Rea

e , hi
T ry a kneaded eraser, sometimes called putty rubber, a pliable
material that looks like putty or gum and is used by artists to
remove charcoal or graphite. I use it to hold parts while painting.
Like poster putty, it can be shaped to grip items temporarily. And
it comes off without marking or marring surfaces.
If you use pastels or pencils for weathering, the kneaded eraser
can be used to smooth and smudge the materials. It can also be
used to remove them, kind of like an, um, eraser. The putty actually
absorbs the graphite or powder and doesn't wear away, so there's
less friction and no eraser residue.
Kneaded era,sers are inexpensive and can be easily found at art­ A needed tool on Robert's workbench is a
supply stores. kneaded eraser. He uses it to hold parts for
- Rohert van der Gon Netscher painting and to fine-tune weathering pastels
Shady Side, Md. and pencils.

Like sworcls to plows res?
I made a handy part holder from an empty,
plastic .22-caliber cartridge box.
First, I filled the bottom of the box with
a W' layer of florist clay - available at craft
. and florist-supply stores - to add weight to
and increase the stabilty of the stand. Then
I glued the cartridge grid in place to pre­
vent heavier parts from tipping it.
To hold the parts, I made clip rods: I
found two different sizes of alligator clips
at a craft store and glued them to salvaged
pieces of 12-gauge insulated wire.
Shoot, that's a great idea! Don used an empty
cartridge canlainer and homemade clip rods to
build a parts holder far painting and drying.
Now, as I build small parts, I have a
place for them to dry where they are easy to
find. And the clip-and-wire rods enable me
to spray-paint the part instead of my fin­
gers .
- Don Poggemiller
Bur/ington, Iowa
Distilling dust emovaJ
I have a simple, foolproof method for get­
ting rid of dust on displayed aircraft cano­
pies and windscreens: distilled water on a
cotton swab. Rub gently and use the other
end of the swab to dry it off No residue is
left behind, and it looks as good as on a
freshly built model.
-Dean Berg
Brooklyn Center, Minn.
Extended rying for mooth frnish
I have been using a clear-plastic food
humidifier for several years. I cut out the
mesh in several dividers and, except for a
small antenna warping slightly when left
overnight by accident, I've never had any
other problems. It significantly increases
the drying time for all types of paint.
- Joseph Jones
Richardson, Texas
Better decals through fe hnology
In this day and age, technology is just a fact
of life. Modeling is no different. I recently
bought a new scanner/printer for my home
computer and, in trying it out, discovered a
great modeling tool. I scan all of my decal
sheets and save them on the computer. In
the event of a catastrophic failure of your
decals, you have a backup fIle and can print
more onto printer-compatible decal paper!
(Be sure you use decal sheet compatible
with your printer.) With a photo-editing
program, it's also possible to make the
existing kit decals better by filling in where
the print register isn't complete or is the
wrong color.
- Richard Smith
Drysdale, Victoria, Australia
D not simulate weidings, weld it
The best way to recreate weld seams on
plastic is to weld with plastic.
I take a piece of stretched sprue about
20mm long and lmm in diameter and
chuck it into my motor tool. Then I hold
the end of the plastic rod against the sur­
face of the model where I want to add a
weld seam and let it spin. As the sprue .
melts against the surface, I slowly move it
in the direction of the seam to create a
bead. Adjusting the speed at which I drag
the motor tool affects the thickness of the
bead - faster is thinner; slower thicker.
Ifyou use a darker color sprue than the
surrounding paint you can replicate the
burned area commonly seen at weld sites.
With this method, it is possible to join
FSM readers are full of good ideas. For .
more creative solutions to modeling conun­
drums, including a database of tips From
past issues, subscribers can visit www.Fin­
eScale.com/How To/Tips Dotobose.ospx

58 FlneScale Modeler April 2010

 oil adhesive good fix . u

l find adding stringers and ribs to

the inside of aircraft models frus­
trating; it is difficult to handle small
strips of plastic and get them into
position before gluing. Here is an
idea that simplifies everything:
Microscale Micro Bare-Metal Foil
adhesive.
I apply foil adhesive to one side of
a styrene strip. When it's dry but
tacky, I cut the strip to the length I
need and attach it where it needs to
go. The glue is strong enough to hold
the strips, but you can still reposition
them if need be. Once you have the
strip in its final location, I run a bead
of liquid cement along it to perma­
nently attach it.
- Daniel Buice
Clinton Township, Mich.

Using foil adhesive, Daniel spent just 20 minutes adding

stringer and rib details inside a 1/72 scale 8-24. The
adhesive holds parts but can be moved for adjustment.

plastic with no glue. Practice on a piece of
unused plastic to see how to adjust the
width of the cord before attempting to do it
on the final project.
And remember to wear safety glasses.
Dont spin the sprue without touching the
plastic, or it may flyaway.
- Isidoro Galindo
Chihuahua, Mexico
Instructions under glass
In Ignacio Allende Casasempere's photo
for his tip on workbench storage in FSM
December 2009, another tip is visible that
was not mentioned. It appears he places his
plans under a sheet of glass. There are two
advantages to this. FIrst, the plans are pro­
tected; any glue and paint spills are easily
scraped away after drying. Second, parts
can be built over the plans, maintaining
alignment by securing the parts to the glass
with small drops of super glue. When the
assembly is dry, it can be easily popped off
the glass with a razor blade . .
- Walt Kiffer
Las Vegas, Nev.
Jewel cases have clear advantages
Steve Wellman's tip about CD jewel cases
in FSM April 2008 (recently republished
on FSMs new Web site) is good. I have an
added use for the cases' clear parts. I cut the
clear fronts for speedboat windshields and
frosted back sections for windows in ship
models that are too small to detail inside.
Make sure the glossy side is out when you
use the frosted section.
The clear parts are great for windows of
odd shapes such as a tugboat. I cut them to
shape, sand the edges and glue together, .
then use styrene strip for the seams.
- Gary Geracei
New Braunfels, Texas
Find your marbles t clean brushes
Here's a quick, easy, and effective way to
clean paintbrushes: Add a handful of small,
round glass marbles sold in craft and home
decor stores to put in flower vases (not the
flattened ones) to a jar or container. I use
three to four layers of marbles. Then, fill
the container with enough solvent or thin­
ner to just c.over the marbles. When you
dip, swish, and swirl a brush around and
through the submerged spheres, the mar­
bles gently and harmlessly separate the
bristles, allowing the solution to better
clean and remove paint. When the solution
needs changing, the marbles are easy to
rinse clean for repeat use. A minimal
investment can keep your brushes in "like­
new" condition.
-Arthur Longo
Port Charlotte, Fla.
Construction calculator helps
A great tool for scale modelers is a "con­
struction" calculator. These electronic tools
make it easy to convert full-scale measure­
ments or dimensions into whatever scale
you are working on. All you need is to hit a
few buttons and it will give you measure­
ments down to V64" .
Construction calculators can be found at
most hardware and home improvement
stores. They're pretty useful around the
house, too!
-DaveKorn
Temecula, Calif
5 w n you
Send us your lips! Visil FineScale.com
and click on "Conlact Us." Or, you can
mail your idea 10 us 01 Reader Tips,
FineSca/e Modeler, P.O. Box 1612,
Waukesha, WI 53187·1612.

April 2010 _.FineSc:ale.c:oan 59