Ekfud Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Bit of a random post - I was looking over my hobby toolkit on the weekend and was surprised at the amount of random stuff that i've gradually added but makes a big difference for it's impact... There are some pretty well known 'big' items that a lot of people invest in - good lamp, airbrush, wet palette... but I'm interested in what kind of things people have added that are a little bit more esoteric or occasional use, albeit highly useful. Few odd things that i've come to find indispensable... - Microsol/Microset. I have no idea how I used to put decals on before investing ~$10 on these - Electronics tweezers. From holding small parts with glue, to placing decal & propaganda posters - Coffee grounds (and/or baking soda). Quickest, cheapest way to add concrete/dirt texture. - Pipettes (I bought like 200 for about $8 from a medical site). Makes airbrush with GW paint pots a possible thing. - Oyamaru sticks (or other press mold materials). For casting copies of icons or textures with green stuff - Paperclips. Pinning, comms antennas, rebar on terrain... pin vise indispensable too of course, but it's a bit more standard. - Tamiya masking tape. More expensive than the ones from hardware shops, but pays for itself the first time you don't destroy paint underneath. - Blu tac... as above - one of the most universal tools for masking irregular shapes (as well as test fitting parts). - Brush soap. Pays for itself after recovering 1-2 brushes. Likely you will never have to buy a second one in your natural lifetime. - Tamiya clear red. Blood effect of choice since about 1993. Still using the same pot too... - Wooden pegs. Great for holding many things together during gluing. With a tiny ball of blutac, double as airbrush-item holders. - Simple green. Paint stripper of choice, and also takes off superglue without damaging metal/plastic - Cotton buds. Great for cleaning airbrushes, smoothing decals, applying weathering materials. - Vallejo gloss & matt varnish. Between them, make decals, washes, and protecting models all work better. A final coat can also make paints from different manufacturers look like they belong together by giving a consistent surface finish. - Ardcoat. That final touch on gemstones or polished surfaces - takes seconds but adds some immediate depth. - Lead pencil. Scrape a little bit on an edge of armour and you have instant chipping with a dull metallic effect. With additions... - Sponge/seasponge. Personally I've never quite got the blister stuff to give a random pattern but good for chipping - Dropper bottles. Definitely a good tool - usually have a few of these spare for GW basecoat/airbrush use - Tool box organisation is a good call... I'll post a pic of what I've ended up using for this too :-) So... any other cool/useful things that should go into the back pockets of the toolkit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vykes Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Hmm, the only thing I can think of right off the bat are corks (I use em for airbrushing and figure handling after pinning the model), sidecutting snips for taking parts off sprue, and sponge for tearing and stippling on texture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlson793 Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Pill bottles with snap-fit childproof lids. A bit of poster putty/blu tac, and you've got a good model holder for painting. Never use the screw-on-till-they-click type; they allow your model to swivel around while painting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kinstryfe Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 My most important are a dropper bottle of distilled water for thinning and making washes, Daler Rowney sepia acrylic ink (washes almost everything I paint one way or another), and Vallejo Thinner Medium for adding coverage to said washes. I've found I can work around running out of most other things but those are a necessity for my painting style. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_F_H Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Dewalt Right angle grinder (wish I could shoebyou the base I just built but alas...) A straight up tool box with drawers for organizing my paints to my liking for the first tikeever for less than the cost of most squad boxes for 40k. Let me put this in generalized terms. BEING ORGANIZED! The state of being organized just makes everything so much easier. Hmm... Big fan of Vallejo right now if for no reason other than their dropper bottles. Im not sure. Probably a lot more. I'll get back to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aspecti Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Small diamond files for cleaning mould lines and miscasts. Tamiya sanding sponge, 3000 grit for... sanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azaiel Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 An empty dropper bottle to put my lahmian medium in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Lightstar Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 A pack of plastic shot-glasses, they're perfect for making bigger mixes and for preparing airbrush mixes. You can also pop a bit of clingfilm over the top and it will keep for quite a while. Rik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indefragable Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Those are dry coffee grounds, correct? <looks at wet grounds from the pot I just made> ....yea, that woulda been too easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Othniel's Blade Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Those are dry coffee grounds, correct? <looks at wet grounds from the pot I just made> ....yea, that woulda been too easy. Time to drink that pot I thought the exact same thing one time reading a similar post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_F_H Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 But are they fresh dry grounds? Or are they used and then redried grounds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Othniel's Blade Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 For drinking or for basing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doghouse Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Magnifier glasses with a light built in, means I don't have to rely on daylight to paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jukkiz Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Depending your glues, unclogging needle or wire and lighter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiceGuyAdi Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Cocktail sticks and the wooden stirry things you get in cafés, for mixing epoxy glues and applying glue where you want it. Black tack, because it’s so much better than blu-tac. And you can keep used and dried coffee grounds. They won’t taste as good on your bases, though. Just make sure they’re thoroughly dry before you store them, or they’ll go mouldy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stercus Posted November 20, 2018 Share Posted November 20, 2018 Emery boards. Bought a pack of two dozen, at various grit levels, for around £1.50. Absolutely essential to me now for smoothing and mould line removal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekfud Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 Lol - well... I have a big old tub of unused grounds, but they have been exposed to the air long enough to have most of the oils evaporate. Super fresh coffee grounds don't like paint (the oil coming out of them acts as a buffer), but used grounds need to be thoroughly dry. Toolkit setup - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_F_H Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 I have a new favorite tonight. Plum Garden DIY Mini Hand Saw... