As a bit of light-hearted discussion, I've been wondering what you might consider to be the most useful:
a) Tool
b) non-tool item
For kick-off I propose
a) my most useful tool would have to be my binocular magnifiers, without which everything else is so much "stuff" (althought the electric paint stirrer is a pretty good tool.
b) Most useful non-tool item would probably be brass handrail wire. Many uses (apart from the obvious). Use it to hold figures down on the layout and elsewhere - by drastic orthopaedic surgery to one leg (not for the squeamish); holding errant chimney pots onto chimney stacks; fixing couplings onto locos. etc etc.
I can't contradict your choice of tool. I'd not manage to do anything without my Optivisor. Gone are the days when I could take off my glasses (I'm short-sighted) and hold things close to my face to see incredible detail. Now I am far less short-sighted but my range of focus or accommodation is useless.
As an adjunct to that I'd add:
(a) a good strong light, though I'd like it to count as my non-tool (b) as it is essential for seeing detail in the finished product too.
For my tool (a) I think I'd like to choose a decent set of files (which I have yet to buy). Within the limits of my skills, I manage with various craft knives or scalpels, saws and drills, but the one process where the outcome is strongly affected by the choice of tool is filing. With the right file, a touch of it can clean and smooth an edge, but hacking away with an unsuitable (or ruined) one leaves a horrible rounded uneven result. Often it is choosing a file that is too small and too fine that causes problems, tempting me to rasp away at the piece. I have yet to find the correct pairing of file and job, or perhaps more accurately I find a file I like and then go and do something stupid like use it on a job that ruins it.
QuoteGone are the days when I could take off my glasses (I'm short-sighted) and hold things close to my face to see incredible detail. Now I am far less short-sighted but my range of focus or accommodation is useless.
Not just me then ;D
Would agree with the optivisor great invention. I got quite a nice thing as a Christmas prezzie. It consists of a very fine hypodermic needle set into a thin tube. You put the tube in your bottle of plastic cement and capillary action draws up the fluid. You then invert and dispense the glue from the needle end. Very neat and tidy applicator.
Non tool would be my giant cutting mat which stops me destroying the coffee table!
Quote from: Whitworth on January 05, 2012, 13:36
QuoteGone are the days when I could take off my glasses (I'm short-sighted) and hold things close to my face to see incredible detail. Now I am far less short-sighted but my range of focus or accommodation is useless.
Not just me then ;D
Yep! I'd agree with that sentiment! Suddenly my eyes don't work like the used to! (a) A pair of cheap close-focus specs from Boots and suddenly I could see what I was doing again!
As for (b), 'non-tool' I think decent lighting - I use a 22W circular flu tube and only when I had to replace it recently did I realise how valuable it was.
If you'd like to specify the most useful (c) material [so, Hugh that'd be your (b) category - follow?] then I'm undecided between artist's card or sheet styrene.
Without question, for me a digital camera
My (a) would be my faithful stanley knife, its close to hand when building a model between opening the package and lining the stock-box.
(b) as a non tool it would have to be my imagination, everything else is only a tool as a means to an end.
Jeff
most useful tool -- digital display vernier -- being able to measure to 0.001 of an inch is amazing!
Quote from: Born-Again Modeller on January 07, 2012, 14:08
most useful tool -- digital display vernier -- being able to measure to 0.001 of an inch is amazing!
Ah - as a matter of pedantry, if it's a digital display, it isn't a vernier! (Ducks swiftly to avoid whistling scalpel ;D)
a) Stanley knife - I cut pretty much everything with it
b) my imagination
--
Rod
Quote from: Tigger on January 07, 2012, 15:01
Quote from: Born-Again Modeller on January 07, 2012, 14:08
most useful tool -- digital display vernier -- being able to measure to 0.001 of an inch is amazing!
Ah - as a matter of pedantry, if it's a digital display, it isn't a vernier! (Ducks swiftly to avoid whistling scalpel ;D)
Engineer "I cant use this, its bent like a banana"
Storeman "no it isnt, its 3 thou out of alignment"
Now I now why I hate engineer's
Quote from: Born-Again Modeller on January 07, 2012, 16:34
Engineer "I cant use this, its bent like a banana"
Storeman "no it isnt, its 3 thou out of alignment"
Now I now why I hate engineer's
;D ;D ;D
And there's nothing worse than a smart-alec pedantic one!!!!
We're drifting a bit - would someone out there care to take up my other note about the most useful material?
most useful material -- I had been thinking about araldite, cos that is really useful but the other day I stumbled across
a website offering electrically conductive epoxy - now that sounds like it could have some uses, I'm going to get some
Still undecided between sheet styrene or good quality artist's card.
