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Hand Tools used for Model Building

December 19, 2021



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Airfield Models (http://www.airfieldmodels.com)Hand Tools

Most of the hand tools you will use have their own dedicated section.  I will just pick up the leftovers here.

There are a lot of quality hand tools on the market and just as many cheaply made tools.

The two primary reasons that hardware gets chewed up are either because the wrong size driver is used or the driver is made from soft steel.  Buy quality tools and you will not regret it.

 
 

Drivers

Wiha drivers of all types are very high quality.You will need a set of Jeweler's screwdrivers.  There are several brands on the market.  Shown at the left are tools made by Wiha that have hardened tips and are excellent quality.

The most common jeweler's screwdrivers are more economical and are sold by Wal-Mart, Radio Shack and a variety of other places.  These are the ones that have black blades, chromed handles and come in the blue plastic box with the clear cover.  These are the only type I was aware of when I first got into model-building and probably the only ones available.

They work but the tips are brittle and will break easily if dropped or too much force is applied.  In other words, do not use them as chisels or pry bars.  The other problem with them is that the tips are too thin.  They are made for watch-makers and others who use micro-hardware stuff smaller than we normally use.

There are better drivers available — the Wiha drivers shown are excellent but there are other brands that will work as just as well.

You will need a couple flat blades as well as Phillips tips.  In addition to these you will need a set of small Allen hex keys for various Allen head bolts.  Not strictly necessary but nice to have are Allen drivers.  They will not fully replace the keys but they are easier to use and get the job done faster.

A ball driver allows the drive to engage a fastener at various angles.Ball head drivers are good for hard to reach areas but they shouldn't be used for significant torque loads.  Use a straight driver or a hex key instead to tighten down the hardware after it is driven.

Do not buy the cheap tool steel ball drivers through the hobby manufacturers.  The ball makes very little contact inside the head of a hex driver.  Buy hardened ball drivers.  The two brands that I know of that I would not even consider purchasing are by Dubro and Great Planes.  These tools are so soft they will round over quickly and give you fits.

If you work with Japanese items then it is worth it to purchase a set of Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS) screwdrivers.  These look like Phillips drivers but I'm told they aren't the same thing.  At first I was skeptical thinking someone was just trying to make another sale.  However, I found that the JIS drivers fit better into the screws on my Japanese engines and on my helicopter.  In fact, they are a near perfect fit and I am no longer experiencing stripped out Phillips heads (which were not Phillips heads at all I guess).

Which brings me to my next point.  A lot of people have problems with Phillips screw heads getting chewed up — I know I did.  It took me a while, but I finally learned that using the largest Phillips driver that fits the screw will prevent most of these problems.  It also helps to use quality hardware rather than some of the soft junk hardware that comes with some kits, ARF's and other accessories.

By the way, you've probably come across a tip or two about magnetizing your screwdrivers.  I used to do that but found that it became really aggravating in the long run.  The screwdrivers were constantly attracting things that I did not want stuck to them as well as small metal shavings etc.  The time I spent cleaning metallic crud from my screwdrivers negated any benefit of it being magnetized.

I decided that it was easier to use a tweezer to put a screw in a hard to reach location than forever deal with a tool that had things stuck all over it — and I use the same screwdrivers around my computers where magnets are bad news.

While on the subject of magnets, I also used to use one to pick up spilled hardware, T-pins, etc.  I don't do that any more for the exact same reason.  OK, back to the subject of the page...

 

 
 

Pliers, Wrenches and Tweezers

Various pliers and metal-working tools.

There are a variety of pliers that are useful.  A small set of Vice Grip pliers (standard and needle nosed) is a good choice as are normal needle nose pliers, dedicated side cutters, etc.  The three pairs on the right are (top to bottom) needle nose, flat jaw and round jaw.

The flat jaws are good for bending thin sheet metal (photo-etch for plastic models).  The round jaws are good for bending small wire.  I also use them for crimping fittings.

Toward the center of the photo are a small pair of channel lock type pliers.  I don't know what they are called exactly but they are a Craftsman tool and still available.

At the bottom are two pairs of forceps.  These are excellent for working with fuel line or holding small parts for painting.  The four pairs on the left are metal working pliers I bought on a whim and still haven't found a use for.

Pliers, wrenches and Vise-Grips are all useful in any shop.

A few more sets of pliers and wrenches.  This pair of needle nose is larger than the pair in the previous photo and is more of an "all-purpose" tool.  The larger Vice Grips come in handy as well.

Vice Grips are your tool of last resort.  They tear up hardware and are a brute force method when nothing else will work such as removing a screw with a head that can't be engaged positively enough with a driver to remove.

The cutters are mostly used to cut zip ties that I use to strap radio wires in with.  I have two better and smaller pairs.  One is used with my electronics primarily to cut wires and the other is used a sprue tool with my plastic models.

The pair second from the right are Z-Bend pliers used for putting Z-bends in 1/16" and smaller music wire.  They are not a necessity but they do make the task much easier and faster.

I strongly suggest that you don't use four-way wrenches marketed for modelers to tighten the propeller on an aircraft engine.  Use a socket set, open end or box wrench or a Crescent wrench.  The four-way wrenches are simply too difficult to tighten down effectively.

The wrench on the far right was used for bleeding air from the radiator in my apartment in Germany every other day.  It doesn't get used for anything having to do with model-building.

Various styles of tweezers are very useful for model-builders.

There are a variety of styles of tweezers available.  Unfortunately they're almost all low quality stamped metal.  The very best tweezers I've come across are not marketed through the hobby industry.  They are in the make-up section of various stores around town such as grocers and Walmart.

Tweezers have different shaped tips some have a fine point, some are paddle-shaped and others have broad, rounded tips.  Additionally, tweezers have different amounts of "spring" or pressure that need to be applied to close them.

Tweezers requiring light pressure are best for delicate parts because you can tell more easily how much pressure you are using and are less likely to damage the part by applying too much pressure.

Poorly made tweezers are not very delicate and can't pick up fine items like that tiny cat hair that just landed in your wet paint.  Better tweezers are not cut from stamped sheet metal.  They are machined and have finely ground tips.

A type of tweezer not shown here has rubber coated tips.  They don't work very well with very small parts because the rubber is rounded over so it's difficult to get a good grip on tiny parts but they are very good for delicate items that might be marred by metal tips.

I've purchased many pairs of tweezers over the years in my quest for quality.  Most of the sets I purchased just didn't work for me but I do have plenty of quality tweezers now and I wouldn't want to give them up.

 
 

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Cutting Tools used in Model-Building
Clamps and Vises used for Model Building

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