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCW6N6G?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf Why did I wait so long to get a hobby saw... I apologize. Before today I was a barbarian... A butcher... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bung Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 - AK Ultra Matt Varnish best matt Varnish on the market for me right now - MIG One Shot Primer for the airbrush (or Badger Stynylrez Primer) - Mr. Hobby Surfacer for filling small gaps as liquid GS sucks - Createx Candy 2o. colors as they are amazing. I like the effects of Tamiya Clears when airbrushed (like the Brass Skorpion from FW) but the Candy 2os are so much better for that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arkhanist Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 - A4-sized paint station - lets me grab my brushes, palette, water, models and next paints and start painting right away, and put away just as fast. Rest of my stuff is within arms reach of my desk, but it's been a lifesaver with kids to be able to setup and teardown in one go, far more than I expected. - master's brush cleaner and preserver. A god among brush soaps. - AK stainless steel shakers. Alternatives are available, but these ones do the job just fine of going in a thick paint with some flow improver. - micro-mesh 2" pads variety pack in a range of fine to insanely small grit, can polish a scratch out of a transparent acrylic canopy. They're padded, so follow contours better than hard sticks - no more flat spots! The more coarse ones touch pretty much every model, along with flory sanding sticks (which are basically micro-mesh pads cut into strips for awkward areas) - optivisor head magnifier, it's shocking how quickly I've found I can't paint details without it. - citadel painting handle. But not for painting (I have corks and a rathcore handle for that). I put my blank base in it, then greenstuff/magic sculp mixed layer on top, then 'stamp' it into a basius texture pad. Quick and easy custom bases. - brass rod for pinning, essential for using the custom bases as above, nicer to work with than paperclips. - coping saw and padded desk clamp for minis. Chopping up old minis for parts is a cinch. - stynylrez primer. Definitely a convert. White stynylrez is my goto airbrush white for all uses. - paintrack app on android. Keeps a record of which paints I own across manufacturers, helps find equivalent shades I already have to save buying yet another layer pot, and lastly record which paints I used for each section of the model which is much more accurate than my own memory, especially when returning to an older army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian_F_H Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 This thread is in danger of turning into my shopping list... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlson793 Posted November 21, 2018 Share Posted November 21, 2018 A couple other must haves in my case:• Zippered Pencil Case: This has become both my primary and my travel tool kit. Large enough to hold my everyday tools (pliers, couple x-acto knives, files, liquid model glue and CYA, emory boards, and pinning kit), but small enough to fit in with whatever I'm taking to game day. There's not a game day I've attended in the past year where the call isn't "has anybody got?..", but instead "Hey Carlson? You got your tool kit?"• One layer slotted tackle box: So much of my job has been shipped out to other locations that I have a huge amount of time to kill each day. My solution: load up this tackle box with 12 Vallejo paints, 3-4 Citadel shade pots, about 5-10 brushes, my cheaters, and a couple paper towels. Put a load of models in a second small box, and get some painting done at my desk. I keep a cleaned out salsa jar with water and some plastic trays for palettes in my desk drawer. And since I mentioned a couple other Must Haves above...• Emory Boards: Cheap, semi-rigid sand paper, coarse and not-so-coarse grits on opposite sides. Don't buy the ones branded for hobby use; go to the cosmetics section and pick up loads of them for cheap.• Reading Glasses ("Cheaters"): Aging eyes need some help with small models (more so the smaller the scale you paint). Hit the pharmacy at your local discount/department store and try on a few pair. Bring a model with you to find the best magnification. I keep 2x in my shirt pocket most of the time; have a pair of 3.25x in my painting kit, but only use them for short term (too long with them on, and there's a headache when I take them off). I've got a local store where I can get a 3 pair box for under $10 USD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekfud Posted November 21, 2018 Author Share Posted November 21, 2018 - citadel painting handle. But not for painting (I have corks and a rathcore handle for that). I put my blank base in it, then greenstuff/magic sculp mixed layer on top, then 'stamp' it into a basius texture pad. Quick and easy custom bases. That's an awesome idea - no chance of running out and you can keep them consistent across the entire army. Must admit - I got one for $10 but haven't found the handle that great for painting. Knocked it over a few times, and since I usually paint in 5 man squads I'd need a bunch of them setup at once. Old tamiya pots and blu tac have been the go to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kizzdougs Posted November 23, 2018 Share Posted November 23, 2018 The only thing that I'd add to that pretty comprehensive list would be some green-stuff. I've found it really useful for sticking together minis that are either too heavy for superglue and on models that don't always have flush fits and joins (FW resin-plastic combination kits). I just put the superglue on the joins and then add a small piece of green-stuff. I did a similar thing with superglue and blu-tack when assembling my Avillus Dreadclaws. Usually those kits are a real pain, but the superglue/blu-tack combo made them much more manageable :tu: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axineton Posted November 24, 2018 Share Posted November 24, 2018 Some fantastic things in here that I’ll pick up but I can’t believe no one has mentioned these baby’s: http://www.ansell.com/en/Products/hyflex-11-800 I can’t tell you how many times this year I’ve cut my hands and fingers with my xacto blades and since wearing a glove I’ve yet to cut my hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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