Nigel.D

Please put your suggestions or recomendations for use of whatever in our hobby (rather than buying expensive dedicated bits) if you get my drift ???

1 my first one is cannisters from 35 mil film make superb paint storage receptacles or you can use them for those really small parts (they seal brilliantly)

Kiwi

Why not combine this thread with Barry's "Scrimpers and Savers" thread. We don't really need to re-invent the wheel do we?

John

Threads merged

wonwinglo

Here is todays Scrimp-We all use PVA adhesive at some time or another in our hobby,this material is so versatile as well especially when thinned down,before you buy that next expensive bottle check out your local schoolastic suppliers,here you can buy a gallon sized container of this stuff for a lot less than those small ones,all you need to do is decanter it into the bottles with a funnel ( obtainable at £ shops again.
Also builders merchants use it for sealing floors etc and they sell it in much bigger quantities as well.
As before the savings can be used for other more costly items,it all mounts up.

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'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

Nigel.D

I we can find a cheaper alternative then yes Its a bit like Lamb English is best but along comes frozen New Zealand Stuff it does the job so everyone is happy Aint that right Kiwi !!!!!!! LOl

new to trains

super scrimper saver tip !

instead of using tiny tinlets of tamiya acrylic paint, take a trip to the local DIY superstore, have a look at the stencil paints...... lo and behold acrylic paint !
thinned down these stencil acrylics spray beautifully, ideal for large sections or for weathering or for diarama painting, plus they are about 5 times the quantity for the same price-
not so good if you are looking for a quantity of say USAF grey or a specific colour but for those routine jobs these paints are ideal !

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just gotta keep building !

new to trains

another tip....
when using double sided tape to hold down model parts when spraying or maybe you stick material to the bed of your mill to fly cut or whatever to remove the sticky tape without damage to the model part or paint finish use lighter fuel..... it totally evapourates, leaves the part unmarked, and removes the 'sticky' from the double sided tape.... perfect !

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just gotta keep building !

wonwinglo

Have you ever wasted paint that has dried solid in the tin rendering it un-useable ? well here is a tip that will avoid all of this wastage,when the contents get about half way air gets into the tin and starts the drying up process,to avoid this store half used tins upside down,this way no air can get into the tin,simply put a dab of colour onto the base in order to identify the contents.
It also goes without saying that keeping the lids free of excess paint to ensure a good fitting lid will also help the storage life.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

wonwinglo

For the flight simmers amongst us here is another money saving tip,quite a few of us have earlier additional add on software that was intened for FS2002,I was just about to purchase a replacement disc for some extra airfields for use in FS2004, when the manufacturers told me that there was no need to buy another disc as there was a way around it to install my older discs.
Basically all it entails is downloading a simple add on file which when activated with the earlier discs brings up all of the additional airfields,brilliant it really works and really does save you some cash,to get the sequence just log onto Realflights web page and sign up to the support section,here it gives a blow by blow account of what to do,it is easy,saving money extends to all avenues of our hobby.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/

wonwinglo

Sometimes we do things that are just a bad habit,the outcome is we waste good materials and in doing so waste good hard earned cash,as this scrimping thing is all about the later it is important to get the very best from the things we use everyday,here is a good example of this-
Most modellers use a jar of thinners to clean their paint brushes,what usually happens is that so much crudge builds up in the bottom of the thinners jar that it does more harm than good to the paint brushes,on top of this the one thing that should not be skimped on are good brushes,look after them properly and they will serve you well,a quick dip and shake in the thinners is not the best way to clean them properly,after each session work some washing up liquid in the palm of your hand and swirl the bristles of the brush around,just see the colour that comes out,this paint collects in the ferrule of the brush then hardens and will wreck a brush after a few uses.
Now back to the thinners jar,use two seperate jars and in the bottom of each place a piece of perforated zinc or something similar,fold back the edges so the gauze stands just proud of the base of the jar,when removing paint from the brush use jar#1,then take the brush to jar#2 and clean again,this is the correct way to clean brushes,one of my interests is oil painting,over the years I have used dozens of brushes some of them are still in good condition despite lots of use,because care has been taken with them.
Every week or so decanter the thinners and get rid of the sludge in the bottom of the jars,the rubbish as you know sinks to the bottom of the jar,this is where the piece of zinc comes in,the tip of the paintbrush is not stirred directly into the sludge and the perforated edge gives something for the brush to strike against.
All of this sounds like a lot of extra work,but rest assured it is not if carried out as a matter of course,clean thinners,washed brushes at the end of the day=good tools and money saved,so think about it ?
The crusade of the eternal scrimper continues.

__________________
'And there I was oil on my goggles from a broken pipe,then I looked at the altimeter,all I could see was the makers name !'
www.wonwinglo.scale-models.net/