can get even stronger bond using soft ash from fireplace @@ModellingWeekly Carbon is one sticky atom, that is why it is the heart of organic organisms as it blends with just about anything.
I save everything. Even the used cotton buds (Q-tips here in the US) and cut off the buds as they make great pipes or downspouts in HO scale. I also got a bundle of little black hollow coffee stirring sticks use for pipe loads. I save all used toothpicks and cut off the ends to make HO scale round poles or logs. Yep, I use nail files for sanding sticks. I also use women's eye makeup as weathering powder as it sticks so much better and only cost $1.00 at the dollar store. You can get just about any color you want and the orange makes good rust. I also make my own rust powder by putting 0000 steel wool in a quart jar, putting it in the kitchen window and wait for it to mostly dissolve. I then pour the mixture into a stainless steel 11X14 photo processing tray (a glass baking dish will work) and wait a couple of weeks for it to completely dry. I then use a single edge razor blade to pulverize it into a powder and store it in little snuff tins. Each batch comes out a different color. Use it as a wash or mix a little PVA with it to make it stick. I even gouge out pieces of plastic on the models & fill it with my rust. Works great! I acquired a whole box of communion plastic cups which work great for mixing paint & other "stuff". Of course I have my package of "Blue Tack". I also use Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss for an acrylic top coat especially when adding decals before the Dull Coat top coat. Back when I had Hep C I had to drink distilled water so we got our own water distiller and I always use distilled water for modeling. (No longer have Hep C - got cured through the VA). I also make all my own ground scatter from foam, acrylic paint and an electric coffee grinder. I also have a Nandena bush which I use for tree armatures after the little red berries fall off. Just paint them brown for reg. trees or grey for ash trees. I also have a literal ton of lichen growing on the hill back of my house. I gather it up, clean it off and spray it down with water soluble glycerin and paint it whatever color I want. I also use worn out Scotch Bright pads for hedges and bushes. I also use super glue and baking soda for filling gaps. I also have 2 airbrushes, one for acrylic paints (Badger Anthem 155) and my Harbor Freight Chinese airbrush for petroleum based paints. I make all my own ground scatter and grass from hair from wigs or worn out brushes. Floral wire comes in handy as well as twine for making trees. All the weights for my model train rolling I get from Harbor Freight - both the 1/4 & 1/2 oz. car tire weights. I also save the little moisture absorbing packs as the small balls make good oranges in HO scale and the larger ones you can paint another color to make larger fruit. If anyone has open frame (Pittman) motors in their locomotives I would suggest to change out the magnet and use neodymium (rare earth) magnets as it makes a HUGE difference in current draw and performance. I did this to all my open frame motors and now they will "creep" around the track. I think I had to use 4 or 5 of the 1/8 inch X 1/4 wide X 1/2 inch long. I could go on but I gotta get to bed as it's getting late. Hope some of these tips will help. Cheers from an old modeler in eastern TN
The green side from washing sponges are great for making spraying filters for marbled surfaces. Just pluck it out and strip it as think or thin as needed
I keep the empty sprue parts (cut them to size; about 2-3 inches) and use for stirring the paint in the screw on type bottles. Works great. Keep them in a small plactic cup and reuse them time and time again.
The netting oranges come in can make painting diamonds a lot easier. Just take it to an undercoated tank surface then overspay white. When you take it off it should leave the diamond shapes ready to be coloured in.
If using acrylic paint, add fabric softener to your water (50/50) when washing out your brushes. The surfactants in the solution will help clean out the paint from the bristles as well as leave the bristles softer when dried. When putting hair brushes away after a painting session, lightly coat the bristles with sunflower or canola oil (ordinary kitchen variety). The oils are known to have vitamin E and other chemicals that are good for hair and will ensure longer lifespan of your brushes. Wash the brushes with soapy water before use to make the brush compatible with the water-based paint.
I see! I remember on another video for painting though, it was recommended after cleaning brushes as you did to coat it in claydo hair coating (clay like substance to keep hair stiff and shiny to keep a certain comb). What are your thoughts on that?
@@badonkadonk6655 If the bristles are going out of alignment then the hair gel will hold them in place. It's not a case of one being detrimental to the other so much as you use each when it is needed. You can't use oil at the same time as the hair gel, but you don't need to. Simply use which one you think is best at the time.
Not available at all supermarkets, but I find pipe cleaners useful for cleaning in awkward spots. You can also get them as craft items. If you are in the U.K.and have a branch of The Works near you it is an excellent source if budget art and craft items: for example, the pastels in their cheap sets can be ground down or rubbed on a sanding stick to produce good weathering powders. They also have selections of cheap brushes.
I have employed household items in crafting since I was a kid. Toothpicks, paper clips, safety pins and popsicle sticks are great for working with clay. Salt, sugar, and baking soda are great for adding textures when mixed with glue or paint. Aluminum foil is another great item to keep on hand.
Something I have found really useful making card or plastic model where I'm having trouble keeping things square is Lego. It's dead easy to knock up a jig to brace the corners, hold it together with a peg or a rubber band.
As a tip, the water from the condensers of tumble driers and air conditioners are also de-ionised. I found that out when I needed it for watering very fussy houseplants.
With the blu tack, 2 things to consider. 1, white tack exists and is less greasy and sticky than the blu tack which can sometimes leave some greasy deposits behind and I've found white tack is easier on paint. 2, black tack also exists. It is much stickier than blu or white tacks, in the model railway world it is sometimes used to hold wires or decoders in place as whilst it is very sticky it can still be removed if required and will stay in place until you need to remove it, which blu tack doesn't always do. Additionally, elbow grease is pretty good for paint stripping and it has a much nicer smell and it's cheaper than dettol. Other alternatives are isopropyl alcohol and methylated spirits, iso being very good with an air brush instead of dedicated airbrush cleaner.
ere is another tip. Use clear nailpolish to replicate glass on the instrumentpanel in planes and cars.Apply it with a drop on a toothpick. Works better than Clear from tamiya or other brands. Dry,s very fast and is awefull cheap at the budget stores. i buy them in spain at the chinese bazar for €1.30. And i have painted a few cars and motorbikes with nailpolish, because they got realy funky and nice colors,and you can use cheap thinner or disolvent to thin it down for the airbrush. Dry,s up very fast and give a nice shine for those who don,t like to spend a lot on clearcoat on it. And when the bottle is empty and clean, you can use it to fill it with sprue goo or tamiya extra thin, the aplicator brush is already in it.
