Here you will find a list of tools you will need for your workbench. Some of them will be more of an added bonus but the majority will be the ordinary tools that most people will already have and if not then easy to procure. As with most tools however it is always true that the more you can afford the better the tool will be and the longer it will last. The tools printed in blue are the usual links that will take you to the various sites for the tools involved.
At the bottom of this page you will find some links to online suppliers of tools, enough to cater for all of your needs. Click on the blue links to go straight to their Home pages.
***************************************
Artists Pen : Lining Pen. Excellent for lining and drawing stright lines on anything.
Chopper : A great tool for rapid and accurate cutting of wood, Styrene strip & rod and small profiles.
Clamps of various sizes - At a push in some cases you can use a clothes peg but there are many small plastic clamps on the market today and they too can come packed by the half dozen. Make sure you get the type where the jaws are parallel to each other.
Clamp Stands : To go with the item shown below.
Clamps : For painting models.
Corrugated Iron Tool : Neat tool for making corrugated iron. For H0, N and 0 scales.
Cutting Pad - Not essential, especially if you are using a glass modelling surface but they are kind to blade edges and last a long time.
Craft knives - This is one area where you can save money at first because although the blades on cheap knives are inferior and won't last very long they are still sharp enough for the job while they do last and you get a lot of blades for your money. These are the snap off type that come in a plastic holder.
Drill - Electric : preferable but not essential.
Drill Bits - Various sizes for most materials, metal, wood and walls.
Drills - How to sharpen them.
Electrostatic Grass : Do it yourself application tool. Fellas on the forum have made this so it works.
Empty biro - The tip makes a different type of scriber.
Files - Again of various sizes and cuts.
Fretsaw : Very handy for cutting out those awkward shapes. Of course you could just avoid the awkward shapes.
Gauges - Back To Back : For O, 00 finescale, 00 universal, EM & Protofour, scroll down the page.
Geometry set - The ones sold for school children will be adequate.
Grassinator : Static grass applicator from Ztrains.
Guillotine Type 1 : Specifically designed to enable you to cut to repeatable lengths of plastic strips such as Styrene, Plasticard, Evergreen or Plastrut.
Hammer - Obvious again.
Hot Wire Cutters : For polystyrene and foam.
Kitchen Roll - As above and to wipe up other messes, of which there will probably be a lot if you are anything like me.
Mini Drill : A very handy item indeed and one which comes quite cheaply nowadays.
Multimeter : How to use one. Clear instructions for this very useful tool.
Needle Files : These usually come in a pack of varying cross sections for different jobs.
Nibbler : Makes inside cuts in plastic and metal easy. Very useful for the scratchbuilder.
Paint brushes - Like the craft knives you don't have to spend a lot of money at first as the brushes will be used mainly on rougher work. Available on sheets at many cheapo shops.
Painting Stand Set : For spray work. Tamiya
Pens and Pencils - Obvious.
Right Angled Drill Attachment : This very handy gadget lets you into those awkward places.
Ruler - Metric or otherwise, depends what your preferred unit of measurement is, in most cases today that will be metric.
Rulers : In scales 0, H0, N, H0n2 and H0n3.
Sandpaper - In various grades, can be good for road surfaces, depending on grade and scale of model, as well as it's more obvious use.
Sandpaper : Everything you ever wanted to know about sandpaper. Important for scratchbuilders.
Saws - Both woodworking and metal cutting.
Saws Razor - All types for modelling purposes.
Scissors - For their obvious uses.
Screwdrivers - You will need at least a couple, preferable with exchangeable bits, also very small ones for the more delicate jobs.
Set Square - Obvious uses for baseboard building and squaring up anything from platform edges to building sides.
Spirit level - Essential for baseboard and track laying.
Soldering iron - I can't really give advice here as I use a soldering gun but I can say that you need a lot of heat as quick as you can get it. Don't forget the damp sponge to clean the tip with.
Solder Sation : Very nice tool from Maplins and on offer at the moment.
Steel straight edge - Essential when using sharp blades.
Steel scriber - For scribing plaster or card work.
Super Spray : A paint spraying system from Phoenix Paints which uses cigarette lighter gas.
Superstrip : Strip the paint from your plastic models, can be used over and over again. From Phoenix Paints.
Tapping Drill Sizes : The tables accessible from this page cover both imperial and metric threads commonly available.
Toilet roll - Wiping your paintbrush, the plain kind also makes good window curtains or frosted glass.
Track Cutter - Xuron - I have no experience of this tool but it has an excellent reputation and if you have to do much track cutting could prove a good investment. Click on the link for more information and price.
Tweezers - Sprung : A very useful tool from Maplin's. Self gripping, handy for soldering.
Wheel Puller : Suitable for H0 and 00 wheels. A very nice, well made addition to your toolbox.
Wire Strippers - Some people never use them while others wouldn't be without. Click on the link below for a precision wire stripper.
Online Tool Suppliers:
Tool Spot : Craft and hobby tools as well as much else.
Maplin : Plenty of goodies here and a very wide range.
Rapid : You want it, they've got it.
Dremel : The home page for this well known company.
Badger : The airbrush people.
Precision Wire Strippers : From Bromsgrove models.
Top Of Page.
