Assembling and gluing

Safety warning Soldering irons get very hot and can reach temperatures in excess of 400 degrees centigrade, so always take great care when using a soldering iron. Give consideration to the workspace where you will be soldering as hot soldering...

Soldering irons are a little bit like the children's story "Goldilocks and the three bears": some are too hot, some are too cold and some are just right, but which is which when it comes to modelling and why?An entry-level soldering iron will be...

A pin pusher is a special tool designed to hold a small pin, tack or nail in place while you use the handle to push it into a board or wall. This makes them ideal for installing track pins or nails.If you have ever laid flexible track, then you...

There are a couple of different product types you can use to fill gaps on a model, which type you use will depend on the size of the gap, how much detailing surrounds the gap and finally which filler material you are most comfortable working...

Flux is a chemical agent that can be used when soldering to give joints good adhesion, facilitate the solder's flow and create a better electrical connection.Flux does this when heated to high temperatures by dissolving any impurities in the...

If you are a modeller, then you have likely heard of PVA glue, but you may not be aware that PVA comes in many forms and is known by several names such as wood glue, white glue, school glue or carpenter's glue. These names suggest that PVA glue...

Hand drills are used in modelling for intricate jobs where a power drill would not provide the delicacy, pace and accuracy required when working on a small scale or delicate project.Quite often modellers will need to drill holes into a model...

There are three main types of hand drills used in modelling, all with quite amusing or non-descriptive names including eggbeaters (officially known simply as hand drills or wheel braces), the Archimedean drill, which developed into the push drill...

An Archimedean drill is a type of hand-operated drill that's often referred to as a push drill.The device looks a little like a complicated screwdriver,  its main features comprising a handle, a specially shaped shaft and a collet on the...

An 'eggbeater' is a type of hand drill so-called because its appearance resembles an egg whisk.Officially known as a wheel brace, these types of drill are favoured by carpenters and modellers alike due to their ability to create neat and...

A  mitre box is a metal framework designed to hold an item of building material in place while you saw through it at an exact angle thanks to the box's integral saw-guiding slots.These tools are of particular interest to scratch-builders who...

Clip-on spectacle mags are individual magnifying lenses for people who wear glasses but still struggle to see close up while modelling. The device looks very similar to a single lens of a pair of swimming goggles and simply clips onto the frame of...