Another use for sponges is to create a base for well kept hedges. In architecture modeling we use often the Scotch brite but cheaper alternatives for the kitchen (green scraping sponges) are a godsend not only for hedges but also to buff plastic or metal parts to aid paint adherence. And about the CA filler, you can also use sodium bicarbonate which sprinkled on CA will make it dry rock solid in seconds, and easy to sand. Finally thanks for the dettol trick. I will be sure to try it as soon as I need to strip paint from any train body shell. Cheers from Belgium 🇧🇪
Sponges can be cut for use as internal supports for models that have thin walled components that need to be clamped while glue dries. Lightweight and helps keep the shape of the part while reducing the risk of pressure splits from the clamps if there are minor deformities in mouldings. The wife's nailboards come in handy for detail work, just dont let her catch you "acquiring" them as that can turn nasty, especially if you cut them to shape for fine working. Brushes can last longer if you clean them, then dip them in diluted hair conditioner for twenty minutes before rinsing and drying. Improves the hairs and doesn't increase your hygiene budget unless you're seriously into painting on a regular basis. Budget house repair filler and PVA glue make a decent filler thats easy to sand, shape and paint. Also useful for dioramas.
Blu-tac can sometimes leave a visible residue although I've heard it vanishes under a coat of varnish? White-tac however does not leave any marks. Copydex is good for filling the large areas between masked edges...basically a liquid rubber.
Lab suppliers can be a source of useful (and sometimes inexpensive) supplies, such as small beakers with spouts for paint mixing, from 25ml (0.85 oz) and up, either in plastic or borosilicate glass. Other useful things: wash bottles with curved spouts, flip top bottles, funnels, pipettes, filters...
I use small and medium wooden clothes pins as clamps. I modify them by cutting the tips to be a sharp vee, rather than the indented vee. This lets them be used closer in. I also make bespoke ends to suit a particular clamp need. They are cheap, so experiment. Learned this tip from a Car Modeling magazine circa 70’s. Where I also learned about SuperGlue and baking powder.
Suggest care is taken with amount of pressure applied. Different types of pegs have a variety of spring, so only use carefully with smaller, thin parts.
I made my living being a barber and when I quit I had several small thick towels called "steamers", use in shaving. They're nice for wiping up messes and cleaning brushes, etc.
And when you mix it in your thinned paint, you can shoot it throught the airbrush to get a texture in your paint. I do that as the seats of the car models i build. Afterall,not every car has leather seats or doorpanels.
IKEA Tillgang grey plastic serving trays (like the ones used in supermarket cafes) make a cheap portable workstation for work in progress, painting and cutting if you add a mat; cost £1.50 each.
Makeup/Cosmetic organizers are some of the best for our modelling tools. Cosmetic push down liquid dispensers are also handy. In addition to model building I also do electronics repair. Many of my tools can be used in both hobbies!
Used this method a few weeks ago when painting a spitfire canopy. It was the first time I'd taped and painted a canopy so the toothpicks got some usage. 👍
Something I used to do with talcum powder back in the day (as in 50 years ago) with r/c models was to mix it with dope and apply as a final undercoat before spraying a topcoat. It could be sanded to a super-smooth finish. Might be applicable to scale models too as a fine filler when mixed with primer.
Aldi here in Australia occasionally does Revell truck/car kits. Not my thing but good for others. Probably what they can get cheapest re shipping, production etc....depending where in the world you live. There is an amusing stock photo from their catalogue showing dad and son assembling a truck model with dad wielding a hot glue gun to do so! Good tips. Cheers. 🦘🦘🦘
Cracking video - I knew a fair few of those, but every day is also a school day, so I learned some new hacks too 👍✌️💜😊 There's the old trick of adding sprue to solvent to make a slow setting filler, almost for free - I'm old school ✌️😀😀
Be a little cautious when using Dettol for stripping paint from resin though. Although it’s largely safe, it can soften the finer detail on some resin parts.
@@ModellingWeeklyyeah, I stripped the paint off a resin cavalry bust that wasn’t going to plan a while ago. I lost the pickers and chains, when rinsing, due to them becoming soft in the Dettol.
A wet palette is very useful when working with acrylic paints. You can also use baking paper in place of grease proof paper. If your container has an air-tight lid, the paints can be left for several days and they will not dry out.
No, wax paper is not the same as baking paper. Baking paper, or baking parchment, is not waxed and is very like normal grease proof paper. It will allow water to soak through, which waxed paper would not. Very useful in cooking and in modelling.
For containers that will be in contact with solvents such as acetone, lacquer thinners, high density polyethylene, polypropylene plastic containers and cups resists solvents at room temperature. PET to some extent but it will swell and turn white over time ( weeks). Low density polyethylene eg. Zip lock bags and other plastic sheets are ok but not for extended contact use. Just have a look at the plastic classification at the bottom of most plastic containers for details. I use all paints on HDPE containers and wipe it clean with 100% acetone.
Very useful information indeed. I had not thought of using disposable shot glasses for paint mixing- they certainly are a better option than the old "Aunties" microwave pudding pots that I have been using. Although I note that you are modelling aircraft, whereas I am into model railways (although previously into radio controlled aircraft), so I will suggest another item that can be obtained cheaply from supermarkets etc:- Artists acrylic paints. Very useful for scenic and building modelling. I have bought mine from "Home Bargains" and "The Range". Much cheaper than the little modellers paint pots.
I often find actual "glass" shot glasses at thrift stores for 25 to 50 cents. I have had a few instances when I used plastic ones only to have a huge mess crawling across my table a few minutes after using!
