over.
It is a bit wide open over here..
Roy
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Mike maybe it has something to do with the fact that your country can fit into ours something like 7 times and still a bit left over.
It is a bit wide open over here..
Roy
G'day Roy
I used to work out of Hong Kong on ships running down to the Aussie coast, starting at Brisbane and working round the ports to Adelaide, so I know how big (and beautiful) it is. If anyone asks if you have the odd corner to fit the UK in, tell them they have Buckleys and no chance as we would only mess the place up in no time !!
best regards
MikeK
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Hi Mike,
There is a bit of a joke over here along the lines of why would you want to go to Australia it's where we sent all the convicts, our answer is why would you want to live where they were coming from..
Roy
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Hi Roy
Sounds about right, but I had better not follow this thread too far otherwise Tony's bully boys will be knocking at my door !! Still, at least the beer doesn't freeze your tonsils !!
best regards
MikeK
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Mike, I have had my M-25 experience about two weeks ago.... and before that I have had the same Experience in germany, on the A 81. To put it in a short way: As a lad from the continent the traffic jam on the M-25 is even more interesting as the one on my "homeground". ;D
J?rg
Back to the thread- a usefull tool? A fridge in the car and some drinks would be nice..... ::)
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Someone else said this before but I find my dremel very useful and handy as you can drill, sand, grind and cut out the stuff ups you have made...
Roy
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Mike, I have had my M-25 experience about two weeks ago.... and before that I have had the same Experience in germany, on the A 81. To put it in a short way: As a lad from the continent the traffic jam on the M-25 is even more interesting as the one on my "homeground". ;D
J?rg
Back to the thread- a usefull tool? A fridge in the car and some drinks would be nice..... ::)
especially for those traffic jams eh Jorg !!
MikeK
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Mike, I have had my M-25 experience about two weeks ago.... and before that I have had the same Experience in germany, on the A 81. To put it in a short way: As a lad from the continent the traffic jam on the M-25 is even more interesting as the one on my "homeground".? ;D
J?rg
My 'favourite' traffic jam in the whole of Europe J?rg? Quite near where you live actually, it's on the A8 just south of Geislingen, that bit of the Autobahn where it goes down a really steep hill (about 1 in 8), and you can imagine what that does to the traffic flow. I got badly delayed there last September on the way back from Austria, and we were held up so long, we turned off for Bad Ditzingen to stop for the night. Excellent hotel, one of the best restaurants in the whole of Germany, and Wife tells me that I was the most drunk she's ever seen me that night. The owner has medals for making schnapps, as well as a Michelin star. Hotel Restaurant 'Hirsch', I can't recommend it too highly, and I'm going there again next month on the way to Italy. Probably on the way back as well. Prost und Mahlzeit!
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Anmo, you`re pretty right- it`s about 25 Kilometers away from me. The Aichelberg downwards is simply a mess. But I am glad that you have enjoyed our rocket-fuel there. ;D
Another helpfull tool? A control to switch off the moaning co-driver. How about that, mates?
J?rg
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Another helpfull tool? A control to switch off the moaning co-driver. How about that, mates?
J?rg
My wife isn't exactly the world's best map reader J?rg, but as satnav was a ?2200 option on my present car, I decided against ticking that box on the order form. So I have to put up with a bit of moaning from the passenger seat, otherwise we'd never reach our destination.
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Anmo- guess what, the voices out of the Navy-systems are female as well. The only difference is, that the one coming out of the board is mostly right and could be switched off. But I know some systems which might be installed in your car and are much less than 2200 quid.
