Tools for newcomers

[The Ol' Curmudgeon]

So you're embarking on this wonderful hobby called model railroading. And you've selected N scale as your "medium."

Before long, you will need good-quality tools. Here is a list of basic tools you'll need.

1) NMRA standards gauge.

2) Scale ruler

3) Needle-nose pliers

4) Flush-cut rail nippers (not for cutting steel wire!)

5) Flat, triangular, and rat-tail needle files

6) Small square

7) Hobby knife with #11 and #17 blades

8) 25-watt soldering iron, 60/40 rosin-core solder, tinning paste, and tip cleaner

9) Pin vise and a twist-bit drill bit selection ranging from #60 to #80 bits

10) Paint brushes -- good quality artists brushes for model work, cheaper brushes for scenery and ballasting.

11) Razor saw

12) Mini-clamps

13) Fine sandpaper assortment and flexi-files (sort of like emery boards for nails).

14) Jewelers screwdrivers

Many to all of these tools can be found at well-stocked hobby shops, at swap meets, and online at retailer such as Micro-Mark.

Other nice-to-have tools:

Small vise

Motor tool (Dremel is one brand)

Airbrush with compressor and regulator (Badger, Iwata, and Paasche are popular brands. Internal mix, dual-action airbrushes offer the best control, but are pricier. You can get decent results with external-mix, single-action airbrushes).

Opti-visor

Portable paint booth

Digital vernier calipers

That's what I have, and others here may have ideas to add to a basic beginners list.

Get the best quality tools you can afford. Value is to be preferred over low prices. ...

[Rodsup9000]

This need to be a "sticky" thread

Great start Paul,

I'll add a nice piece of glass for cutting decals and what not.

Cutting mat

Hobby lubes including graphite powder

Stuff for the Dremel:
3 jaw chuck (for those tiny drill bits)
Small and large sanding drums
Thin and thick cutoff disks

[aflica]

Good list Paul

I would add

Good quality Tweezer set , including the one that is normally closed .

Decent quality wire stripper , for track wiring and such

And although some hate them , a bright boy or similar track eraser to clean off the stubborn stuff . This is subjective to modelers preference of track cleaning

Steve

[Gary Rowan]

I'll add a nice piece of glass for cutting decals and what not.

I use the piece of glass out of a dead printer/scanner/copier.


I would also recommend:

1. A metal straight edge. You probably don't want to use your scale ruler for cutting styrene and such.

2. Self-closing (squeeze to open) tweezers. Great for handling small parts.

3. Square magnets and a magnetic base for holding building parts upright and square during assembly.

[dave68124]

Set of 3-2-1 blocks
thin profile square
X-acto knife with #1 and chisel blades
.5 mm mechanical pencil
blue painters tape
pink painters tape
various sizes of Tamiya tape

Depending upon how much you want to do, the list could extend into oils and powders but really those are Model RR 201 items.

[ranulf]

Most everything I would recommend has already been mentioned.
That's a pretty overwhelming list.

I would tell a newcomer to buy just what you need at first.

Don't overlook the beadwork aisle at the craft store. My go-to needlenose pliers came from there. They have a tip smaller than household tweezers and only cost 8 bucks.
There's cheap tweezer sets there too.

Now I agree with Paul to some extent that you should buy the best tools you can afford, but I would say not at first.
You never know, maybe this hobby is not for you. Or maybe if it is you will have a different work style than any of the listmakers.

I would agree that quality needle files are head and shoulders above their cheap counterparts. And I agree you only need a couple shapes. But I use an old ignition points file as often as any other file, and you can find them pretty much free.

I own and use a Zona razor saw and miter box, but honestly, I reach for my Atlas Snap Saw more often. Cheap and so handy for so many things, and I won't cry if I hurt it any.

Toothpicks have a million uses.

Dremels look fun but I've only ever used mine a handful of times.

