discussion Scrimpers & Tightwads corner.

[wonwinglo]

Things that cost nothing for modelling.

Scrimpers are constantly on the look out for interesting materials to use that cost very little,or better still are by-products of other things that have extra life in other directions.

Here is one that I have been using now for some time,most modellers use the heatshrink iron on film at some time or another,the plastic backing film makes splendid anti stick material for lining your modelling board,place balsa strips etc to build the models structure pinning to the building board,this saves the plan from damage and also the structure of the model can be easily lifted from the board.

he inner card tubes that carry the film make useful storage for things like balsa strip,just tape a piece of circular card to the base of the tube,you can either store the tubes flat if space permits or in a vertical position against a wall,either way they make excellent storage for strip wood,tubing etc.

The centres of carpets are also made from larger card tube which make good document/plan holders,a trip to your local carpet shop should bring results as the just throw them away.

Here is another unusual source for large diameter plastic tube which has similar uses,have you ever seen those machines in farmers fields operated by gangs of specialists who wrap up the farmers supply of hay ? the black cling film type material,comes on these large sturdy plastic tubes which are just thrown away usually cluttering up the fields ! ask the farmer first and if you are lucky you will have won some first class material,the material is not unlike that plastic tube used for laying services under roads etc.

Always be vigilant and on the look out,you really never know what you will find that has been junked,people are so wasteful,but as a true scrimper that item will find a good use.

 

[wonwinglo]

Keep on scrimping-Thin wood sources.

As a young boy with pocket money at a low ebb,I was always on the lookout for pieces of timber that could be used for model building,one of my favourite sources was the local greengrocer,who would always have a plentiful supply of those thin wooden boxes stabled together at the joins that transported fruit,if you are selective then you can pull them apart and keep the best bits for modelling.

Never look a gift horse in the face and this once again is a good example of being thrifty,the money so saved can go towards things that are not possible to scrimp.

Also at the greengrocers was a plentifull supply of coloured tissue paper for my small rubber powered airplanes,use mums best iron and out come the creases !

 

[wonwinglo]

Scrimper arrested in pound shop.

Ah that made you look !! well more goodies have been discovered in local pound shops,looking for thin strips of bamboo cane ? well look no further than your pound shop where cheap Chinese blinds give you enough material to last for years,you just run a craft knife through the strips and you will be rewarded with consistant strips of bambonce available in model shops throughout the land but no longer considered a viable thing to stock these high tech days.

Dont forget to checkout those useful little gadgets used for marking out the corners of carpets etc,you push scores of metal prongs from the tool and it forms into tricky shapes,ideal for making up formers into fuselage shells of models,and indespensible when making vac-forms.

 

[wonwinglo]

Todays scrimper tip-Antennae & fine tube.

Now I dont want anyone looking for needles in the streets,but here is a tip for anyone who needs very fine metal tube,your local chemist has stocks of needles in various thicknesses,these have many modelling applications such as those small and vulnerable plastic antennae on scale models,also other uses are pitot heads.

The best way to cut these is to make a small 'v' with a swiss file,hold between a cloth and snap,a small grinder is the best thing to clean them up.

Take care when using needles and make sure that you blend in the tip when you make the parts for your model.Used sensibly they can be a great asset for small details.

Throw away plastic cylinders make excellent glue dispensers, and many years ago I used these for making small capacity free flight fuel tanks,just lop the top off with a razor saw.

 

[wonwinglo]

Scrimper versus Tightwad ?

Helen Tunnock from Membury asks-What is the difference between a Scrimper and a Tightwad ?

Scrimpers and Tightwads are the same thing Helen,the latter is the American definition,but we are the same the world over ! a unique band of earth saving utensils and artifacts gatherers, which are put to other good uses,dont forget everything we use has another use beyond that which it was originally intended,it is up to us to find that second purpose.

By doing so,we save money for other things we just cannot make or do without.

 

[wonwinglo]

Blocks of wood have uses.

Look where there has been any carpentry job done around your home,or even in the street and you are sure to find small offcuts of wood,well dont throw these small useful pieces away because they have uses.

Get yourself some 3M Spray adhesive and lay out the blocks,cut a variety of grades of glasspaper,wet and dry and finishing papers to fit the size of the wood blocks,spray the blocks with spraymount and attach the pieces of abrasive paper,you have made yourself a useful and in-expensive set of sanding blocks to do your modelling.Should you be lucky to find offcuts of dowel or round shaped timber then use these as well,wrap the abrasive paper carefully around the shapes.

Now Christmas is coming up and there will be plenty of those large biscuit tins being thrown out,salvage them and store your sanding blocks in these,once the blocks get worn after lots of sanding,you simply tear off the paper and stick on new pieces.

 

[Guest]

Ok Barry You have impressed everyone with your scrimping and salvageable thread i now have a challenge for you!!!!!!!!

every where i walk is dog poo now tell me a use for that lmao !!!!!!!!!

go on i know you cant resist a challenge?

 

[Guest]

It can be used to throw at people who ask impossible questions on web forums!

 

[wonwinglo]

Scrimpers paint tin holders.

Hands up how many of you have at some time knocked a tin of paint all over your workbench ? well if you ever have you will know what a mess it makes and it takes a bit of cleaning up.

The make commercial paint tin holders made from resin which work well but cost money,here is an excellent alternative,candle holders especially those ones that have a deep heavy base,some are made from heavy glass,others are metal with a few feet on the bottom,Humbrol tinlets fit snugly into the smaller glass ones and larger tins into the others.

Candles to brighten up the home are popular this time of year and loads of bases get thrown out,salvage them and stick them under the hot tap to clean them up,then press them into service to hold your wobbly paint tins,you will not regret it.

