I’m learning a ton as I get back into modeling. I thought it’d be wise to capture some of my learnings. I’ve already captured a few on photoetch and resin construction.

General points

  • Buy a shop apron, the kind that velcro to the edge of the table. I can’t tell you how many times this thing has saved me from getting on the floor with a flashlight to find some part that flew off with the wrong pinch of the tweezers.
  • Even with that apron, it’s not going to save everything… try to work in an area without carpet, and with nothing around you. I’m reorganizing my home office-based workshop to pull everything from the milk crate that holds my solvents to my compressor to my computer cords up off the ground. This will better allow me to see small parts because they won’t have random areas to hide in any more.
  • Speaking of small parts … pick up one of those silicon baking mats. They are helpful to keep parts from bouncing around when they hit the workbench surface. It’s not a real solution for bouncing tiny parts, but it helps.
  • Buy the Windsor & Newton red sable brushes. They are awesome and they work better than anything else.
  • When painting straight lines by hand, make sure to pull it vertically, not horizontally. The side to side painting isn’t as normal a hand movement as up to down.
  • Check out your local comic book shop for painting supplies for the wargaming/roleplaying minatures. They have a variety of cool, helpful stuff from stippling brushes to small palettes to brush holders and more.

Keep an eye on this post – I’ll keep adding as I come up with stuff or people smarter than me tell me smart things.