Tools of the trade

Here I have a selection some of my sculpting tools.  I mostly use these to texture any Green-stuff that I use to fill gaps in models.  Or in extreme cases to do some additional sculpting on models like I did on the bike fairing for my female Farseer on her jetbike. The needle in the pinvise I predominantly use to poke the hole open on dropper bottles like Vallejo or Reaper paint bottles.

Some of my cutting tools. The exacto blade needs no explanation as it is in every ones tool box.  The triangular blade is from my machining days, it is used to scrape mold lines, imperfections and burrs. The Micro chisel is from Mission Models and is an awesome piece of equipment.  I use the small rounded blade to scoop out channels for small wires.  I use the flat blades to re-scribe panel lines, remove excess sprue, or get inside where an exacto can't reach. 

I use various pin-vises each with a drill bit that I use commonly, either for pinning, drilling out barrels, or a recess for placing magnets.

these are machine grade drill bits, ranging in size .0098" to 3/16" .  The smallest is smaller than a human hair and requires a very steady hand, as it is very easy to break.  The double end mill I utilize to flatten the bottom of a recess for magnets so that the 1/4" magnets I use have a better grip on the material and hold longer.  The 1/16" end mill is used for the same thing with a 1/16" magnet.  These two are very sharp and will turn your fingers into hamburger if your not careful.  Never use gloves if you use them in a machine, as you will lose your finger(s).

Some of my specialty tools.  The first left to right , is a 4 flute carbide drill, I mostly use this in some of the more stubborn metal(pewter) or to make a pilot hole for my 1/4" drill.  The red handled one is called a deburr tool, I use this to make hatch holes slightly larger all the way around.  This allows a uniform cut in making holes bigger without using a big drill.  The blue handles one is called a countersink.  It allows me to start a drill hole, or to countersink(bevel) a hole.  The last one is a treasure.  It is a magnet application tool made by Corsec Engineering,  http://corseceng.com/, it is awesome!

Here I have two of my tube cutters, one for plastic, and the blue one for brass rod. And of course some cutters. I also use a variety of  sizes in wire cutters which can be bought virtually anywhere.

Here is my variety of cuttoff saws. Each is used for different things, the smallest has 32 teeth per inch, and the largest has 52 teeth per inch.  The curf on these saws is a mere .003" so I lose very little detail when I have to cut something for conversion work.

Basic measuring tools.  A movable compass, a traditional set of draftsmans calipers, and a set of graduated machine calipers in .001 graduations. I can't tell you how many years I have had them, but I would feel lost without them :)

And some more of my specialty/special use tools.  The brass hammer I made, 2 of 9, and wow do I use it alot.  The parallel scribe next it I use to scribe lines for different stuff like tiling.  The red handle burnisher I use to place mask on models for very neat lines along cloaks, or striping on Tau vehicles. The are many uses for this one.  


On a whole these are the common tools(to me) that I use nearly every day on nearly every model.  What I didn't show was the various files and sanding tools that I use, I will write that article soon. :)  I hope this was informative and  instructive.