Hello gang,
I'm always down to learn more, so I figured I'd share the stuff I use to put paper models together.
I'm curious to see what other folks use...so I can steal them!
Attached are thumbnails to clarify the text.
BLADES: I almost exclusively use X-Acto X-Life #16 "scoring" blades. They are superior to the less expensive x-acto and other brands as they make them out of spring steel. Bonus, you can resharpen them if you so desire. I do use other style blades to chop out greeblies, mostly the chisel type blades. I NEVER use the "standard" #11 style blades. The tips break off in the cutting mat, and one never uses the entire cutting edge...wasteful and dangerous in my opinion!
GLUE:
I've tried them all, but for cardstock and paper I found these brands and types most useful. I never use superglue anymore. Ruined far to many paper models with it. Elmer's brand, I use the thin, CHEAP, fast drying school glue ONLY for laminating cardstock to cardstock. Thats where the plastic drywall knife in another picture comes in. Spread it thin so I win! The Glue-All extra strong is for most tab and edge to edge construction. I use it most. The Avery Brand Glue stick is for greeblie laminations and and long edge tab joint. As stick glue goes, this one is the best! The Weld Bond is for corrugated board infrastructure, the others are too wet. The Loctite GO2 is for really tricky joinings that need LOTS of strength, like railings and frameworks. I also use a drop on the threads of my knife handle chucks to keep them from slipping loose causing me to over tighten and warp the locking tube!
DISSECTION NEEDLES I tried all different sorts, but these, from this supplier, are the best. The Spear point is the PERFECT tool to crease folds without cutting through the card stock. The straight and bent needles are excellent for moving small parts around. With a bit of practice they are great for creasing too. Because they are one-piece stainless, they are washable and you can resharpen them. And, I checked. You CAN buy these through the Carolina Bio website, or through Amazon. They DO sell most items to individuals. Other sources, I don't know. I wasn't able to find these ones anywhere else.
Guides, Rulers, and Cutting Edges
I have tried all sorts of straight and curved edges over the years, but to date, old, vintage drafting tools are the best. You can get them super cheap on auction sites as no one does hand drafting anymore. Perfect, thick, 90 degree straight edges guide your blade perfectly on one pass. That doesn't happen with regular rulers. If you can find them, drafting/cartography curves come in handy for the same reason, particularly when scoring dog-tooth tabs on curved parts. Bonus, they make handy tools to reach inside models to hold that pesky tab in place till the glue sets.
Tweezers and Forceps I use a bunch of different types, but have found the smooth, non-grippy types are the best. I really only use them to hold tabs till glue sets. Honestly, the cheap dollar-store type sets you get in the automotive aisle work great! I do use some fancy science types too, like the paddle tip and curved grip, but rarely.
However, my personal favorite tip is one I learned from a guy that builds ship-in-a-bottle from scratch. Rain-X. I kid you not. Treat all your rulers, tweezers, and your cutting mats with Rain-X....glue never sticks to them. Wet, it wipes off clean, dry, it easily peels away.
What yinze use?