Decal softener... Here’s what you’ll need: A container to hold your Decal Softener in glass pref 8ml of Isopropanol Alcohol (IPA) 70% to 99% [the 99% mix is very aggressive] i use both mix 2ml of Enamel Thinners. 1/8 oz top off to 1/2 oz 70% ipa For your setting solution 70% vinegar 30% water
I think for Dettol paint stripping ability, it comes down to one active ingredient. IPA. Just buy IPA in large container (eg 1 gallon or about 4-5L). It's way cheaper than a bottle of Dettol. And yes, I used IPA to paint strip acrylics and lacquers (havent tried on enamels). You do need to agitate it a bit though. Also, IPA can be use as an airbrush or normal brush cleaner.
Indeed! I'm very familiar with IPA and it's uses, I love that stuff..always have some ready to go haha. I said Dettol in this video instead of IPA because most supermarkets don't stock refined isopropanol
@@nimay13 oh for sure, and sometimes on Amazon you can get ~5L for around £20 which is a pretty good deal. The video is titled supermarket model supplies though so if I went off on a tangent it loses it's impact if you see what I mean :) I advocate for IPA in loads of my other videos however
free paint pots can be obtained from McDonalds, you can use those little paper pots that you put ketchup in to mix paint. also you don't need vinegar, micro sol or set to secure decals if you use tamiya acrylics. simply place the decal where you want it, remove excess water by tapping it with a tissue them brush over Tamiya X-20 thinner over the decal, it softens it and sets it once it is dry.
I need to get a big bottle of deionised water and white vinegar too. Clothes pegs are a nobrainer that I never thought of too; So much cheaper and more easily available than fancy model clamps.
Liquid masking film can be made by mixing Elmers clear glue 50% with liquid dish soap% .Spray oven cleaner can also be used to strip models , use caution and wear protective (rubber or vinyl gloves) and eye protection.
I haven't advanced to the level of using Detol to strip models yet. So far if there was a model I wanted to strip, I picked the paint off in chunks with a toothpick steel paperclip or fingernail ; even a wire toothbrush for getting the awkward bits . Nitromors type paint stripper was used once maybe for a mini that was caked in enamel paint by its previous owner too.
Cheap odorless paint thinner, it works way better than humbrol enamel thinner on enamels, 100% pure acetone for cleaning the brushes, thick nail cutter works fine when it comes to cut off parts from their sprue, sandpaper bought from painting stores, masking tapes from paint stores work also fine
The only one I'd disagree with is Dettol - I found it absolutely stinks, so I would instead recommend methylated spirits, which while a bit smelly at first will completely evaporate. Also you can reuse it. Another one I got recently is some containers with locking tops. There's many uses for these but the ones I got were quite flat and wide, and I filled these with basing materials so if I want a quick and easy base I can just cover any base up to about 150mm in PVA and simply dip it in the tray to get started.
Dettol only works because it ALSO contains alcohol - plain alcohol is cheaper and stinks less, its also great for cleaning airbrushes and as a decal softener Greaseproof paper is also waterproof, you need un-waxed parchment paper for wet palette
I agree! Acohol is brilliant, every modeller should have some and I mention it's uses and excellence in a lot of my videos - I mentioned Dettol for this top, however, as it is sold in most supermarkets whereas 1L bottles of alcohol arent really sold in supermarkets and instead will require you to go online (e.g amazon, etc.)
Yep,, and on the darkest hour, when all starts to go haywire on your build, one can take a swig or ten against worst depression on those gaping seamlines or details melting away. 😅
My compliments on your clean hands and well trimmed nails. They have made your video so much nicer to watch than some others I have seen. Nice tips also.
One has to be careful when using DI water. Because it has lost its natural charge it is very aggressive against metals (except high grade stainless steel. That means the ferrules of your paint brushes, some components of an airbrush or the miniture's own parts can become oxidized. Distilled water is a useful substitute.
Apart from Dettol which I use for anything covered in enamel, Methalated Spirit is the buiseness for anything with acrylic paint on it. As I go, Meth's first then Dettol and back to Meth's for the last clean. Plus meth's doe's not damage plastic. After which pour the Dettol through a paper coffee filter back into the bottle. And, even sometimes you find paint still on the model as I have with thirty year old white metal figures, painted with acrylic. This is a complete and utter B'stard to remove, as shown by other RUclipsr's. So industrial paint stripper and even somtimes that doesn't do the job as some 6mm WWII and 28mm, stuff I have proves the point. Wet pallets I always use De-ionised water from my local car factors. Which is also a great place to buy aerosol primers dirt cheap.
Diecast model restorers often use caustic soda and boiling water to strip paint from castings. It has to be used with great care and it would destroy plastic parts, but I wonder if it might help remove acrylic paint from white metal.
@@STWTransport-pb7hf among and amongst mean the same thing, however amongst is generally more common in south-eastern UK dialects which is where I'm from :) Also, whilst and while are for different purposes - whilst is used when contrasting two points (as I did in the video) and while is used in relation to time :)
@@STWTransport-pb7hf Is an affection not a change in a vowel from tense to tense, or something along those lines? Among and amongst do mean the same exact thing. Whilst and while can technically be used interchangeably, but looking into the history of their use, whilst tends to be used more frequently as a contrast word rather than in relation to time (as I mentioned before) Either way, they're both proper English and I use them properly in speech, so I don't see what the problem is - it's my dialect, and it's grammatically correct
A word of warning. When shopping for make-up brushes, nail files, clear nail varnish, or acetone free nail varnish remover? Be sure to adopt the deepest, most manly voice you can muster, or you might get some funny looks. Also be aware of friends / neighbours when shopping. Can you imagine trying to explain to a friend, when they encounter you purchasing beauty accessories,, that you are using them for modelling? "Oh yes", they may ask, "And what kind of 'modelling' do you do?" 😁 I once had a bad experience when I was asked to be Santa for a childrens party. My attempts to look the best Santa got me some funny looks in Boots.