(Hugh, please note a spirited attempt at a partial hi-jack of your original topic!! ;D)
I must admit that I prefer card for producing buildings. I have three bulidings I made while at school (they are not on "Angst") and they have stood the test of time (we're talking around 40 years).
Most of the buildings on Angst are made out of cereal packets!
I would have thought the bog-standard (BS number?) Staney knife was too big for use in all but the biggest/toughest jobs. After years of using Xacto blades I went over to Swann-morton scalpel blades. They last longer and are cheaper, too.
Oh, most definitely card for buildings; no question! Some of my Superquick models must be 45 years old and the majority of the buildings on the L&TR date from 1974/5. I've built some rolling stock in card and it's very durable but I find styrene better for that purpose - I feel it's cleaner, neater, a joy to work and for me it's easier to get the fine detail I like. All that said, when I built the loco shed for Buccabury I used a mixture of Wills sheets, sheet and strip styrene, thoroughly enjoyed it and it turned out nicely AND my first scratchbuilt loco which became L&TR no 15 was built from card! Don't knock the quality! This was only intended as a mock-up to try out the shape and various ideas and techniques on painting and lining and somehow ended up in the service fleet!!
Just noticed this.
In terms of my favourite tool, I'd have to say my Citadel Colour (Warhammer) scalpel is my most used. I'm not a war gamer, but the grip is much more comfy than the Swan Morton ones. Although my favourite tool to use is probably a set of needle files, not sure why, but I find something satisfying about using them to accurately shape something to how I wanted.
Favourite non-tool item, I'm with Rod on this, my imagination! :)
And favourite material - foam board, it's great for thick walled buildings, like those I am portraying in Scotland. It's light and rigid and easy to work with too.
Quote from: invercloy on January 11, 2012, 21:29
"...And favourite material - foam board, it's great for thick walled buildings, like those I am portraying in Scotland. It's light and rigid and easy to work with too."
Good point Tom - I hadn't thought of that but I'll agree - it's ideal for thick-walled buildings and if you can't score details directly onto the surface it's easy to laminate a fully-detailed layer onto it.
Absoutely, although for roughly covered crofts, or stone buildings, I've been coating it with a thim skim of filler or das. This seems to work well, although does add a bit more weight than plastic sheet, but I find the carving rather therapeutic.
Sounds about right - for thatch it's plumber's hemp but folks, be aware of the very regional variations!
Just found this old thread - difficult to answer. I love my tools and I have quite a selection as some of you may have noticed. But for building structures or cutting sleepers or you name it it is my Swan Morten no.26. There is no comparison with a Stanley or every other DIY cutter - it cuts just much cleaner and better and is reasonable priced too (if you buy the blades in 100 piece boxes...).
Non tool item: Lightply (poplar ply). Hard to get in the UK if you need small quantities (easy if you want 12 sheets 2400x1200mm... :-\) small sizes are at RC model shops but at pharmacy prices. A reasonable priced source is SLEC. This material is light as the name says, easy to work with, also with hand tools but strong enough for structural building like baseboards or any structures supporting the track.
Not sure if it counts as a tool or not but I find a great many uses for cocktail sticks, of course, couldn't manage without the magnifier.
Peter
Another 'odd' set of tools for the colection are the bound set of 'Railway Modeller' magazine which we press into service regularly to weigh things down while they set. Could not be without them
I was today preparing to upgrade my drawing package, Cadrail, to the latest version, and had a quick search through my financial system to see when it was last one. I found that all previous versions of the software had been categorised as "Hobby:Tools"
@ duttonbay: Have you ever tried SCARM? This software is free and easy enough that I can use it.
See some drawings from SCARM in my layout thread "Donnersbachkogel". The software contains many track libraries, so you can design for instance with PECO code 75 or code 90 or many of the continental manufacturers. And it does also work with flex track (which I use exclusively except the points) Actually I can link the drawing here so you don't need to search for it.
(https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1448/24892298101_9446930d99_b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/DVDwZt)projekt12 (https://flic.kr/p/DVDwZt) by Gerhard Novak (https://www.flickr.com/photos/137050108@N03/), on Flickr
regards
Gerhard
Hi Gerhard, No I haven't, but I have been using Cadrail for many years and it suits my needs perfectly. It's a drawing package which just happens to have lots of tools useful for track planning,. but can also be used to produce drawings of anything I want - I use it for rolling stock, locomotives, my house...
1. Most useful tool: A good airbrush. A nice paint job hides a multitude of sins.
2. Most useful non-tool item: An understanding wife.