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slotbaker

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Great thread Burglar. I must examine it in more detail tomorrow.

 

I keep hearing this Foredom name lately. Heck I only just upgraded from a $40 multitool from Supercheap Auto (which mercifully finally died) to a Dremel 400 . . . now I hear I have the 1085 Lada, and there is still a Ferrari to be had . . . .

 

I have one of the cheaper soldering stations that Dick Smith used to sell, and the tips on that have never degraded at all. Maybe they are interchangable fit with the Jaycar ones.

Whereas I have an 80 watt iron for heavier work, from somewhere else which is confused between the solder and the tip . . I think it melts more tip than solder..

 

I use the DS station at 325 - 335 depending on which tip I am using and what work I am doing.

 

The best NEW tool I bought was this - the 199 cutting accessory for my dremel

http://gokimco.com/dremel-high-speed-cutter-bits-3-8-9-5mm-1-8-5.html

 

I had been using the .4mm cutoff blades but they clog on plastic. This is better, all-be-it needing of a firm had as it has a fairly brutal cutting action.

I think there are better bits again, but our local hardware store wants $60 for the exy holder and bit..... so will look online for cheaper.

Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict :ph34r:  *  Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose :rolleyes:)  *  Total kidder  *  Companion of other delusional slot addicts :lol:  

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I have to warn you that Foredom is not cheap. They are made in the USA with union labour. In fact, my shipment was delayed because the whole factory shut down for annual holidays! I don't think that happens in China ...

 

Here is the kit I bought on the Foredom site: http://www.foredom.n...kitk2272-2.aspx

 

I saved quite a bit of money going through an ebay seller, it ended up just over $300 shipped (shipping was $90 or so). Then I later bought the AK11 kit separately, I think it cost me under $60 delivered including its rotating burr holder, as well as the H.8 small diameter collet handpiece, which was probably the silliest purchase financially at $80, of which $38 was shipping, although it is a huge improvement on the bulkier chuck handpiece for some jobs. I couldn't find a cheap price on ebay ...

 

None of my other tools have been anywhere near that expensive. The second most expensive is probably the MB Slot puller/press combo, which I think together owe me something like $70 (delivered), and then the airbrush ($65 delivered), followed by that awful soldering station (I think that was $60). I don't have any expensive slot car tools like a truer. I figured that I'd get more use out of the Foredom. It's in a completely different league from the Dremel 400 (the closest competitor to the Dremel 400 is probably the Proxxon IB/E power tool). The Foredom SR's equivalent tool in the Dremel range is the Fortiflex, which are sold in Australia for $700.

 

This is the Foredom bit that I use most often for this hobby: http://www.foredom.n...amicpurple.aspx (ceramic sanding band mounted on a mandrel - the small diameter 3/32" mandrel comes with the AK11 kit, the larger 1/8" mandrel comes with the AK21kit).

 

Those things last for ages, and cut through plastic like butter, even at low speeds (speed on the SR is 0-18,000 RPM controlled by a footpedal, realistically slowest speed would be something like 300RPM, but heaps of torque).

 

I've heard good things about the Dremel Stylus, which apparently has the same speed range as a Dremel 400 (5,000-40,000RPM) but is cordless (and probably has less torque than your 400) but is only $100. If I were to buy a rotary tool to carry around it would probably be that. The Foredom has to be mounted on a stand.

 

The Jaycar soldering iron has a white coating on the tip, which burned. I then tried to file it off to leave the brass underneath (on the advice of a friend) but only half of the tip works at all now, and that not very well. I might just start using the woodburner as a low wattage iron. I really only do wiring at this point, and when I get around to doing the 1/24 brass chassis I will probably beg and plead my friend to help me first time out!

 

I really want to find time to have a go with that airbrush sometime soon. I really like the idea of getting some skills with that.

 

I have found the MB Slot press and puller to be excellent. I was able to get the press from Armchair but I had to get the puller sent over from Pendle Slot in the UK. Seems like they are getting harder to find here in Australia, but I really like them, especially the puller.

 

The Tamiya Handy Drill was excellent value at $15 delivered from Hong Kong, but you have to assemble it. I used that all the time. I don't use the Foredom for drilling, as it might kick too hard if it jams. I don't want to end up in hospital or have my cars smashed in little bits on the other side of the garage. The Handy Drill never melts plastic either.

