Tools of the Trade
Categories:
Builder’s Corner
By Dick Wischer
THE BASICS if you have a bare hull, deck, keel, rudder, mast, & sails from a manufacturer, here are some things you will want to have to assemble the model.
Some basic tools needed so you can build without wondering how it is done. The screw drivers we have around the house are usually too big, as are the saws and other tools we normally use. I will list some of the basic ones here.
X-ACTO makes many tools that are useful to the model builder. The have a knife set # XAC5000 that costs about $10.00 that will be handy to have. They make a few saws, from fine tooth up to the courser teeth. You don't need them all, and super fine is not necessary. A drill that can take small drills is good to have, and of course a set of drills from 1/16" to perhaps 1/15". These and other tools are available from Tower Hobby. Radio Shack & Home Depot carry jewelers screw drivers, as well as other tools and drills we use. Dremel make a variable speed tool that has many uses, now Robi is in the market with one that you set the speed and an on/off switch allows the speed of the tool to remain where you last set it. Cutting carbon fiber is an experience you will not enjoy. First cutting it dulls tools fast, and the dust is not good for the lungs. I suggest using a dust mask or better yet a respirator with a charcoal filter much as the auto painter uses. They are cheaper than the doctor and better than lung problems.
Radio shack has forceps that are handy for holding things and, yes tying knots. Long nose pliers are needed too. I have some round nose pliers that I use for many applications.
Supplies:
Masking tape (3/4" & 2"), pencils, scrap paper, wood for sheer, and beams. Epoxy, no less than the 30 minute kind. Wood dough to thicken the epoxy to fill corners like a gusset. Makes an easy sanding filler too. Crazy glue, the thick kind to tack parts in place. I also get the fast set for the Crazy glue to set it with no wait. Stainless steel screws for attaching the equipment board, and the servos, the screws from Futaba rusts believe me. Disposable gloves to mix and put the epoxy on, and for painting. (I tend to be sloppy so I have a large supply of them on hand.) Stainless steel wire for jib luff wire, (l get mine in the fishing tackle store, it's called leader wire.) If you are going to make a centerboard trunk for a removable keel, 3/16" plywood is a must. I cut it longer than I need and cover it with some masking tape. That makes it a bit bigger so you can fit the keel in. Next I double stick Saran wrap to act as a release agent. (More supplies.) Then there is paint and primer, sand paper and paper towels to add to the list. And last but not least, keep the shop vacuum handy to keep the dust from getting ahead of you.
THE BASICS if you have a bare hull, deck, keel, rudder, mast, & sails from a manufacturer, here are some things you will want to have to assemble the model.
Some basic tools needed so you can build without wondering how it is done. The screw drivers we have around the house are usually too big, as are the saws and other tools we normally use. I will list some of the basic ones here.
X-ACTO makes many tools that are useful to the model builder. The have a knife set # XAC5000 that costs about $10.00 that will be handy to have. They make a few saws, from fine tooth up to the courser teeth. You don't need them all, and super fine is not necessary. A drill that can take small drills is good to have, and of course a set of drills from 1/16" to perhaps 1/15". These and other tools are available from Tower Hobby. Radio Shack & Home Depot carry jewelers screw drivers, as well as other tools and drills we use. Dremel make a variable speed tool that has many uses, now Robi is in the market with one that you set the speed and an on/off switch allows the speed of the tool to remain where you last set it. Cutting carbon fiber is an experience you will not enjoy. First cutting it dulls tools fast, and the dust is not good for the lungs. I suggest using a dust mask or better yet a respirator with a charcoal filter much as the auto painter uses. They are cheaper than the doctor and better than lung problems.
Radio shack has forceps that are handy for holding things and, yes tying knots. Long nose pliers are needed too. I have some round nose pliers that I use for many applications.
Supplies:
Masking tape (3/4" & 2"), pencils, scrap paper, wood for sheer, and beams. Epoxy, no less than the 30 minute kind. Wood dough to thicken the epoxy to fill corners like a gusset. Makes an easy sanding filler too. Crazy glue, the thick kind to tack parts in place. I also get the fast set for the Crazy glue to set it with no wait. Stainless steel screws for attaching the equipment board, and the servos, the screws from Futaba rusts believe me. Disposable gloves to mix and put the epoxy on, and for painting. (I tend to be sloppy so I have a large supply of them on hand.) Stainless steel wire for jib luff wire, (l get mine in the fishing tackle store, it's called leader wire.) If you are going to make a centerboard trunk for a removable keel, 3/16" plywood is a must. I cut it longer than I need and cover it with some masking tape. That makes it a bit bigger so you can fit the keel in. Next I double stick Saran wrap to act as a release agent. (More supplies.) Then there is paint and primer, sand paper and paper towels to add to the list. And last but not least, keep the shop vacuum handy to keep the dust from getting ahead of you.