J?rg
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My Sat-Nav cost me ?300 quid and has never let me down yet , but you must have faith in it ,it's no good thinking that you know a better way than it's telling you to go ,it's portable so I can take it out on the push bike and when i'm walking around a city looking for a specific road .I can also put it in another car without any hassle. ?2000 quit seems an awfull lot thats more than I spend on the car :-* :-*
Cheers
Bob B
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Bob- but it still has a female voice :D
... and who wants to submit that he`s doing what was told him by a woman... ;D
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But with the price of petrol the way it is, it's better than getting lost and I can always turn her off and use the display.her in the kitchen doesn't go with me much to model boat do's it's not that she doesn't want to more the fact that to get my boats in the M.G. I have to take the passenger seat out and she isn't too keen on traveling on the boot rack. ;D ;D
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?2000 quid seems an awful lot thats more than I spend on the car? :-* :-*
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Cheers
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?Bob B
That figure is from the current Audi A4 price list Bob, and Saab charge about the same, though they do throw in a nice CD autochanger as part of the deal. Since it's my money and not a company car, I decided I'd stick with maps. For that kind of outlay, I'd expect to get regular recreational use of Dagmar or Br?nhilde or whatever she's called, not just her voice.
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Wife has just looked over my shoulder, and I'm told I'm going to have to stick with her map reading.
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Anyone who can afford to pay Audi service charges can surely afford a sat-nav if he wants one, mind you Volvo know how to charge to ;D
Cheers
Bob B
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The service charges are the reason why I use to drive Opel (Vauxhall in the UK).....
Youngat65 is right, who can afford an Audi don`t needs to moan about the prices for these extrasl. About the CD autochanger, that`s a nice trick....- as you have your NavSat running you can not listen to a CD. Though the autochanger is a bit handicaped.
About big (or expensive) cars and expenses I had a while ago a lad in front of me, driving an American Pick-up. There was V8 mentioned at the rear and beside of that a sticker: "Swallow-you moll!".
I think that`s the only way to treat the petrol-consumption ;D ;D
Back to the thread, it is worth to ask a garage for installing a alternative NavSat-system, if you don`t trust the map. A friend of mine had installed such a system and he is very satisfied with it.
J?rg
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I have a SatNav in my Renault Espace, here in France. I can change the voice, choice of one of two female or two male voices. They also spek any of 7 languages.
The discs are damn expensive and not as up to date as they claim. I also have to have a dedicated disc for each country where as other systems I know of have one disc for the whole of Europe. I do not know if that means discs are more or less comprehensive.Last time I was in the UK the system recognised that the M6 Toll section existed but when I got on to it it tried to tell me to "turn left to Brownhills, take the second exit at the roundabout..." etc.
However, I would not be without the system especially when driving alone. My wife is a good navigator and prefers maps even though she turns them upside down! I once saw a UK Road Atlas printed with the north of GB at the bottom of the page but I decided not to buy her one because having the map upsidedown but the text the right way up may confuse her!
Roger in France.
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Hi Roger
The Sat Nav toll road thing is down to a setting on your system, you should be able to set the thing to avoid or take toll roads.
The way your wife reads maps could be a more difficult issue to resolve?
Since we bought our Sat Nav, arguments in the car have ceased almost completely.? I just punch in the post code for our destination and the thing takes us straight there! Absolutely brilliant for boat shows that we haven't attended previously!
Funnily enough though, we still keep road maps in the car, as they are useful to plan a route across country - the screen on the Sat Nav is too small to do this effectively.
Regards, Malc
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I have one of those hand computers with europe sat nav in but always forget to charge the thing up,
I am still useing the Garmin e-map for its convieniance and pocket ability. no europe though, it will trace where you have been [for retracing steps again]
I Still print out area maps before going anywhere strange (and there's no-where stranger than here) map on steering wheel up-side down or sideways cause the actual road system printed bears no relation-ship to where I am.
On the workshop theme, Put a bead of silicone around the seams of the bench and a small beading accross all edges, Having just lost a week finding a circlip. I did the last remaining bench this morning. Tug
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Well back to the original thread!
How about the humble clothes peg. Probaly the most useful tool known to man.
You can:-
Hold things together while the glue sets
Put it on your nose if the glue is really stinky.
Hold small items for soldering without burning your fingers
Fix a map to the sun visor instead of buying sat nav and have an extra ?300 to spend on beer.