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If you use alot of rubber tyres, then get yourself a tyre truer. For which you will need an adjustable power supply. The adjustable power supply has other uses of course, like running in motors and rpm testing (if you get a speed checker). All three are invaluable if you race competitively.

5 x National Champion

2 x National Enduro Champion

2 x HBMRC V8 Supercar Enduro Champion

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....In fact, my shipment was delayed because the whole factory shut down for annual holidays! I don't think that happens in China ...

Obviously you've not attempted to get anything done in China over the New Year cycle. Just ask Jules about that shut down.

 

Anyway. The Foredom is an interesting beast. Looks rather like a flexi-shaft dentist's drill that I used to use for engraving. In fact, if you're after diamond burrs for it I'd get in touch with your local Dentist. Alas all way out of my price league these days.

 

Definitely agree with Munter on the toothpicks and cottonbuds. Actually, scrub the tooth picks and make them bamboo skewers. Great for everything from mixing paint and applying foil, to glue application. And a bunch of pearl headed pins of the dressmaker's variety. They're longer than the normal steel pins. Really handy for fine application of oil or glue. And the pearl head makes them easier to find when you drop the darned things (assuming you don't want to use the metal detectors built into feet).

 

Another ueber cheapy to add to the collection is a small round bristle paint brush. Great for brushing tyre crud etc from body shells.

 

I don't have a setup block. I use a 10mm thick piece of black perspex with a slot cut in it. I was actually thinking of going to the local kitchen manufacturer and seeing about getting some granite and marble offcuts. But I can see that a similar flat block with some accurate grid markings on it would be useful.

 

I did splurge and bought myself a Tire Razor for X'mas. Worth the USD150ish invesment but I really would shell out more than that.

 

If anyone is in need of one, I have a new Deluxe Mitre Box (with saw) that is superfluous to my requirements. Grabbed a new one when I was placing an order from MicroMark for a bunch of stuff and they sent an extra mitre box instead of the strip cutter that I was after.

 

Embs

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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If you use alot of rubber tyres, then get yourself a tyre truer. For which you will need an adjustable power supply. The adjustable power supply has other uses of course, like running in motors and rpm testing (if you get a speed checker). All three are invaluable if you race competitively.

 

I don't race competitively, I just do it for fun with friends. I don't even own one of those controllers that people take around with them like their secret weapon. I do get frustrated though when the car doesn't run or handle right, and that's what motivates me to buy half of this stuff. I just like seeing if I can make it go better. I still get beaten by my friend Craig with his Camaro that has very little done to it except silicone tyres and some sanding and supergluing tricks all set up by eye, as he is a better driver than me and most of these tricks don't count for much in terms of improving driving, although they can make the car much more forgiving. Sometimes I'll get him to run one of my cars around the track to see if it will beat his own car. Usually they do. But then he still beats me in the races with his rattly old heap of crap!

 

@ Ember: I doubt the workers were paid ... I'm sure the management was paid though.

 

I do have toothpicks and cotton buds. The bristle brush is something I don't have, I'll add that to the list.

 

I have a lot of tool bits for that Foredom, most of them I don't understand what they are for! There is a book for $35 that explains what they are and how to use them to do jewellery stuff. I might buy that yet (even though the price is a rip-off) just so that I can get value out of these bits. At the moment I mainly use a couple of cutters and the purple sanding drums. You can use it for all kinds of things though. There are a series of kits that you can buy for it. An anglegrinder attachment, a drill press (the motor can be reversed), a taxidermy attachment, all kinds of things. I'm sure it's overkill but I'm also sure that given its quality I won't have to buy another one any time soon. All the reports on Amazon etc of various rotary tools burning out after a year turned me off them.

 

I think my next major purchase will be an adjustable power supply. Slotpig got one from Armchair for a nice price, I think $100, and it is a great unit. I need it for running in and stuff like that. I could eventually get one of those tirerazor things.