Yeah. I found out the hard way about plastic pots. Once mixed something in one. Picked it up to move it and the bottom fell out right onto the roof and hood of a car model.
I hear from some old heads in the community that the old Testors Decal Set solution was just straight up white vinegar at a markup.😅 I think some good cheap stuff from super markets are isopropyl alcohol (90% concentration and above) is great for cleaning airbrushes if you want to save your MLT for more important tasks (It can also clean regular brushes but uhh...it's not kind to natural hair bristles). Baking Soda plus Super glue also works as a great filler as well: drop the powder into a gap and get it wet with CA glue and it hardens right up.
Just don't use IPA with AK acrylics. The chemistry is different from other acrylics like Tamiya. If you try to dilute AK or clean an air brush after using AK acrylic with IPA, you will end up with a gloppy mess that is anything but thinned or cleaned. Use regular water or dedicated AK airbrush cleaner with their paints.
@@Chilly_Billy Yes, Acrylics have different solvents so IPA will strip out Tamiya, Mr.Hobby and AK Real Color but Vallejo, AK 3rd Gen and MiG will goop. I believe it is vice versa so putting water to clean Tamiya will goop it up. Obviously dedicated airbrush cleaners and MLT make all this headache go away but we're trying to save money here.😁
@@burningphoneix I use watered down IPA at 30:1 with my Vallejo paints without problem. Also I buy my IPA 100% pure in 5 litre jugs from a local industrial solvent supplier. Much cheaper than the supermarket brands. Check if you have a supplier nearby.
Anybody who thinks greaseproof paper is the same as in a wet pallette has probably never used a wet pallette. Look at it and you'll probably figure out why it doesn't work properly
😉👍Very cool and very nicely well done and very well executed and informatively explained in every detail way shape and form on all of the subject matter and format on various products to help in building your models at very nice and reasonable price indeed!...
Hope you found this useful guys! If you enjoyed, feel free to check out my latest build video :) ruclips.net/video/qUWIwF4_OMY/видео.html
Bicarbonate of soda (baking aisle) mixed with super glue sets rock hard instantly. Good for filling slightly larger gaps & sands down well.
👍👍
can get even stronger bond using soft ash from fireplace @@ModellingWeekly Carbon is one sticky atom, that is why it is the heart of organic organisms as it blends with just about anything.
Absolutely,I did not know that was out! Learned that from a old timer
I save everything. Even the used cotton buds (Q-tips here in the US) and cut off the buds as they make great pipes or downspouts in HO scale. I also got a bundle of little black hollow coffee stirring sticks use for pipe loads. I save all used toothpicks and cut off the ends to make HO scale round poles or logs. Yep, I use nail files for sanding sticks. I also use women's eye makeup as weathering powder as it sticks so much better and only cost $1.00 at the dollar store. You can get just about any color you want and the orange makes good rust. I also make my own rust powder by putting 0000 steel wool in a quart jar, putting it in the kitchen window and wait for it to mostly dissolve. I then pour the mixture into a stainless steel 11X14 photo processing tray (a glass baking dish will work) and wait a couple of weeks for it to completely dry. I then use a single edge razor blade to pulverize it into a powder and store it in little snuff tins. Each batch comes out a different color. Use it as a wash or mix a little PVA with it to make it stick. I even gouge out pieces of plastic on the models & fill it with my rust. Works great! I acquired a whole box of communion plastic cups which work great for mixing paint & other "stuff". Of course I have my package of "Blue Tack". I also use Pledge Revive It Floor Gloss for an acrylic top coat especially when adding decals before the Dull Coat top coat. Back when I had Hep C I had to drink distilled water so we got our own water distiller and I always use distilled water for modeling. (No longer have Hep C - got cured through the VA). I also make all my own ground scatter from foam, acrylic paint and an electric coffee grinder. I also have a Nandena bush which I use for tree armatures after the little red berries fall off. Just paint them brown for reg. trees or grey for ash trees. I also have a literal ton of lichen growing on the hill back of my house. I gather it up, clean it off and spray it down with water soluble glycerin and paint it whatever color I want. I also use worn out Scotch Bright pads for hedges and bushes. I also use super glue and baking soda for filling gaps. I also have 2 airbrushes, one for acrylic paints (Badger Anthem 155) and my Harbor Freight Chinese airbrush for petroleum based paints. I make all my own ground scatter and grass from hair from wigs or worn out brushes. Floral wire comes in handy as well as twine for making trees. All the weights for my model train rolling I get from Harbor Freight - both the 1/4 & 1/2 oz. car tire weights. I also save the little moisture absorbing packs as the small balls make good oranges in HO scale and the larger ones you can paint another color to make larger fruit. If anyone has open frame (Pittman) motors in their locomotives I would suggest to change out the magnet and use neodymium (rare earth) magnets as it makes a HUGE difference in current draw and performance. I did this to all my open frame motors and now they will "creep" around the track. I think I had to use 4 or 5 of the 1/8 inch X 1/4 wide X 1/2 inch long. I could go on but I gotta get to bed as it's getting late. Hope some of these tips will help. Cheers from an old modeler in eastern TN
Dude. Used q-tips and used tooth picks? OR...buy a package of each at the Dollar tree and set aside for modeling purposes.
This guy knows he's stuff, some great tips & tricks here! 👌
The green side from washing sponges are great for making spraying filters for marbled surfaces. Just pluck it out and strip it as think or thin as needed
Good tip!
What do you mean by "...spraying filters for marbled surfaces..."? Are you saying you spray THROUGH the sponge?
@@JeffJefferyUK Exaclty.
I keep the empty sprue parts (cut them to size; about 2-3 inches) and use for stirring the paint in the screw on type bottles. Works great. Keep them in a small plactic cup and reuse them time and time again.
Oh God, I feel old. I remember a time before blu-tack was invented! We used to put up our pop star and sci-fi posters with good old drawing pins.
