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Old 12-18-2007, 10:13 PM
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Mark II Mark II is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CPMcGraw
1. A 12" steel ruler for making straight cuts with your X-Acto knife...
2. More than one X-Acto #1 knife with a fresh blade...
3. A spare pack (or two) of fresh #11 blades for your X-Acto knife...
...

It would also be a good idea to have a #2 Xacto knife (like the #1, but bigger and with a thicker handle) and a pack of #24 blades (identical to the #11 blades, but larger and stronger). I use mine all the time to cut balsa or basswood that is too thick for a #11 blade, but too thin for a razor saw. I also use it to cut thin (up to 1/16") aircraft plywood.

Also, a self-healing cutting mat, and a clear plastic mat. The latter is helpful to protect your work surfaces when you are gluing. (Especially for your self-healing cutting mat - you really, really do not want to get glue on that. Repeatedly replacing cutting mats gets pretty expensive.)

In addition:

- a box of craft sticks, a box of round toothpicks, and at least one dowel of every diameter that you can find. The craft sticks and toothpicks are indispensible for applying glue. The dowels have a gazillion uses, as you will find out.

- a box of nitrile gloves (usually colored blue or purple). These are much better than latex for protecting your hands from harsh chemicals and epoxy glue. And a pack of cheap white cotton gloves, for keeping fingerprints off of your newly painted models - after the paint has fully cured, of course! You can get both types of gloves at an auto parts store.

- a quart of acetone, and a bottle or three of isopropyl alcohol. The acetone is for cleaning up CA, and the alcohol dissolves and helps clean up uncured epoxy glue. It is helpful to have bulk quantities of both on hand, as you will eventually find out. (In addition to the commonly-found 71% isopropyl alcohol, Wal-Mart also sells 91% isopropyl, for the same price. Look for the bottles with the red label.)

- finally, a pack of dust masks, at least one pair of eye guards, and a good quality respirator. You will want to live long enough to become a BAR, and we want you to, as well.

Mark K.
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