 

I got my set up block and the bushing alignment kit from Nick (nicdeals on ebay). He sells a lot of stuff from SCC (mainly the CB Design wheels) so when he was placing an order I asked him if he could special order a 1/24 set up block and the bushing alignment kit for me and add them to my existing order (thus saving a lot of postage). The set up block weighs quite a bit so it will add something to the postage cost, but the alignment kit did not. Nick does sometimes stock the 1/32 block but I got the larger one as I have two 1/24 chassis to set up. It helps me see if the axles are glued in crooked with one wheel higher than the other (this happened with the first time around raising the axle in my Monogram Fairlane). I polished it so that I can see underneath. That also makes gaps under tyres more obvious. I do need to find some feeler gages though, I'm pretty sure there are some among my grandfather's tools somewhere (I have all these tools that are 50+ years old).

 

How wide is the mitre box? Aluminium? I have the standard Excel one that you see in shops, it is great in how it mounts in a vice and has those aligning ribs in the bottom, but it is too narrow for some jobs. The saw could also be good. Is it a hacksaw style? Did they send you the strip cutter eventually? I would have bounced them ...

 

I'm always getting the wrong stuff sent. I recently bought a four-volume hardback set of books from the UK for $140 delivered, but one of the volumes was from the wrong set (the four volumes were part of a ten volume edition, they sent me volume one from a different sub-set). Realising that they could just send out the correct volume I also realised that they now had an incomplete set of this other one, so I asked about that. They had it at the same price as the set I bought (but it was one three volumes, not four) and there is a fourth related volume that was not included in that set but is part of the larger set. I managed to get my missing volume sent out with the two other volumes of the broken set they had plus that related one for $100 delivered, so I did okay there, especially as I really wanted those other volumes ... I did okay and he did okay, he got rid of eight volumes for $240. I could have bought a tyre truer with that money though, although I'd still need to power supply!

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The mitre box is a Midwest one.

35131-1001-2ww-m.jpg

Plastic, not metal. But I quickly discovered the limitations of the Excel one that I had. One of the reasons I'm not happy with my little shed is that the roof has a 45 degree pitch rather than a 30 or more modern 22.5. Pegs for holding the work in place. Even though it's plastic its a much better design than the Excel. 0.01" razor saw with it.

 

I should've got MicroMark to sort it out, but wasn't worth the sending back and forth and waiting and all the rest.

 

Did you really get a bargain out of sorting out the book problem out? I mean, would you have been buying the rest of the series anyway?

 

You will definitely find benefits with a variable power supply. That and the PM controllers (simplest no adjustment variety). Best slotting investment I've made.

Computers. They'll never catch on.

 

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Tiny Tyers Targa - The build saga continues - Aging wood - A recipe for staining wood - Don't take a fence - Step by step paling fence - An old shed for my new cars - Wooden garage under construction

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Did you really get a bargain out of sorting out the book problem out? I mean, would you have been buying the rest of the series anyway?

 

Yes, it was a bargain. In terms of his regular prices I basically got them half price. The set is the hardcover 1996 Thoemmes edition of the works of William Robertson, retails at over $1000 plus postage, of which I now have ten of the twelves volumes once these arrive, for a total cost of around $300. Unfortunately the two I am missing start at $500 second-hand <_<

 

That mitre box and saw looks interesting. If you are thinking of selling it let me know how much total to send to Adelaide, and I'll have a think about whether I really need it or if it will just end up as another gadget like the helping hands thing. Is it this Zona unit? http://www.micromark...eluxe,8431.html

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I find an electronic caliper to be the most useful tool I have.

 

Razor saw is useful for plastic. Some come with a small mitre box.

 

Multimeter? Was that mentioned?

 

Arc welding shield glass windows. (Stick sand paper on and use for basic tyre truing)

 

Feeler gauges

 

Small clamp-on-desk vice

 

EDIT: Typed this wearing Optivizor or "Geezer Goggles" jealous mine don't have a light!

Edited by FLY in the wall

Outside the box looking in.

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You don't own stuff: Stuff owns you!

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Having a cold drink on hot day with a few friends is nice, but having a hot friend on a cold night after a few drinks - PRICELESS.

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The wera drivers are better than wiha drivers.

 

Micro-Drivers--01.jpg

 

The green bits are inserted rubber for grip.

I don't leave home without them

They are about the same price.