The netting oranges come in can make painting diamonds a lot easier. Just take it to an undercoated tank surface then overspay white. When you take it off it should leave the diamond shapes ready to be coloured in.
If using acrylic paint, add fabric softener to your water (50/50) when washing out your brushes. The surfactants in the solution will help clean out the paint from the bristles as well as leave the bristles softer when dried.
When putting hair brushes away after a painting session, lightly coat the bristles with sunflower or canola oil (ordinary kitchen variety). The oils are known to have vitamin E and other chemicals that are good for hair and will ensure longer lifespan of your brushes. Wash the brushes with soapy water before use to make the brush compatible with the water-based paint.
Quality! 👍👍
I see! I remember on another video for painting though, it was recommended after cleaning brushes as you did to coat it in claydo hair coating (clay like substance to keep hair stiff and shiny to keep a certain comb).
What are your thoughts on that?
@@badonkadonk6655 If the bristles are going out of alignment then the hair gel will hold them in place.
It's not a case of one being detrimental to the other so much as you use each when it is needed. You can't use oil at the same time as the hair gel, but you don't need to. Simply use which one you think is best at the time.
@@alexogle8950 I see. Thanks a ton! :D Also thanks for answering despite your comment being one year ago hehe. Take care :>
Not available at all supermarkets, but I find pipe cleaners useful for cleaning in awkward spots. You can also get them as craft items. If you are in the U.K.and have a branch of The Works near you it is an excellent source if budget art and craft items: for example, the pastels in their cheap sets can be ground down or rubbed on a sanding stick to produce good weathering powders. They also have selections of cheap brushes.
Also great for modelling rockets/missiles in flight.
I have employed household items in crafting since I was a kid. Toothpicks, paper clips, safety pins and popsicle sticks are great for working with clay. Salt, sugar, and baking soda are great for adding textures when mixed with glue or paint. Aluminum foil is another great item to keep on hand.
100% !
Something I have found really useful making card or plastic model where I'm having trouble keeping things square is Lego. It's dead easy to knock up a jig to brace the corners, hold it together with a peg or a rubber band.
That's actually a very good tip haha, cheers for sharing
As a tip, the water from the condensers of tumble driers and air conditioners are also de-ionised. I found that out when I needed it for watering very fussy houseplants.
With the blu tack, 2 things to consider.
1, white tack exists and is less greasy and sticky than the blu tack which can sometimes leave some greasy deposits behind and I've found white tack is easier on paint.
2, black tack also exists. It is much stickier than blu or white tacks, in the model railway world it is sometimes used to hold wires or decoders in place as whilst it is very sticky it can still be removed if required and will stay in place until you need to remove it, which blu tack doesn't always do.
Additionally, elbow grease is pretty good for paint stripping and it has a much nicer smell and it's cheaper than dettol. Other alternatives are isopropyl alcohol and methylated spirits, iso being very good with an air brush instead of dedicated airbrush cleaner.
ere is another tip. Use clear nailpolish to replicate glass on the instrumentpanel in planes and cars.Apply it with a drop on a toothpick. Works better than Clear from tamiya or other brands. Dry,s very fast and is awefull cheap at the budget stores. i buy them in spain at the chinese bazar for €1.30. And i have painted a few cars and motorbikes with nailpolish, because they got realy funky and nice colors,and you can use cheap thinner or disolvent to thin it down for the airbrush. Dry,s up very fast and give a nice shine for those who don,t like to spend a lot on clearcoat on it. And when the bottle is empty and clean, you can use it to fill it with sprue goo or tamiya extra thin, the aplicator brush is already in it.
very good stuff!
For a more 3d effect if its applied when its almost dry it will form a dome shape instead of flat.
An articulate and comprehendible English speaker - excellent narrative skills.
Another use for sponges is to create a base for well kept hedges. In architecture modeling we use often the Scotch brite but cheaper alternatives for the kitchen (green scraping sponges) are a godsend not only for hedges but also to buff plastic or metal parts to aid paint adherence. And about the CA filler, you can also use sodium bicarbonate which sprinkled on CA will make it dry rock solid in seconds, and easy to sand. Finally thanks for the dettol trick. I will be sure to try it as soon as I need to strip paint from any train body shell. Cheers from Belgium 🇧🇪
Sponges can be cut for use as internal supports for models that have thin walled components that need to be clamped while glue dries. Lightweight and helps keep the shape of the part while reducing the risk of pressure splits from the clamps if there are minor deformities in mouldings.
The wife's nailboards come in handy for detail work, just dont let her catch you "acquiring" them as that can turn nasty, especially if you cut them to shape for fine working.
Brushes can last longer if you clean them, then dip them in diluted hair conditioner for twenty minutes before rinsing and drying. Improves the hairs and doesn't increase your hygiene budget unless you're seriously into painting on a regular basis.
Budget house repair filler and PVA glue make a decent filler thats easy to sand, shape and paint. Also useful for dioramas.
One of my favourites has identical product sheets to Tamiys Extra thin quick set. It is available from Pharmaceutical and is call Mek
Various size alligator clips and wood skewer sticks make a fantastic combination for painting and gluing small parts.
Blu-tac can sometimes leave a visible residue although I've heard it vanishes under a coat of varnish? White-tac however does not leave any marks.
Copydex is good for filling the large areas between masked edges...basically a liquid rubber.
Lab suppliers can be a source of useful (and sometimes inexpensive) supplies, such as small beakers with spouts for paint mixing, from 25ml (0.85 oz) and up, either in plastic or borosilicate glass. Other useful things: wash bottles with curved spouts, flip top bottles, funnels, pipettes, filters...
I use small and medium wooden clothes pins as clamps. I modify them by cutting the tips to be a sharp vee, rather than the indented vee. This lets them be used closer in.
I also make bespoke ends to suit a particular clamp need.
They are cheap, so experiment.
Learned this tip from a Car Modeling magazine circa 70’s.
Where I also learned about SuperGlue and baking powder.
Hadn't thought about modifying clothes pegs! That's a great tip
Suggest care is taken with amount of pressure applied.
