Unsung heros of modeling

[BCR751]

Drill bits.  Itty-bitty drill bits.

Check out Drill Bit City.

Doug

[babbo_enzo]

Well, If just I will find one in a shop ...
A water based BLACK marker to make these crazy white decals on the light blue paper .... visible!

[wm3798]

Evergreen styrene by a long shot.  And Ed's remarkable process of using Vodka as a paint thinner for weathering washes.  One for me, one for you, model!

Lee

[djconway]

Evergreen styrene by a long shot.  And Ed's remarkable process of using Vodka as a paint thinner for weathering washes.  One for me, one for you, model!

Lee

The horror, there are far better uses of vodka

[basementcalling]

Why not RGS theme the entire space? Blend elements on the walls in the train room, though the entertainment area would look dashing with a layout in it, along with the fascia ideas to blend the spaces. Or go 70s era bead strings hanging in the doorway.

[robert3985]

(1) - Working in the micro world, I couldn't do it without my two sets of Optivisors.  Over the past five years, I wear them when operating in the layout room too, which makes putting cars and engines on the track much quicker.

(2) - Working in the macro world, I gotta say that my DeWalt 15amp 12" double-bevel Miter saw with LASER cut indicator and Freud 100 tooth carbide cabinet maker's blade has made making my benchwork on my portable layout sections MUCH more precise and quick in the last 15 years since I purchased it.  Since everything sits on top of benchwork, and my layout is 100% portable, precise, light and durable benchwork is essential.  My miter saw is an order of magnitude step up from my table saw for accurate, repeatable cuts.

In the years since I developed my benchwork standards, cutting all the wood for my modules/sections only takes me a couple of hours per 12' LDE, working at a leisurely pace, measuring twice, cutting once.

(3) - Lastly, I use my model railroad CAD program for many projects, both macro and micro.  For my model railroading, I find it essential to eliminate about 99.9% of the guesswork when designing special benchwork, developing track plans, building structures, modifying motive power, incorporating new participants layout sections into the existing layout at shows...all sorts of things.  I use Cadrail, but ANY model railroad CAD program is better than none.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Ed Kapuscinski]

The horror, there are far better uses of vodka

Not the stuff I was using...

[Dave V]

Why not RGS theme the entire space? Blend elements on the walls in the train room, though the entertainment area would look dashing with a layout in it, along with the fascia ideas to blend the spaces. Or go 70s era bead strings hanging in the doorway.

Guessing you were responding to this thread:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=41630.msg520394#msg520394

And in answer to that...much as I'd like to...I share the house with three other people (wife and two teenage boys) who aren't as gaga for trains as I am.

[brokemoto]

The horror, there are far better uses of vodka

Use Velicoff or some other rotgut.  That way, no one will care.

[peteski]

Use Velicoff or some other rotgut.  That way, no one will care.

Why not use rubbing or denatured alcohol?  Wouldn't that be cheaper?  I know, I'm just bring logical . . . 

[nkalanaga]

One advantage I can see of cheap vodka is that it won't kill you if you accidentally drink some, or inhale too many fumes.  It's at least safe to have in the house, even if it isn't something you would WANT to drink.

[robert3985]

For all my ethyl alcohol needs, I use 190 proof Everclear.  I don't imbibe, so I don't know the terminologies, but I have to travel 70 miles to Evanston Wyoming to get a fifth of it.  Utah only sells it in pints I believe, thinking that it's too dangerous to sell enough in one bottle to kill ya! Several other States don't sell it at all except for the 151 proof version.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Why not use rubbing or denatured alcohol?  Wouldn't that be cheaper?  I know, I'm just bring logical . . . 

Well, because at the time, I was in college hand had cheap vodka handy. Isopropyl, not so much.

I did discover one thing while doing it. The vodka added a bit of viscosity to the washes that I generally liked.

But now that I'm a grownup, I usually use rubbing alcohol for my washes (and whiskey for the "one for me").

[gkoproske]

ConductaLube - solves all problems
Pink insulation foam board - no one should use wood on a layout anymore
Xacto no. 11 blade - the most overused tool
Handheld Dremel moto tool
Superglue accelerator spray
MT 1015 couplers
Briteboy abrasive block
Copy paper box - stores and transports everything
Micro brushes, especially the white handle and green handled ones
Silver Sharpie marker - great for vehicles
Alene's Tacky Glue

[mcjaco]

My unsung heroes are those of you that don't put your 2 cents in on everything.


Thank you.