I'm an Ntraker also and I use a little tool called a "chip lifter" yo set and remove rail joiners. It is shaped like a miniature pry bar. The rail goes in the slot and the two prongs fit down each side of the rail to engage the rail joiner. Works well.
Inkaneer I am trying to visualize this. Picture? Is this kind of like a paint can opener with two prongs instead of a blade?
Do not throw away all those cork stoppers from the empty wine bottles! The cork can be broken into small pieces and used as small rocks or talus for your river banks etc. Cheers
Go here to see pictures. 268 Chip Lifter & Pry Bar These are rather expensive. We got ours for a buck at a train show in Dayton, OH. several years ago.
- Altoid tins for detail parts and screws. - Pill boxes to organize detail parts for specific locomotives, while they are "in the shop". - Flat plastic cafeteria trays to organize projects and offer a workbench quickchange method for switching to another project. - Clothes pins to hang your paintbrushes over a jar mouth in water/paint cleaner to prevent the bristles from drying out. HTH, T
Heck, I get it! I thought you were talking about barbecue chips. I usually just hit them with a stick. A tip, though. We have a guy here who puts double sticky tape on a paint paddle and attaches model or detail parts to that. Then he uses a rattle can to paint the object. It allows him to quickly adjust the distance of the item from the can nozzle which helps control the amount of paint on the object. He paints this way out-of-doors.
Good idea on the wine bottle corks. I have chopped up stuff for 1/2 second in a coffee grinder. I will give it a try with the corks with the lightest, quickest tap on the switch. Now, if I could find an N Scale use for empty beer cans.
Cut in half, smooth out tops and bottoms with sculptamold or other medium of choice, I think that'd make some good tanks of one kind or another yes?
There are model train tools everywhere. If you are dragged kicking and screaming to one of those kitchen stores by a lady, pick up one of the big screen strainers to separate dirt, plus a big funnel to make it easier to put the fine dirt into small dispensers (also available at the shop). An extra baking tray will work when you bake the dirt, and you won't have to use the miss's good sheet and get into trouble. Ketchup dispensers are great for ballasting...
Where do you think the Bierkan Mountains came from? They were on a previous layout. I drink only bottled beer nowadays, and have no mountains.
If you drink Crystal Light, the small containers that the powder comes in are great for mixing paint. The package that it comes are usefull also. Take the cover of the packaging container, drill some small holes in it, fill the large container with fine or course grass stuff. It makes a great shaker. Drill one larger hole in the cover and it makes a great way to pour out ballast. Paul f
I like to take a tooth pick and... ...(no, not what you'd want me to) cut off the tip, sort of fillet it, to use as a stiff paint bristle for detailing and weathering. If you work the woody grain right you can make real neat streaks and such that are defineable. Mark
I picked a restaurant-type vinegar dispenser at a dollar store which is great for ballast, and is also heavy enough to use to hold down glued objects. Dave.
I will have to try this. One finger has recovered and another is still healing up from fighting the good fight with rail joiners.
When doing something I've never done before, I come to an online forum and search for it. What? Too obvious?