Have hours of fun explaing to the wife why her pegs are covered in burn marks, glue, paint, blood, sweat and oil.
Neil
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Clothes peg abuser eh?
Better watch out for the knock on the door late at night...........
;D ;D ;D
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So you are the one sneaking into my garden late at night and raiding the peg bag, glad to hear it as my missus is forever blaming MEEEEEEEEEEE.
Bob
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It wasn't me guv - honest!
Malc
;D ;D ;D
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My lazer light level is very handy for aligning things on my subs and marking water lines etc. I love it and it only cost $7 form Micro Mark on special!
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You know I have had a lazer level for some time and i never thought about making use of it when model boat building ; makes sense when you think about it
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Don't forget the collostomy bag, so you don't loose any build time due to bodily function interruptions!!! ;D
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Laserblue ........you don't know how near to the truth you are in my particular case right at this moment ...........however just think I won't he looking for the next service station on the motorway when I travel down to Brean Sands next week .
Cheers
Bob B
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;D ;D
Hope you have a good week at Brean Sands, Bob... Cheers, Brian
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stanley knife.
I have been using these smaller knives with the snap off sections of blade for a while.
Just reached in to my toolbox and (by chance) grabbed my old stanley knife. It cut deeper, cleaner, easier and saved a lot of time.
I know what I will be using in future.
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Just reminded me reading tigertiger's post... when needs must, I'm not above making my own tools to suit a specific purpose. Here's a selection!
Impromptu saw! I needed to cut away some unwanted old plasticard inside the narrow Cossack hull (with nowhere at all for a large saw handle to go never mind a couple of fingers!) so, a broken piece of hacksaw blade and a suitable lump of unused milliput from the freezer moulded to suit the contours of your fingers... does a fantastic job too, without chewing your fingers up! :)
Useful sanding block... Think I've said this before, but don't throw your bits of wet n' dry away! A small piece superglued to some balsa means I can get some difficult to reach areas sanded without too much hassle... I have a few of these in all sizes and grades! ;)
Comfy blade! Again, for those areas where you can't get the whole Stanley knife into, but using the blade causes you grief. This one I've had for a few years - packed around with some polystyrene and foam and a strip or two of packing tape to secure.... ;D
Cheers, Brian
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Useful sanding block... Think I've said this before, but don't throw your bits of wet n' dry away! A small piece superglued to some balsa means I can get some difficult to reach areas sanded without too much hassle... I have a few of these in all sizes and grades! ;)
Same idea, but use bits of plastic card - more flexible than balsa to get round corners etc.
Barrie
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The junior hacksaw blade is really handy - I try to fix things so that mine cuts on the pull part of the stroke.
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The junior hacksaw blade is really handy - I try to fix things so that mine cuts on the pull part of the stroke.
Yep, quite right, the other half of the blade is set up to do that - depends which particular 'stroke' you can best achieve eh? ;D ;D
The main thing is to cover up those horrible lugs at each end of the blade with a lump of milliput - its nice and comfy to use then! ;)
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Another useful tool for when you are gluing something had to get at the glue accelerator it means you can glue and get out of there quickly very handy at times.....
Roy
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Mole grips
I hold them in my small vice, to use as a micro vice for really fiddley sanding or filing jobs on small pieces of stuff
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Do the motor cycle goggles stop the contact lenses falling out or do they catch them when they do ??? ??? ???
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I am surprised that no one has mentioned the most useful tool of all which can be used for thousands of applications...the round tooit. How often have I said," I will do that job as soon as I get a .....
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halcyon,
Absolutely the most terrible thing you can have within 100 yards of yourself! A 'roundtoit'. Had one. Mounted it very prettily on a board and gave it to someone I didn't like much. Best thing I ever did. In case you haven't seen one, brown, sort of round, maybe an inch in diameter (about), looks quite simular to deer droppings. Didn't taste it, afraid I might like it...
