As I am getting back into a hobby that I left many years ago, I needed many things. Last week at the big train show in Springfield, I bought many items that both I, and what others on this forum, as well as MRR magazines, said we should have. Micro screw drivers, files, pin vise, larger multi hand vise,clamps, soldering iron, nnedle nose plyers, cutters, rail cutter, just for starters. And, what we all seem to forget, what do we put all these into rather than all over the bench? A good toolbox. Sears had a great sale on tool boxes of every imaginable shape and size. I bought a rugged plastic tool box, because I have seen what can happen to tools in a metal tool box over time when moisture gets in.
I use numerouse types of tweezers on a regular basis, some with a fine smooth tip, some with a grip type tip and various angled and curved. I also have one that is great for holding small wire, has a circle shape in the center when closed and holds wire rails and grabhandles, etc. Some you can get from MicroMark and some others I collected over the years when I worked at a hospital supply co. They would throw out any that weren’t “flawless”, so lots went into the trash and into my toolbin.
Very handy tool courtesy of woodworking: a Veritas Scraper jig. It holds a full size flat file at exactly 90 degrees, exceptionally useful for squaring the ends of DPM walls…
For HO track the Xuron “xuro shear #2175”, great cuts, seldom a bur. the channel lock #736 shot needle nose #337 dykes, for those that nail track and cork. Riffler files, they are the same as a jewlers file but have a nice curved end, usfull to touch up sodered track joints.
For reworking cars, a small book case tye shelf on the back of my bench, hold tool, medicine bottles of misc parts used often. The top of the shelf is at eye level to see the coupler height. A uncoupler under the top shelf rail to check actual coupler action, finger flicking dont get it and of cours a rerailer on each ent to set cars on it.
My latest is my dual action internal mix air brush, and now is my favorite of all
I made my own grass planting tool by cutting a slot in a flat tip jewelers screwdriver.
3 seconds with a Dremel and your done, make several for different size grass “clumps”.
I recently got a $15 sprue nipper and it works good, but my old standby fingernail clippers are just as good for $1.79…also I once borrowed/stole these little cuticle cutter things from my wife; they look like small diagonal pliers. If you feel brave give that a try.
MIG Welder, not really applicable in this hobby, but it is a cool tool to have.
Bob
The most valuable tool, the second set of anything. That way when you’ve lost the first one, you can keep working. Then when the hogwarts magicians let you find that first tool, put the second one back. Ready for the next time.
Tim
I’ve got 2, one comercially available but modified and the other which is an original design and my favorite,
No 1 is a pin vise chuck with a base that fits into an electric screwdriver. Nice slow speed high torque tool but it drove me nuts when I’d fini***he hole and the chuck would stay in the work and have to be replaced in the screwdriver. Solution…drilled and tapped a #10 hole in the screwdriver bit holder and now have a thumb screw to keep the little bugger in place. Micr Mark has the pin vise chuck but you’re on your own for the drilled and tapped hole.
No 2 is the world’s greatest MRR painting tool. I paint multi-color jobs by doing the first coat in the striping color and masking the striping pattern, doing the fist color coat, masking it and so on pulling all the masking tape off when the final color is done, kind of like opening a long anticipated present. I used to use Chart Pack tape in various widrhs but figured out a better way. When I presented my idea to an amateur machinist friend he agreed to do it for free just to see if he could. I got a piece of 2"X1/2" steel bar stock and he machined a slot in each corner the thickness of two pieces of masking tape deep and 1 2 and 3 scale inches wide and the fourth corner the width of the space between the horizontal strips on Athearn’s F-7. What I do now is lay 2 strips of masking tape on a sheet of glass, cut a reference line with a straight edge and razor blade, press my stripe jig against the tape and with a single swipe of the razor blade I have 18 inchs of 1’" (or 2" or 3") HO masking tape. Slicker 'n snot!
My favorite is the drill press attachment for my dremel motor tool. I can’t tell you how many times I have used this pup. Works real good for drilling into metal coupler mount pads. Try getting them verticle by hand!
I have a very old “Boot Jack Phrepicator” from the 1950s that my dad bought for me at a hobby shop on 78th and Portland in Bloomington, MN. A few years ago I found a brand new “Phrepicator” in a hardware store up here in Northern Minnesota. The new one was made by Tools, INC. My old one was made by Boot Jack Inc. of Champaign IL. I can tell you the new one does not measure up to the old. I can’t believe the quality of the old one, it just keeps going and going! By the way it was not new, when my dad bought it for me, so I have no idea how old it really is. These items are very difficult to find now-a-days! However, if you need to phrepicate, you need one of these (and who doesn’t need to phrepicate, if you are a model railroader)? I’m not sure if Micro-Mark still carries these or not. I would suggets tool flea markets as your best bet.
Okay, I’ll bite.
What’s a Phrepicator? I’m not going to get the crap beat out of me if I talk about it in West Texas am I?