 

http://www.wera-tools.co.uk/

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/sch/i.html?_sop=15&_sacat=0&_kw=wera+micro

...............Take it easy

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Ah, the optivisor. I've been thinking of getting one of those. They are around $30 on ebay, which is pretty reasonable. Which magnification do you use? I understand how they are useful in certain kinds of static modelling, especially military figures, ship, and train modelling, but I am curious as to when you might use them for slot cars, given the relative lack of detail. Or do you repaint your driver figures in artist's oils? ;)

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finding grub screws on the floor :ph34r:

 

Yes! Yes Yes!

I can't believe that I wanted to grow up

 

Mount Salt Panorama Track Combined Road and Rally Track built near Salt Pan Creek Padstow - Sydney

 

A quick build rally track

 

2017 WRP Round 11 at Mt Salt Panorama

 

https://i128.photobu...zpss7sqiwfj.jpg

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I think my next major purchase will be an adjustable power supply. Slotpig got one from Armchair for a nice price, I think $100, and it is a great unit. I need it for running in and stuff like that. I could eventually get one of those tirerazor things.

 

In addition to the airbrush compressor mentioned in the airbrush thread I also picked up one of those power supplies from Armchair online tonight. PWR-MP3800 $99.

 

Getting one step closer to that tyre trueing machine! From memory the power supply can run three tracks. I might hook it up to the two track SCX tri-oval test track (any tips on doing this? I'd probably have to rewire the start section I think, and maybe run different controllers) and leave one free for tyre truing, speed checking, running motors in, things of that nature.

 

EDIT: I relented and ordered one of those Tire Razors too. Being an Ember copy-cat :rolleyes: ... I hate it when the US dollar goes so low, it always sends me on a demented internet shopping spree. Well at least it's something I might actually use in the next year, unlike many of the movies that I have bought and don't seem to find enough time to watch or the books that I'll have to live to 150 years old to get through ... An Iwata Eclipse HP-BS airbrush can be added to the list of stuff too ... Now I just have to work out how to use half of this stuff :unsure:

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got two male and one female quick-release couplings for my airbrushes plus adaptors to fit these to my Paasche airbrush and hose (there is no need for the adapters if using the Iwata size fittings) for under $19 from an ebay seller in Taiwan. Nice set-up and no air leaks detected on a test fit, although I might add some white plumbers tape to the threads to make sure:

 

357lug8.jpg

 

The Paasche H is on the left, my new Iwata Eclipse HP-BS is on the right. I also received my Tire Razor (with 1/24 kit, consisting of lower sanding block and larger drive pulley) and an adjustable power supply (from Kevin @ Armchair) this week:

 

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Looking forward to trying this stuff out. I will give the Tire Razor a go truing my tyres before our next Trans Am meeting.

 

By the way, my grandfather built that workbench, and it is as old as my father (nearly 70 years old), hence the lack of paint and wear and tear!

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  • 2 weeks later...

I got one of these hobby spray booths from ebay for $90 plus postage. It is the same booth that Paasche sells (they sell a bit of Chinese stuff now, including an apparently terrible knock-off of a Badger 350 airbrush in some 'EZ' kit) for $200. This unit also sells for that at Hobby Tools. I don't think it's the best booth in the world - I will probably line it with contact paper or something to protect the paper, and I doubt that I will fold it up often as it seems likely to break the retractable cord - but it is good value for money, as far as that goes. It saves me the bother of building one.

 

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I have also picked up one of these 'spraysafe' masks. Not a bad deal through local hardware shop, at least I know I can get new filters when I need them.

 

48AA7CC821A82E0E6C7A56C11A2E10E7193CDA.jpg

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The turntable is kind of crappy so I am replacing it with one of these: Tamiya Spray Work Painting Stand

 

It includes two stands, one of which seems perfect for spraying car bodies, the other one I will use of tanks etc

 

Edit: this stand arrived today, took less than a week to arrive from the USA. Looks pretty good except the ball bearings in the base spin so freely that I think it might spin even with the air pressure from the airbrush. Quick fix: fold a piece of paper twice and then jam it between the base and the stand, it provides enough drag to stop that while still allowing you to move it by hand. The diameter of the stand is no greater than the one that came with the booth, so it will fit easily. I needed something to raise the work up a little bit and there is plenty of vertical room within the booth.

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