Different types of pegs have a variety of spring, so only use carefully with smaller, thin parts.
@@4Vlad 👍
I made my living being a barber and when I quit I had several small thick towels called "steamers", use in shaving. They're nice for wiping up messes and cleaning brushes, etc.
Sounds good!
Talcum powder can also be used to turn gloss enamel paint into matt enamel paint
Good tip!
Careful mixing can produce a satin finish ideal for reproducing leather. An Airfx magazine recommendation from the 60s!
@@iantobanter9546 sometimes the old tips are the best!
And when you mix it in your thinned paint, you can shoot it throught the airbrush to get a texture in your paint. I do that as the seats of the car models i build. Afterall,not every car has leather seats or doorpanels.
IKEA Tillgang grey plastic serving trays (like the ones used in supermarket cafes) make a cheap portable workstation for work in progress, painting and cutting if you add a mat; cost £1.50 each.
Very nice tip!
Makeup/Cosmetic organizers are some of the best for our modelling tools. Cosmetic push down liquid dispensers are also handy.
In addition to model building I also do electronics repair. Many of my tools can be used in both hobbies!
Great idea for a video, I use toothpicks to scrape away paint from clear parts if I get it in the wrong place, I can't paint canopies without them
Cheers, and good point!
Used this method a few weeks ago when painting a spitfire canopy. It was the first time I'd taped and painted a canopy so the toothpicks got some usage. 👍
Something I used to do with talcum powder back in the day (as in 50 years ago) with r/c models was to mix it with dope and apply as a final undercoat before spraying a topcoat. It could be sanded to a super-smooth finish. Might be applicable to scale models too as a fine filler when mixed with primer.
I'd suggest changing blintac for white tac, it's got less oils in it 🙂
Very true!
Aldi here in Australia occasionally does Revell truck/car kits. Not my thing but good for others. Probably what they can get cheapest re shipping, production etc....depending where in the world you live.
There is an amusing stock photo from their catalogue showing dad and son assembling a truck model with dad wielding a hot glue gun to do so!
Good tips. Cheers. 🦘🦘🦘
That's a very interesting oddity! The promo sounds great haha. Cheers!
Revell also occasionally does deals on model kits in the French chain Auchan across central Europe.
Love cotton buds for chalk weathering!
100%!
Cracking video - I knew a fair few of those, but every day is also a school day, so I learned some new hacks too 👍✌️💜😊
There's the old trick of adding sprue to solvent to make a slow setting filler, almost for free - I'm old school ✌️😀😀
Thanks! And old school is sometimes best - love a bit of sprue goo! 😉
@@ModellingWeekly ✌️💜👍😊😀😀
Be a little cautious when using Dettol for stripping paint from resin though. Although it’s largely safe, it can soften the finer detail on some resin parts.
Didn't know about the resin aspect! Cheers for this!
@@ModellingWeeklyyeah, I stripped the paint off a resin cavalry bust that wasn’t going to plan a while ago. I lost the pickers and chains, when rinsing, due to them becoming soft in the Dettol.
@@Pte1643 sounds rough! Noted, Dettol does not like resin lol
Hadn’t tried it on resin. Thanks for the tip.
A wet palette is very useful when working with acrylic paints. You can also use baking paper in place of grease proof paper. If your container has an air-tight lid, the paints can be left for several days and they will not dry out.
👍
Also known as Wax-paper in a lot of places. ^_^
@@Dust_Bin_Gaming indeed!
No, wax paper is not the same as baking paper. Baking paper, or baking parchment, is not waxed and is very like normal grease proof paper. It will allow water to soak through, which waxed paper would not. Very useful in cooking and in modelling.
@@pauladams286 Weird. It's what I've seen other YT's, and some of the more talented locals, always use for their DIY pallets.
For containers that will be in contact with solvents such as acetone, lacquer thinners, high density polyethylene, polypropylene plastic containers and cups resists solvents at room temperature. PET to some extent but it will swell and turn white over time ( weeks). Low density polyethylene eg. Zip lock bags and other plastic sheets are ok but not for extended contact use. Just have a look at the plastic classification at the bottom of most plastic containers for details. I use all paints on HDPE containers and wipe it clean with 100% acetone.
👍👍
shot glasses get from poundland i use the plastic lids off coffee creamers also as paint dishes and the plastic tops of gravy granuals as paint dishes
yoghurt pots, tops from roll on deodorant - the list is endless
Very useful information indeed. I had not thought of using disposable shot glasses for paint mixing- they certainly are a better option than the old "Aunties" microwave pudding pots that I have been using.
Although I note that you are modelling aircraft, whereas I am into model railways (although previously into radio controlled aircraft), so I will suggest another item that can be obtained cheaply from supermarkets etc:- Artists acrylic paints. Very useful for scenic and building modelling. I have bought mine from "Home Bargains" and "The Range". Much cheaper than the little modellers paint pots.
I often find actual "glass" shot glasses at thrift stores for 25 to 50 cents. I have had a few instances when I used plastic ones only to have a huge mess crawling across my table a few minutes after using!
I've always used this malt vinegar not only for decals but for my fish and chips.
That's great
Decal softener...
Here’s what you’ll need:
A container to hold your Decal Softener in glass pref
8ml of Isopropanol Alcohol (IPA) 70% to 99% [the 99% mix is very aggressive] i use both mix
2ml of Enamel Thinners.
1/8 oz
top off to 1/2 oz 70% ipa
For your setting solution
70% vinegar
30% water
Fantastic recipe! Cheers man!
I think for Dettol paint stripping ability, it comes down to one active ingredient. IPA. Just buy IPA in large container (eg 1 gallon or about 4-5L). It's way cheaper than a bottle of Dettol. And yes, I used IPA to paint strip acrylics and lacquers (havent tried on enamels). You do need to agitate it a bit though. Also, IPA can be use as an airbrush or normal brush cleaner.
