I would tend to believe most tools are scale universal. Mine have been used on N, HO, HOn30, On30 scale plastic, brass, wood, and.... Plus, tinplate/hi-rail American Flyer, Lionel, Marx and more; in S, O, O-27 and Standard Guages. But, what tasks did you have in mind? Repairs to motive power? Layout construction? Kit building? Wiring/electronics? Painting? Or? It can be quite a sizable accumulation. I have quite a pile, starting back in my youth, over far more than fifty years.
It may be useful to categorize. There are those for modelling (and even then, wood, metal, plastic, etc), for electrical work, for layout building, scenery, trackwork. The list could probably go on quite longer. A particular area you're looking to discuss or wide open?
Crochet needle, magnetic screwdrivers, 3M Painter's Tape (not just for painting), and a lot of Athearn spare parts.
Xuron rail nippers, a set of small screw drivers (slotted and Phillips), needle nose pliers, tiny tack hammer, cordless dremmel, utility knives, hobby knives ( #11 blades), caulk gun and many more, too many to list.
Dremel, watch repair tools, magnetized screwdriver (coupler and truck screws), hobby knives, razor saw, etc. etc. That's for the small stuff. And the trusty soldering iron. Like others, I couldn't list everything that's useful to me in modeling without blowing out the post size limit.
There are the normal... rail cutters, files(various), soldiering iron, saws, hammers, etc... but, I find the tool that is handiest is the tool that gets the job done. I am sure we have all used tools for other purposes than what the tool was originally designed for. Being a model railroader... we are all painters, carpenters, fine scale modelers, electricians, contractors, etc... lots of useful skills are developed!!! JMS
Assuming actual model work. Xacto knife with a variety of blades depending on task. Jeweler's screwdriver set. I got one years ago with nut wrenches and both phillips and flat head screw drivers. Tweezers. A variety of cutters and pliers. Xuron is a good brand as is Xcelite. (may have the spelling wrong on that last one) Rulers of all types. Cutting mat. A small modeling hammer. Dremmel tool variable speed. Especially for cutting rail. A small vice. Lots and lots of tiny paint brushes. Soldering iron. Oh and most of all these days... cheap reading glasses to magnify things. ha ha My list overlaps with others. But those are the core of my tools. Wish I had an air brush and maybe more small power tools. Can you ever have enough tools?
Well I have a bunch. The usual. Rail cutters, sprue cutters, hobby knife, Dremel tool, small screwdrivers, reamer for trucks, tweezers, soldering iron, and any many more Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
An assortment of screwdrivers, from jewelers sizes to home/automotive use- The same of pliers and cutters. Multiple soldering irons, perhaps with a couple of different tips and soldering accessories. Multiple pin vise handles, with taps and drill bits. A Dremel tool with plenty of assorted burrs, disks, etc, etc. Multiple saws for cutting metals, plastics, wood, including a real jewelers saw, spare blades, miter box. A large assortment of clamps in various styles, for jobs from tiny to layout benchwork. Several assorted hammers in different styles for many differing jobs. Various items for use as jigs in assembling kits squarely, etc. An assortment of differing tweezer styles for grabbing or holding small parts. An assortment of different sized X-Acto handles and blades for cutting, scraping, chiseling, etc. Razor blades, box cutters. Forceps and scalpels. Dental picks. I also have several small vises, and even a miniature anvil. Scissors. A magnification device or two.
I find that when gluing an intricate part on a model, and my cats are feeling curious, that it's sometimes handy to have a squirt gun at the ready.
About the same as everybody else: Needle-point tweezer collection Magnifying glass head piece Good light source Ambroid Pro-Weld (or comparable) CA Assorted, cheap soft-bristle brushes Multiple pin vises Assortment of #60-#80 drills Soldering iron w/tip assortment Hobby files Large metal file for rail work Rail cutters Large parts storage cabinets Solvaset 91% alcohol (stripping and weathering) 70% alcohol (weathering and ballast adhesive) Old school glue bottles (ballast adhesive applicator) Coffee cans (bulk ballast storage) X-acto knife blade assortment Razor blade box cutter I could include specific paints and other solvents, but that probably strays OT. Sent from my LG-P930 using Tapatalk 2
I was just thinking we maybe should do a show off your work bench discussion. Everyone posts what the tools and work area look like. I think we've done it before, but a new one wouldn't hurt.
Indeed it has been done. But the last time was maybe six or seven years ago now. So go ahead and start a new topic!
Thanx guys. I had no specific area in mind, just a general staring point so I can start collecting what I'm going to need. My health and the weather has prevented me from building the bench work. I'm hoping to get it started before too long. Just thought I'd do some internet shopping while I was waiting.
An NMRA standards gauge, a good set of quality tweezers, hobbyknife with a good supply of replacement blades, sanding sticks (NWSL makes a good set of detail sanders), auto body wet/dry sandpaper (1000 grit and finer), squadron green putty, a quality set of needlenose pliers (Xuron makes great hobby pliers), a quality set of flush-cut nippers, ad nauseum...