The absolute best advice I could give regarding soldering is buy tiny diameter solder. You can find .015" diameter solder with a little sleuthing, and it is WELL worth the effort to find. Smaller diameter solder melts faster, and the faster the solder melts, the easier it is to use. You can always double it up if you need to.

[WP&P]

I don't think anybody has mentioned glue yet, or rather glues, as you need an assortment for use with various materials:

1. White glue (Elmers, PVA) for porous or fibrous materials like wood and paper.

2. Styrene bonding glue like Testors or Plastruct, preferably thin with a needle tip applicator and not the thick stuff in a toothpaste tube (for polystyrene kits and parts).

3. Cyanoacrylate (CA) of some form, a.k.a. Super Glue, for everything else.

4. Other glues by preference, such as carpenter's wood glue or spray adhesive, depending on project needs (not as much of a need, but just be aware that there are options out there).

5. Nscale.net friendships which glue this community together (probably the most useful glue on the list).

[Gary Rowan]

4. Other glues by preference, such as carpenter's wood glue or spray adhesive, depending on project needs (not as much of a need, but just be aware that there are options out there).

Don't forget good old-fashioned contact cement. Great for dissimilar materials like metal to styrene.

[dave68124]

Recommend gel CA v. free flowing thin or medium CA. Each has its use, but for a beginner, gel CA is easier to control and keeps you from gluing yourself to your project.

[The Ol' Curmudgeon]

and keeps you from gluing yourself to your project.

No, nyet, nein, ignore what @dave68124 says! Gluing yourself to your project is a rite of passage in model railroading!

Shoot, Dave, you tryin' to suck all the fun out?!

Actually, that's good advice he offers.

[dave68124]

No, nyet, nein, ignore what @dave68124 says! Gluing yourself to your project is a rite of passage in model railroading!

Shoot, Dave, you tryin' to suck all the fun out?!

Actually, that's good advice he offers.

I was just trying to prevent having to add nail polish remover to the list of items to buy so you can remove yourself from said project.

[The Ol' Curmudgeon]

I was just trying to prevent having to add nail polish remover to the list of items to buy so you can remove yourself from said project.

That's a beaut! Good one!

[Maurice]

Great thread idea. I hope more people chime in. My contribution:
1) Sprue cutter for getting plastic parts off the sprue with out damage.
2) As was already stated a good knife but one with a grip on it. If you can't get one with a grip, check office supply stores or dollar stores for add-on grips for pencils and pens. They often with fit knife handles.
3) Wooden spring loaded clothes pins. Good basic clamp. Many people have modified them different ways for specialized clamping.
4) Plastic container lids. Clean them first. Good for mixing paint when brush painting or decanting glue. Often you only want to use a little bit of glue. By putting it on the lid first you can use a tooth pick or other device to apply a little at a time. If the paint or glue dries on it, you can often remove them by flexing the lid.
5) Good lighting. Okay, questionable as a tool but you gotta see what you are doing.
6) Patience, lots and lots of patience. Let that glue and paint dry. Take your time with those delicate parts. Don't be afraid to walk away and try another time.
That's all. Have fun.
Cheers!
Maurice

[wadojeff]

One more thing I think I can add to this list.

For painting building and trains - A Wet Pallet and some good detail brushes. These have been a great tool for me over many years of painting models and miniature figures. I like the wet pallet because it keeps my paint fresh and ready to use and if I'm waiting for something to dry before adding a second coat or doing touch ups I can add in a second colour on the pallet and do another portion of the model or a different model. I use a lot of Army painter paints for buildings and they are rather pricey so having some dry out while I'm waiting is not a option. One thing I really benefit from is being called for dinner and tossing on the lid and coming back to still fresh paint.

If you don't buy one you can easily make one with a plastic container, some paper towel and baking parchment paper. Just layer the paper towel and soak it. (Not so the water is dripping but it needs to wet) and place the parchment paper over top and you now have a wet pallet. Hopefully your plastic container has a cover It will keep your paints fresh. This is especially important if you have mixed a few colours to match something and we all know how hard it is to rematch it again.

JT