Indeed! I'm very familiar with IPA and it's uses, I love that stuff..always have some ready to go haha. I said Dettol in this video instead of IPA because most supermarkets don't stock refined isopropanol
@@ModellingWeekly Just get them from your local hardware store.
@@nimay13 oh for sure, and sometimes on Amazon you can get ~5L for around £20 which is a pretty good deal. The video is titled supermarket model supplies though so if I went off on a tangent it loses it's impact if you see what I mean :) I advocate for IPA in loads of my other videos however
@@ModellingWeekly Right.
Excellent video, great to get some money saving tips.
Cheers
Fine sodium bicarb is also a good packer when using superglue as a filler. :)
kabab skewers and bamboo chopsticks are helpful too
Poundland do a big bag of make up blending sponges . Brilliant for weathering
Totally!
Toothpicks are also good for applying CA and PVA glue
Indeed!
free paint pots can be obtained from McDonalds, you can use those little paper pots that you put ketchup in to mix paint. also you don't need vinegar, micro sol or set to secure decals if you use tamiya acrylics. simply place the decal where you want it, remove excess water by tapping it with a tissue them brush over Tamiya X-20 thinner over the decal, it softens it and sets it once it is dry.
Along the same lines are the pots that contain coffee creamer. Some even have a lil handle on them.
I need to get a big bottle of deionised water and white vinegar too. Clothes pegs are a nobrainer that I never thought of too; So much cheaper and more easily available than fancy model clamps.
those plastic shot glasses also make a good painting handle, particular for scale humans 👍👍
Good point!
Net curtains dyed green make excellent camo nets.
Saw a Vid of someone using weave bandages, probably a cheaper option
Liquid masking film can be made by mixing Elmers clear glue 50% with liquid dish soap% .Spray oven cleaner can also be used to strip models , use caution and wear protective (rubber or vinyl gloves) and eye protection.
I haven't advanced to the level of using Detol to strip models yet. So far if there was a model I wanted to strip, I picked the paint off in chunks with a toothpick steel paperclip or fingernail ; even a wire toothbrush for getting the awkward bits . Nitromors type paint stripper was used once maybe for a mini that was caked in enamel paint by its previous owner too.
Pasted your video to my FB model train group, great hits, thanks.
Glad you found the vid helpful! I hope the group likes it :)
Cheap odorless paint thinner, it works way better than humbrol enamel thinner on enamels, 100% pure acetone for cleaning the brushes, thick nail cutter works fine when it comes to cut off parts from their sprue, sandpaper bought from painting stores, masking tapes from paint stores work also fine
Thank you. Lots of good tips.
The only one I'd disagree with is Dettol - I found it absolutely stinks, so I would instead recommend methylated spirits, which while a bit smelly at first will completely evaporate. Also you can reuse it.
Another one I got recently is some containers with locking tops. There's many uses for these but the ones I got were quite flat and wide, and I filled these with basing materials so if I want a quick and easy base I can just cover any base up to about 150mm in PVA and simply dip it in the tray to get started.
pipettes from The Works in the uk, about a quid for a bag IIRC
Primark has a foundation brush for £2, massive drybrush for tanks.
Thanks so much, cheers from Uruguay.
No problem, glad you found it helpful!
@@ModellingWeekly absolute yes , thanks.
Just caught up with this video. Thanks for the shout out matey..Dettol is my friend lol
No problem mate!
MR.MUSCLE oven cleaner is a really useful paint stripper for models.
baby powder that is in the U.S. is just corn starch now. No talc. Makeup brushes.. perfect for dry brushing kits.
On the nail files. Use a sharp blade, like an xacto knife, and a straight edge to slice the nail files into smaller strips.
I'm new to the channel. I like the vinegar trick and will give it a go.
Welcome! Hope it all goes well for you :)
Hair wash conditioner makes a really good flow improver.
Johnsons klear floor wax is great for a satin varnish.
I have heard good things about it!
Johnson's KLEAR is super but not manufactured anymore. Does anyone out there in model land know of similar product that has the same properties.
Dettol only works because it ALSO contains alcohol - plain alcohol is cheaper and stinks less, its also great for cleaning airbrushes and as a decal softener
Greaseproof paper is also waterproof, you need un-waxed parchment paper for wet palette
I agree! Acohol is brilliant, every modeller should have some and I mention it's uses and excellence in a lot of my videos - I mentioned Dettol for this top, however, as it is sold in most supermarkets whereas 1L bottles of alcohol arent really sold in supermarkets and instead will require you to go online (e.g amazon, etc.)
Yep,, and on the darkest hour, when all starts to go haywire on your build, one can take a swig or ten against worst depression on those gaping seamlines or details melting away. 😅
@@anonplayer8529 😂😂
Super informative video.. many thanks for doing it..
No problem :)
Well known but polyfilla fine surface been using it for fifty years as good as any branded filler far cheaper.
👍👍
other supermarket sell vinegar ! though I do mainly shop at Tesco
Indeed!
My compliments on your clean hands and well trimmed nails. They have made your video so much nicer to watch than some others I have seen. Nice tips also.
I could not imagine what a kitchen roll was until i saw it was paper towels😄
Yeah, me too. I was thinking one of those rollers used to flatten out dough.
Instead of shot glasses I use clean used cream and yoghurt pots.
Good to know thanks
No problem :)
A great paintbrush cleaner, especially when the paint is dried on, is DETTOL. Please note: There are other brands of disinfectants available!
One has to be careful when using DI water. Because it has lost its natural charge it is very aggressive against metals (except high grade stainless steel. That means the ferrules of your paint brushes, some components of an airbrush or the miniture's own parts can become oxidized. Distilled water is a useful substitute.
Good point 👍
Apart from Dettol which I use for anything covered in enamel, Methalated Spirit is the buiseness for anything with acrylic paint on it. As I go, Meth's first then Dettol and back to Meth's for the last clean. Plus meth's doe's not damage plastic. After which pour the Dettol through a paper coffee filter back into the bottle. And, even sometimes you find paint still on the model as I have with thirty year old white metal figures, painted with acrylic. This is a complete and utter B'stard to remove, as shown by other RUclipsr's. So industrial paint stripper and even somtimes that doesn't do the job as some 6mm WWII and 28mm, stuff I have proves the point. Wet pallets I always use De-ionised water from my local car factors. Which is also a great place to buy aerosol primers dirt cheap.