- 'Doc
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Some of the rountoits I have been getting to are nearly twenty years old, must get rountoit soon... ;D ;D
Roy
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Useful tools
1. a padsaw (in-line handle with a hacksaw blade running through the middle). Use a fine jigsaw blade and you have a short stiff blade that cuts on the pull stroke, leaving a really fine cut like one of those Japanese woodsaws. Just used it to hollow out all the Perkasa frames/spine.
2. A 6" long pair of backwards tweezers - pinch to open, release to close. Bought mine from Proops in Tottenham Ct Rd 30 years ago - worth several times their weight in gold.
3. Swann Morton Scalpel and blades.
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One of these is excellent. I have an old one from the skip at work which I repaired with a new lens, but Maplins currently have this one for £14.99. No, I'm nothing to do with Maplins, but this is a very good price indeed.
Mike
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Yes, very useful, especially for "older" eyes. Mine has fluorescent lights with two different intensities. It has two articulation points and a good magnifying lens. It can be clamped to a work surface or fixed to a wall or bench with three substantial screws as it is rather solid and heavy (watch your head!). They can be often seen for sale at modelling exhibitions.
I bought mine here in France.
However, I was intrigued by the small "cover" which is removable and is simply placed on top of the lens when the equipment is not in use. I thought it was just to keep dust off the lens. Then, one day, I had left it uncovered and saw that the sun coming in the window was being focused onto my bench....which was VERY hot at that spot. If there had been anything more immediately inflamable than my bench I think a fire would have started, readily. So, be warned.
Roger in France.
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I had left it uncovered and saw that the sun coming in the window was being focused onto my bench....which was VERY hot at that spot. If there had been anything more immediately inflamable than my bench I think a fire would have started, readily. So, be warned.
Roger in France.
Bearing out Roger's experience; my wife has a similar arrangement for use when she is doing her cross stitch. The tool is free standing and was left next to the sofa after she had been using it the previous evening. The lounge is south facing, the sun was bright and streaming in the window. We were about to go out and my wife went into the lounge to collect her glasses. Smoke was rising from the sofa and a faint smell of burning was in the air. As it is a leather sofa it probalby took longer to start smoking that a fabric one - this was about 10 in the morning.
Needless to say the magnifying glass is very carefully positioned when not in use now.
On another point I find that using a magnifying glass is very good for examining detail but if I try and do some work using one I just see magnified fingers, paint brush etc Any tips on preferred technique?
Doug
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On another point I find that using a magnifying glass is very good for examining detail but if I try and do some work using one I just see magnified fingers, paint brush etc Any tips on preferred technique?
This might sound obvious, but I found it takes a little practice to work with a magnifier. :-\
But you quickly get the hang of it and you can quickly learn to control the 3 inch wide fingers :o that you now see before you. :)
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Doug,
Think small!
- 'Doc
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Yes, working on a magnified object is clumsy at first. It's like learning to ride a bike, you soon get used to it, do it automatically and wonder what learners are making a fuss about! However, I find the problem comes when you stop looking through the lens!
Roger in France.
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I agree with using the bench magnifier glass. I use it for my work on circuit boards, and it's like looking at a miniature city.
Unfortunately I left the shed door open and in came a fly, which landed on the board under inspection. Believe me, it was a shock and a half. The bl***y thing looked like an aircraft and I didn't half jump back.
Cheers...Ken
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that was funny i can just imagine that, but does it sting or bite id have been off like a shot :).
right back to tools i bought a dremel copy made by blackspur and i got back home plugged it in and what a waste of time, it stalled if you breathed on it so it was put away for a while.
one night i really needed a dremel so i did away with the transformer and put it to a 3300mah nimh battery pack and it was a lot better but soon the motor gave up the ghost so i pulled it to bits to reveal it had just a 400 can size motor in it and nothing else,
so i dug out a permax speed 400 motor and put that in WHOA what a difference that now is one hell of a tool its a lot smaller than a dremel and packs some power and if the bearings go you just replace the motor and its brand new again i love it...........Pete