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Your Absolutely FAVORITE Tool!!

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  • #1

    Your Absolutely FAVORITE Tool!!

    Okay, we've been through a good listing of our absolutely worst-ever, most hated, and completely worthless tools. [:-gnasher] What about our most-loved, most-used, can't-work-without-it tools? [:-hearts] You know, that little thing-a-ma-bob that you spotted in a flea market that makes your job just so much easier/better/faster? I have a couple of them right now that I sing the praises of. [:-sing] First, I finally broke down and bought a GOOD magnifying visor and BOY does it help me with my small assemblies! The other is a set of small diamond files that have diamond abrasive on all sides making them just great for a fast, sure cutting action. Okay, Crew, whatcha got? id="Comic Sans MS">id="blue">
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  • #2
    Easy, Russ. It's a 3-way tie between my NMRA track gauge, HO scale ruler, and a #11 Xacto knife.

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    • #3
      My fairly new Vernier Calipers have been very handy ....can't believe I worked without them in the past . Working with various thickenesses of materials in scratch building , be it styrene , brass , etc ., I get an instant read on what thickness I'm using .....saves a lot of time .

      Terry

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      • #4
        Sheesh Russ - that all depends on what I'm doing!

        Can't do anything without some kind of specs or magnifying visor so I guess that's #1 besides the nifty opposable thumb set.

        Last night I was cutting stringers for a curved trestle so the favs [last night] were the old NWSL Chopper and the new NWSL sander.

        I had to curse the sander a few times since they don't put any rubber feet on the blasted thing. It wants to meander all over the place.

        I picked up a nifty track inspector from MicroMark. All it is is a piece of Lexan with two trucks mounted on it. It's good for diagnosing poor trackwork.

        -slim

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        • #5
          "I had to curse the sander a few times since they don't put any rubber feet on the blasted thing. It wants to meander all over the place."

          I glued an old mouse pad onto the bottom of mine. Never moves.

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          • #6
            Thanks John!

            The mouse pad would be better yet since there's always one rubber foot that wants to either fall off or find the low spot on the worktable.

            -slim

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            • #7
              Single edge razor blades and the NWSL Chopper would be a the top of the list for structure building. The optivisor and a 10/0 brush for painting figures. My Xuron nail cutters for laying flex-track.
              Bruce

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              • #8
                I think my favorite tool is my pair of tweezers. They're a pair I got out of an old first aid kit at work that was being discarded. Nothing fancy, but I do use them almost all the time for everything. I've misplaced them a few times and have used other tweezers, but they don't seem to work as good.

                Of course there are other items that I cannot model without - cheapo reading glasses and my desk lamp with the built in magnifyer. If I can't see something I cannot model!

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                • #9
                  My Dremel & Optivisor(Geek goggles)

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                  • #10
                    I can't do a thing without my optivisors on , so those would have to be my favorite and most used.

                    A close second would be a tie between the NWSL chopper and true sander.
                    Follow along as my dog and I travel the country in our van.
                    FaceBook link: https://www.facebook.com/A-Dog-A-Van-and-A-View-108345371976229

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                    • #11
                      With the popularity of the optivisor in this thread it must mean we are a bunch of "Elder Modelers" that are visually [:-blindfold] challenged? [:-jester]

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                      • #12
                        Put me down for optivisor also. Can't do much without them
                        John

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                        • #13
                          have two all time favorite tools. With these guys, I can build any structure kit: single edge razer blade and my favorite tweezer.

                          Peter [:-kitty]

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                          • #14
                            X-Acto knife, with a new blade - It won hands down!

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                            • #15
                              You know, when I first read the title of this thread, my first thought was my Opti-visor, and that brought back some memories. I remember a few years back when a friend of mine bought his. Al, who is maybe 15 years older than myself, wore these things religiously. Of course, we always teased him because he looked like some sort of geek with them. He always said to me 'just wait, someday...'.

                              Well, a few years go by, (quickly too I might add), and one day I bought a set of these funny looking glasses just to try them out. I wore them once or twice, remembering how I used to tease Al, and then put them away. Then, a few short years later (and those passed even quicker), I was having issues putting some details on a freight car. I couldn't understand what was wrong. "If I could only see these darn things better". Without thinking about it, I pulled out the Opti-visor, put it on and WOW, what a difference.

                              Today, they proudly hang on a hook, awaiting their next assignment, which these days comes daily! They have earned a well deserved place in my tool box and I don't leave home without them. Wherever I go, they come out first to help me on a friends layout. When the younger guys say 'geez, you look like a geek', I simply reply 'just wait, someday....'!

                              Needless to say, my favorite tool are the Opti-visors.
                              Mark

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