Diecast model restorers often use caustic soda and boiling water to strip paint from castings. It has to be used with great care and it would destroy plastic parts, but I wonder if it might help remove acrylic paint from white metal.
Very interesting stuff!
While is better than whilst, similarly use among rather than amongst.
@@STWTransport-pb7hf among and amongst mean the same thing, however amongst is generally more common in south-eastern UK dialects which is where I'm from :) Also, whilst and while are for different purposes - whilst is used when contrasting two points (as I did in the video) and while is used in relation to time :)
@@ModellingWeekly No. Amongst is an affectation. So is whilst. The only difference is that while can be a noun.
@@STWTransport-pb7hf Is an affection not a change in a vowel from tense to tense, or something along those lines? Among and amongst do mean the same exact thing. Whilst and while can technically be used interchangeably, but looking into the history of their use, whilst tends to be used more frequently as a contrast word rather than in relation to time (as I mentioned before) Either way, they're both proper English and I use them properly in speech, so I don't see what the problem is - it's my dialect, and it's grammatically correct
Very handy, thank you!
No problem!
A word of warning. When shopping for make-up brushes, nail files, clear nail varnish, or acetone free nail varnish remover? Be sure to adopt the deepest, most manly voice you can muster, or you might get some funny looks. Also be aware of friends / neighbours when shopping. Can you imagine trying to explain to a friend, when they encounter you purchasing beauty accessories,, that you are using them for modelling? "Oh yes", they may ask, "And what kind of 'modelling' do you do?" 😁
I once had a bad experience when I was asked to be Santa for a childrens party. My attempts to look the best Santa got me some funny looks in Boots.
Makeup "blush brushes" make excellent model dusters
Just dont wait to long. After a while that dust aint coming off without a good washing!
Thanks for sharing
I certainly wouldn't use Thinners or even acrylic paints in plastic pots, you will fine that the plastic melts or goes very soft
Depends what type of plastic the pots are made of
Yeah. I found out the hard way about plastic pots. Once mixed something in one. Picked it up to move it and the bottom fell out right onto the roof and hood of a car model.
De-Ionized (DI) water - if you have a heat pump tumble dryer, or know someone with one, you can get it for free!
Very good point!
HOW MUCH WATER TO VINIGAR, APPROXIMATLY??
Depends on the decal manufacturer, start from a 50/50 mix and work up to more Vinegar until the desired effect is reached :)
@@ModellingWeekly Thanks!
Any good sorted bike shop should sell talcum powder, as it is still used for tubed tires.
I hear from some old heads in the community that the old Testors Decal Set solution was just straight up white vinegar at a markup.😅
I think some good cheap stuff from super markets are isopropyl alcohol (90% concentration and above) is great for cleaning airbrushes if you want to save your MLT for more important tasks (It can also clean regular brushes but uhh...it's not kind to natural hair bristles). Baking Soda plus Super glue also works as a great filler as well: drop the powder into a gap and get it wet with CA glue and it hardens right up.
Fantastic stuff!
Just don't use IPA with AK acrylics. The chemistry is different from other acrylics like Tamiya. If you try to dilute AK or clean an air brush after using AK acrylic with IPA, you will end up with a gloppy mess that is anything but thinned or cleaned. Use regular water or dedicated AK airbrush cleaner with their paints.
@@Chilly_Billy Yes, Acrylics have different solvents so IPA will strip out Tamiya, Mr.Hobby and AK Real Color but Vallejo, AK 3rd Gen and MiG will goop. I believe it is vice versa so putting water to clean Tamiya will goop it up.
Obviously dedicated airbrush cleaners and MLT make all this headache go away but we're trying to save money here.😁
@@burningphoneix I use watered down IPA at 30:1 with my Vallejo paints without problem. Also I buy my IPA 100% pure in 5 litre jugs from a local industrial solvent supplier. Much cheaper than the supermarket brands. Check if you have a supplier nearby.
Good stuff!
Glad you found it handy!
I've always said that MicroSol and MicroSet smelt of vinegar.
Your hunch was correct! (For micro set)
It's a pity that we don't get those Airfix (cheap) kits that you guys have, guess it's the price we pay, being at the arse end of the world.
It is a real shame :/
. . . but balanced against your beautiful country and your wonderful climate I think it is a small price to pay.
Are you sure you aren't Noel Fielding? Cuz that's who I hear. lol
😂😂
Microsol is replaceable by 2-butoxyethanol.
lol, and which Supermarket product contains 2-butoxyethanol?
If your supermarket stocks isopropyl alcohol then that works too, but I doubt it stocks the pure stuff so I didn't mention it
same great tips
cheers pal
No problem mate :)
I wish they had Aldi kits in the US lol.
Would definitely be nice!
Elbow grease, never need another airbrush cleaner for tamiya
Solvaset used to smell like vinegar, so this isn't really a surprise to me.
Indeed!
I hate smell of vinegar and decal solution based on it😖😖😖
It's nasty! But at least you can save some cash by using some homemade stuff ;)
Reminds me of a locker room smell!!!
👍👍👍👍
:)
Anybody who thinks greaseproof paper is the same as in a wet pallette has probably never used a wet pallette. Look at it and you'll probably figure out why it doesn't work properly
Its porous but not very porous and lets water through but not paint and it’s not sticky so the paint can slide around well
In other words it’s very similar to
😉👍Very cool and very nicely well done and very well executed and informatively explained in every detail way shape and form on all of the subject matter and format on various products to help in building your models at very nice and reasonable price indeed!...
I never buy store brand items. they are usually junk and a little higher priced product can save waste in the long run
I don't find this to be the case for everything :)
If you buy the bamboo cotton buds from Poundland, you don't need to buy the tooth picks.