The Ubiquitous ToothpickOK, don't laugh -
my first tip is a toothpick. If you ever visit Japan, or have a
friend there, get some of their toothpicks! I love these
things. They are sharper and harder plus the square end is handy
for stirring paint or prodding stubborn parts. |
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A Winning TeamI used to HATE to use filler putty. It always set up too fast, went on to thick and took a long time to set up. Then somehow I came up with the idea to try thinning it with Testors Metalizer Thinner. I take a small blob of putty and add a drop or two of thinner. This makes a paste that can be applied with a medium-stiff paintbrush. You have much longer working time and the brush cleans up easily in the thinner. It goes on smooth and dries quickly. A thinner mixture will fill tiny cracks that I used to use CA glue on. This works with Tamiya putty, I have not tried other brands. |
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Sanding Sticks Often sanding sticks
are just too wide for the job that needs to be done. I cut mine up
into various widths. I also cut some at a taper. This is
really handy for getting into tight places. The wide side can get
under parts and the narrow side is great for inside curves. |
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Prescription Bifocals This tip is just for you old farts... you know who you are, you can't see anything closer than an arms length <g>. Make an appointment with the optometrist and take a small detail part like a cockpit in with you. You want the near prescription to be the distance you like to do detail work, the rest of the glasses will be set for the distance you need to see your workbench. It is like two pair of readers in one. Get nice big frames and get the lower insert part as big as you can - I think they call the size of mine "executive". When they do the measurements, be sure they know how you will use them - you will want the split to be higher than normal. The quality of optician glasses is far better than the cheap drug store ones. I get mine at Wal-Mart Vision Center. With cheap frames they run about $65.00 US - Worth every cent! |
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Sprue Cutters If you have a Xuron sprue cutter, here's a way to make it much better. I found that often there was little space between the part and the tree for the cutter. This often resulted in the part being torn off rather than cut. Using a bench grinder take some of the top of the cutting blades off. |
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You Need To See Your Dentist! Lead foil is the greatest material for making
realistic seatbelts. It is easy to shape and stiff enough to easily thread
through those tiny PE buckles. As you can see it looks much
better than the fully PE belts. |
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Handy Holder These gadgets are very handy for holding small parts for painting. Heavy coat hanger wire, an alligator clip and a little epoxy is all you need.
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Masking Tips Tint It! - I used to have trouble telling where I had applied liquid mask until I added some food coloring - now it is easy to see and spot missed areas. Rice is nice! - Legend has it that Tamiya masking tape is made with rice paper. Whatever it is, it sure works great. Very thin, good and sticky and when cut in thin strips handles the curves like a Ferrari. I hate it when that happens! - Ever bust your butt on a kit only to have the canopy frame messed up when you removed the masks? I sure have. Then I got the bright idea to score around the masks before removing them. Just take a sharp blade and gently trace the tiny gap between the mask and the frame and that tape will come off clean for you. Don't be so frugal! - If you've never tried them, give yourself a treat and pick up a sheet of pre-cut masks for your next plane. They turn canopy and wheel masking, two of my most dreaded tasks, into a breeze. When your friends admire your beautiful canopies you don't have to tell them <g>.
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Created 28 September, 2000
Modified 23 August, 2001
