grsjax

If you want to try something a little different you might want to consider plating the white metal parts with copper.  Here is a simple DIY copper plating method I found on the web.  http://www.instructables.com/id/simple-Copper-plating/

For thicker plating let it sit in the solution longer.  The part can be polished or left natural and painted with a satin clear coat to prevent oxidation.  If you want to get go further and put a second coat of bronze over the copper it can be done but is a bit more complicated.

If you are not going to harvest your own wood you might want to consider just buying the wood precut from one of the vendors that supports this forum.  It may actually be cheaper that buying a bandsaw that you will not use very often.

Hi

Never used the Proxxon bandsaw but for less than half the price you can get a Skil 9" bandsaw which looks like it would be a more capable saw.  For the same price as a Proxxon you can get a larger 10" bandsaw that will be a lot more saw for the money.  If you have the floor space look around for a good used Delta or Delta clone 12" bandsaw, it will do any cutting you will ever need for model work or home woodworking.  Just my experiance, your mileage my vary.

Here is one on Amazon that gets better reviews than the Proxxon, costs about $125 less and uses standard blades rather than the special blades sold by Proxxon.  This isn't an endorcement, just an example I found doing a quick google search.  http://www.amazon.com/Rikon-10-305-Bandsaw-Fence-10-Inch/dp/B0032YZB2S/ref=sr_1_7?s=power-hand-tools&rps=1&ie=UTF8&qid=1426102101&sr=1-7&keywords=bandsaw

Just found this review of several bench top bandsaws including the Proxxon.  http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/benchtop-band-saw-reviews/

Check eBay under computer tools or look in your local Radio Shack or similar store for a hand held mini-vac used to clean keyboards and printed circuit boards.  Works well in small spaces, doesn't blow to hard so as to do more than you want and the one I have is reversible to blow air as well as vacumn.

Here is one on eBay, don't know how good it is but it is cheap.  http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mini-USB-Computers-PC-Cleaner-Laptop-Keyboard-Vacuum-Cleaner/281152459311?_trksid=p2045573.c100034.m2102&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D28797%26meid%3D6ffb9b0918244d3394d0a1dcb43c81b0%26pid%3D100034%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D8%26sd%3D251834099668

My first computer was a TRS-80 with 4Kb of memory and a cassette drive for exteral storage.  Graduated to an IBM with a 10Mb harddrive.  We called it our super computer.

Was reading the latest installment of the kit bashers guide and started wondering what the strangest things people have used in building their models.  I haven't used anything really exotic but a few things I have ended up using were wrapping paper, paper clips and buttons.  Would like to hear what others have ended up using.

Almost any wood can be air dried, Birch and Beech, I am pretty confident can be.

The main one that I know to be a problem is Holly.  There is an extremely aggressive fungus - Blue Mold - that can invade the green wood faster than it air dries.  This species needs to be kiln dried. 

A kiln is just a hot box with an exhaust function to remove the water vapor. Since we are not making full size furniture, the size of the pieces can be what cabinet makers think is scrap and cutoffs.  The temp and exhaust rates can be much more forgiving with smaller pieces.  End grain still needs to be sealed to reduce checking, but that is also the situation with air drying.

One way to treat small pieces of wood subject to fungus problems is to microwave them.  No water is needed, just put the wood into the microwave and let it run long enough to heat the wood evenly.  Don't try this with wood that is soaking wet because you might get an explosion from the interior water expanding.  Generally I find that cutting the wood into ~1" thick slabs and waiting until the wood is not obviously wet works best.  Keep an eye on the wood as it is heating and don't let it get over heated as it will mostly likely start cracking.

BTW just because a piece of wood gets a fungus stain doesn't mean it is worthless.  Depending on what you are going to use it for the stain can be covered with paint or in some cases actually contribute to the effect you are looking for.

Well I went ahead and bought one.  It was used a one on eBay that cost all of $15 including shipping.  It should be here in a few days and I will post my impressions of it.

Check out the Dremel MiniMite. They make it in a rechargeable version (Dremel 7300-N/8 MiniMite 4.8-Volt Cordless Two-Speed Rotary Tool)

and one that uses standard AAs (Dremel 7000-N/5 6-Volt Cordless Two-Speed Rotary Tool). They are small and inexpensive ($25 & $22 respectively). Just two speeds but I find the slowest speed ideal for drilling small holes. I added a 3-jaw chuck to mine because I like the convenience. If you get such a chuck, be sure you get one that is compatible with that model (Dremel 4486 MultiPro Keyless Chuck ). I have one that won't work on the MiniMite . I had the rechargeable version for years but the battery finally died so I replaced it with the AA version because I had some spare Eneloops that work well.