 

[Guest]

or use blue tak ( i do)

 

[wonwinglo]

*** Yes very useful stuff,I also use it for masking tricky bits as well such as wheels,plugging intakes etc prior to painting,good tip Nigel,it is on two for one offer at the moment before Christmas as well,scrimpers take note.

or use blue tak ( i do)

 

[Guest]

Not that I recommend this method, but I am reminded of how the builder of a 30 foot yawl I once had obtained the lead keel. It was right after the Second World War and he would take evening walks in his neighborhood and remove the lead weights from the tires of his neighbors. He started in 1946 and by 1950, he had enough lead to pour the keel !

 

[wonwinglo]

*** That reminds me of another true story where a factory worker built a car in stages by smuggling parts out in his lunchbox,the bigger bits were easily obtained by 'scratching' body panels and declaring them scrap,these would then be removed as and when convenient to himself from scrap sillages placed near a fence around the perimeter of the complex,oddly enough he got caught when a data plate went missing and had to be accounted for by the works forman,that last final but vital detail got him some porridge.

Not that I recommend this method' date=' but I am reminded of how the builder of a 30 foot yawl I once had obtained the lead keel. It was right after the Second World War and he would take evening walks in his neighborhood and remove the lead weights from the tires of his neighbors. He started in 1946 and by 1950, he had enough lead to pour the keel ![/quote']

 

[wonwinglo]

Scrimpers corner-Canopies from pop bottles.

What do you do with those plastic pop bottles ? probably like everyone just throw them away,but did you know that really good canopies can be made from them for flying models or even larger plastic models etc ? this is what you do-Firstly you need to make a solid wood or plaster mould of the shape of the canopy,this must be able to fit inside the bottle after first lopping off the nd near the neck of the bottle,hold the bottle in some ovengloved hands,then with an heat gun start to play heat evening all over the plastic surface,slowly it will start to shrink around the inner pattern,it may take a bit of practise to get used to working out the creases,but once mastered it is a very useful technique.

Sometimes you can find those cheap large money banks in the shape of bottles,these are ideal for those larger canopies.

To cut to shape immerse the canopy in warm water,this stops the scissors possibly cracking any brittle bits of plastic,practise makes perfect,so start hoarding those favourite drinks bottles,but they must be on the plastic variety.

 

[wonwinglo]

Time for a Scrimpers tip-uses for Ice Cream tubs.

Had to stock up with Araldite today,the Red Baron project has exhausted my supply,now here is a quick tip for what is the best thing to mix up such two part epoxy adhesives ? well what do you do with those flexible plastic ice-cream tubs ? I bet they go straight in the bin,well save a couple because turned upside down they make excellent mixer bases for resins etc,once the material is dry just crack off the surplus and use it again,ice creal spoons etc make ideal mixers as well.

A simple tip but highly effective.

These tubs also make ideal storage containers as well,label them up with a permanent marker pen either on the side,or on the top lid.

 

[Guest]

i`ve used a small tupperware dish for that exact same purpose barry, one that had seen it`s days for food storage, and as you say if you flex around the sides of teh tub excess dried resin just breaks away and your ready to start all over again

 

[wonwinglo]

Scrimpers corner-Useful metal stock.

You just keep finding things useful for our hobby,today I noticed some packing cases being dismantled,around them was some great looking wide metal strapping,a quick word with the chap handling the claw hammer and he let me have a few strips,the material will be just ideal for making small brackets and fittings for models,best of all it cuts nicely with good old tinsnips.

 

[wonwinglo]

Scrimpers corner-Source for fine wire.

Another great source for REAL wire that is tiny-gauge in the form of stuff from a computer modem. The type that the phone line plugs into. There is a small transformer on these modems. Pull it off with a pair of pliers and peel back the wrapping (usually tape). There's usually about 20 - 30 feet of what amounts to 30 to 40 ga wire. This stuff is so incredibly fine in size it's amazing. Carefull unwind it and stretch it between two sets of pliers to get the folds out of it. Apply with CA.

Modems here are pretty much give-aways; you cannot even really sell them.

 

[wonwinglo]

Srimpers thoughts on Compressors.

Some interesting Scrimpers thoughts on compressors,my thanks to 'Jon'-

Freon compressors used in refrigeration are nothing more than regular air comressors made quiet.

I have seen a few airbrush compressors that make use of refrigerant compressors and a small tank for absolutely quiet running. The make no more noise than your refrigerator.

The only problem with them is that they are $600.

I had a refrigerant compressor a few years ago, but the problem I had was oily mist getting into the air line. I tossed it out after not being able to make it work.

Recently, someone I met online said he used a long length of air hose with a water/oil trap on the end of the hose. He said it works great. Just add a pressure switch and it's ready to run.

Anyone else have any experience with this sort of stuff?

 

[wonwinglo]

Scrimper on the prowl-Foam blocks.

Enjoying a walk today,and stumbled across another source of good modelling material,as I passed some building work I noticed some blocks of pink foam offcuts,these had been cut off those large planks of insulation board used in buildings,well as the lorries were just running over them I salvaged a few blocks to take home with me ( the good wife is used to me now ! )

If ever you have the need to make things like bulky cowlings this material is ideal as a master pattern,you just cover the surface with layers of brown paper much the same as making paper mache at school,in the future I will do a tutorial on the methods employed.

Also for fill in blocks where weight carries a penalty this is ideal.

So keep your eyes peeled near builders yards etc,they just throw big lumps of the stuff away,our canals and waterways is also full of the stuff floating on the water,the dirty edges are easily sanded clean with a surform or similar.