Your best quick tip/technique/diy

[Scott Girvan]

Hi,
Looking to put together a list of quick tips, technique and DIY items. Short and sweet ideas.

I'll start with a few easy ones:

 - Save old toothbrushes to use for cleaning and scrubbing parts when washing them up before a build.
 - When spraying Vallejo paint, keep a damp, soft rag handy to gently clean the airbrush tip.
 - When using Tamiya thin glue, less is often more. Too much will cause longer dry/bond time.
 - Toothpicks are often better than paintbrushes to painting small detail, like in a jet's cockpit

You got some?

[Jeeves]

If you or someone you know wears contact lenses, the foil cover are a great source for belts and straps and the well the lenses sit in make great disposable paint palettes...

[spud]

old messed up paint brush makes for great grass to mix with mud.

[Quaralane]

Old CDs make excellent paint pallets

[Grendels]

bottle caps make a great paint mixing cup

[Igard]

If you or someone you know wears contact lenses, the foil cover are a great source for belts and straps and the well the lenses sit in make great disposable paint palettes...

Thank you, Jeeves. I'm a contact lens wearer. Being the 1st day of the new month, I'm opening a new pair tonight. This time, I'll not throw anything away! 

You can also use the contact lens solution bottle for storing liquids. They're great for dispensing in small, 1 drop amounts.

[13aceofspades13]

painting a engine flat black, then dry brushing silver over it gives it a great weathered look, and brings out the details, most especually if its a air cooled engine like my Hellcats R-2800-10



Aves is good for adding features too your figures


aves parachute...

[YOULI]

Wooden spoons and ice cream picks make the perfect tools to dispose Tamiya Putty even in small areas. Same way than with Toothpicks only with a larger surface to apply...

Demineralised water with a drop of soap dish make the perfect liquid to use acrylic paint (it gains in fluidity and the brushes marks are almost invisible).

Save the Citadel normal glue recipient. You can remove the apllicator easily, remove the dry glue in it and replace it with, in my case, alcohol 90°. An easy way to count drops in your paint for example.

You have a broken or unable to use airbrush pin... Use it with an old criterium (don't know the englisgh name of it) instead of using big "mines" it's even better if you have the old aluminium ones. It makes the perfect engraver tool !

Save the old dry paint. Acrylic or Enamel, you can use it for your dioramas, once you break it in small pieces.

I've got a lot of other tips, but it's difficult to explain it in english

[Black Sheep 1]

If you eat at KFC, those little containers you get your Mac & Cheese and coleslaw are great for paint palettes, as a decal soaking container or as a container for cleaning your paint brushes after you're done painting.

[fumblethumbs]

After sanding down the joint seam on tire treads, I use the nylon brush wheel in the dremel to clean out the tread grooves.

The siphon pot lid for Badger airbrushes thread onto Tamiya acrylic paint jars.

[PharmPhluegel]

Cut AWAY from your body with no part of your body in the path of the blade.

You can cut a slit in the end of a toothpick that will help it hold more paint or glue/cement.

[Grendels]

Cut AWAY from your body with no part of your body in the path of the blade.

I think this needs to be shared over in the model related injuries thread....

[RocketSilo]

A tip I just learned recently and never thought of.
Always store your good paint brushes tip down after cleaning, it keeps solvents and such from settling in the ferrule and loosening the adhesive/hairs
 install the protective tubes to support the bristles when storing this way.

[YOULI]

If you don't have protective tubes, use Straws

[spud]

have you ever knocked over your pot of glue, I have twice, get somthing to widen the base next time you knock up agesnt it it wont fall over so easy