 

Cheers -

John

Hi John

I tried the MiniMite and it is a fine tool.  Only problem I had with it was when I had to do a long series of holes like fasteners in deck planks.  After a short time my hand would start to cramp up.  I find a pistol grip drill easier to use in these cases and wanted to find one as light as the MiniMite.  I do have a 3-jaw chuck on the MiniMite and it is so much better than the collets.  I found that the Dremel spindle is about .5mm smaller than the european or asian tools and only a chuck made for the Dremel spindle will work with Dremel tools.  On the other hand the Proxxon 8mm spindle seems to be universal amoung european and asian tools.

I actually have a couple of Dremel rotary tools that I use a lot.  What I was interested in was something light weight, cordless and easy to use for drilling lots of small holes.  The Dremel Stylus looks prefect but at over $200 is a bit out of my price range.  I agree about Chinese tools but I haven't found anything other than the Stylus and Genesis Hobby tool that fills the requirement.  Anyone used one and can give a first hand report?

Anyone out there use the Genesis hobby tool?  If you do I would like to get your impressions. 

This is a pistol grip rotary tool that looks like a Dremel Stylus but at a much cheaper price.  Reviews on Amazon are mixed but generally positive.

If you can find some fire brick or silica tiles, the kind that are used for very high temp insulation, you can make a small heat trap for your soldering  operations.  Puting the brick or tile around the piece being soldered helps to both keep the heat from wicking away and reflects the heat back on to the work piece.  A base and 3 sides works very well, no need to make a cover.

Midwest has excellent instructions and great kits for beginners.  In addition they rank their kits in order of difficulty allowing buyers to choose a kit in line with their experiance.

The Smithsonian has a couple of plans of blockade runners.  The one I remember seeing was the Fergus.

Another source of bees wax is the plumbing department of your local hardware store.  The sealing ring used to install toilets is made from bees wax.

I think Laughing Whale was bought by Bluejacket.  I have a couple of the Laughing Whale kits.  Instructions are not as good as Model Shipways but still pretty good.  They have a couple of very good kits for beginners like the Grand Banks Dory.  Also some of the Midwest kits are old Laughing Whale kits with new names.  Midwest instructions are pretty good.

The lathe and mill setups are useful but don't expect them to be precision tools.  The other setups range from barely useable to useless.

Bandsaws can be used for ripping planks as well as doing scroll work.  First thing you need to do is tuneup your saw.  No saw comes from the factory ready to go.  There are several websites and some very good books on the subject.  Next think about your blade.  A thin blade will wander more than a larger one.  I use a 1/2 blade for ripping.  A skip tooth design seems to work better than a regular blade.  Last but not least you need to match your cutting speed to your wood.  Pushing the wood through to fast will garanatee a poor result.

Black walnut is an excellent wood to work with.  As Jaager mentioned the pieces you want are the plain ones.  Loquat is also good but it will develope a fungus stain if it is not dried properly.  Microwaving small pieces is a good way to kill the spores.  I don't know if star fruit will grow up in Georgia but if you can find some pieces it is very nice to work with.

I wrap them in oil impregnated paper and store them in a drawer in my work table.  The paper is the kind that is used to wrap metal parts like bearings.

I have an old Dremel rotary tool that has developed slack in the shaft.  Was looking for information on fixing rotary tools when I ran across this website.  http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Tighten-Up-A-Sloppy-Second-Hand-Dremel/

TUBE ASSORTMENT / ANY SCALE

 

I found these little grab bags at my local hobby shop and went back to get another, and none were to be found. Well eBay is the place to go. Search "k&s 320" also may add to that search "tube assortment"(changing a word or two will find you more items)

 

I bought 5 bags for a bit over $16 shipping included.

 

It made quick work for the pintles and gudgeons on my Bounty Launch.

 

Matt

Just ordered 3 bags off eBay today.  Great find.  Hobbylinc also carries this item and has a good price on it.

Dumas uses veneer for the second planking of their "Laser Cut" static models.  Seems to work well.

Wonderful model.  Looks like the design was based on the US Navy WWI 66' patrol boat.  A lot of yachts were built using the same lines.

Beading tools.  Some nice tools used to hold beads, ream holes in beads and thread beads on a string.  Some these can be found being sold as "special" tools for modeling but if you look under beading tools on ebay or elsewhere you can usually find the same thing a lot cheaper.