My Toolbox just got Bigger!

[Rick Lowe]

I still have to get the point in the right place. So far I have marked out and drilled two holes, one of which is defiantly off center. I have another twelve holes to make, and all of them are pairs of holes that are on opposite sides of the tube and have to match up.

I salute you sir 

Might be easier to drill from one side, and go straight through the other?
You'll still have to check you're precisely across the middle of the diameter, though.

[Wardukw]

I finally managed to get hold of a Vacform machine, after quite a few years of nebulous plans to make one.

On special for $20 at Spotlight!! 
At that price, it would have been rude not to. It comes with 4 sheets of PET-G as well.

5.5" (14cm) square bed, so good enough for my uses.
Only need to add a vacuum cleaner, and as I have to get one anyway...

Should be good for normal styrene too.

I have immediate plans for canopies, especially as the resin printed ones didn't work at all well.

One Very Happy Modeller! 

A very good score matey 👍
One plastic ya might want to try is the clear packets ya get from the shops which the supermarket has its own biscuits..donuts and the like in ..pak n save have these wonderful afgan biscuits and the package is thin very clear plastic..to flatten it for the rubbish I use boiling water..it's gets very soft very fast and it's flexible as hell to.
Might be worth a try bud and if that fails ..lovely biscuits 😀

[Rick Lowe]

I finally managed to get hold of a Vacform machine, after quite a few years of nebulous plans to make one.

On special for $20 at Spotlight!! 
At that price, it would have been rude not to. It comes with 4 sheets of PET-G as well.

5.5" (14cm) square bed, so good enough for my uses.
Only need to add a vacuum cleaner, and as I have to get one anyway...

Should be good for normal styrene too.

I have immediate plans for canopies, especially as the resin printed ones didn't work at all well.

One Very Happy Modeller! 

A very good score matey 👍
One plastic ya might want to try is the clear packets ya get from the shops which the supermarket has its own biscuits..donuts and the like in ..pak n save have these wonderful afgan biscuits and the package is thin very clear plastic..to flatten it for the rubbish I use boiling water..it's gets very soft very fast and it's flexible as hell to.
Might be worth a try bud and if that fails ..lovely biscuits 😀

That's what I thought. In fact not just 'rude', but 'stoopid'...

And the biscuit tray sounds like a plan - we have noticed before the various trays flatten out nicely, when cleaning them for the recycling.

The only issue is whether the plastic will Yellow over time... Aeroclub, for example had issues like that.

[Weaver]

From Ebay:

Two 3" clamp-on swivel vices with PROPER clamps that I can actually attach to the rounded (kitchen worktop) edge of my workbench, and at the end where it's hard up against a vertical surface.

When I say "proper", I mean with sliding cross-bars on the screw, not little plastic knobs that you can't get enough torque with to really hold them on.

[Weaver]

From ebay:

DSPIAE MT-EC circle cutter.

[Weaver]

From Telford:

AK Photoetch bending tool - finally one at a sensible price! (£18 from Jadlam)
Trumpter model saw set - the one with the orange plastic handles on a sprue. I broke the gizmo for scribing/cutting around tubes on my last one, so now I know what to look out for.
3 rolls each of Tamiya 6mm and 10mm yellow tape.

From Jadlam, 1 each of Microsol and Microset, plus a 3D printed stand for them. I'm actually going to use the stand for Humbrol tinlets since it's quite shallow. I used to put tinlets in the EBMA laser-cut MDF stand I have, but that's quite deep and one day I absent-mindedly tried to press the lid on again and broke it the stand because the tinlet was suspended by it's lip, not resting on the base.

[Rick Lowe]

My Revell filler is going off in the tube, so I got some Hobby Mio from Ali - seems good so far, so we'll see how we go.

[kerick]

A little past tense here but I still have one of those ooooollld Mattel vacuform machines from back in the day when kids weren't considered so precious and stupid. The heating element doesn't work and the bellows don't draw a vacuum but I should try hooking it to a vacuum cleaner and possibly replace the bellows or seals.
This minus all the other little parts you see here.

[Andrew Gorman]

This upgrade kit  makes a huge difference in performance for the Mattel:
https://madisonmotorparts.com/mattel-vac-u-form-machine-rebuild-kit-mattel-vackit?srsltid=AfmBOoo82nYBG_mRBfvvba3sxZ4wk2bcSbEyL9fkUxE35Rp9pOycgcMn
 really night and day difference after installation! For the heater not working, if it doesn't work at all it's probably a broken connection, and i it has failed completely other Period Mattel toys, like the Thing Maker used the same heater assembly.  Find a like minded hobbyist nearby and they should be willing to help troubleshoot.  I don't use mine frequently, but I'm glad it's there when I need it. 

Dang- just noticed the kit is out of stock, but better feet for the unit, a cover for the heater as it warms up and silicone lube for the pump can be sourced elsewhere.  Lots of information on rebuilding and getting these toys back into service  is all over the web.  The upgrades are well worth it!
One more edit- scrape any accumulated goop off of the heating surface.  Over the years melted plastic et. can build up an insulating layer of carbon there.  Just a paint scraper/razor blade scraper will do it and not affect the steel surface.

[frank2056]

Ken - I have that upgrade kit and it really improves the vac-u-form.  Andrew's suggestions should work if you want to get it back into operation. The heater is just AC from the wall going into the power switch and from there straight to the heating element. Make sure it's unplugged... and trace all the connections from the power cord to the heater. My guess is either a broken connection or a bad power switch.

[kerick]

I knew you guys would come up with good advice! I'll try that improvement kit.

[NARSES2]

Simply picked up some Mr Surfacer 500 and 1000 at Telford.

[Gondor]

Received today

A 1" set Square
A pack of Five fine-tipped tweezers
A Doming Set, 19pc 18 Hardened Steel Punches and Flat Doming Block

Gondor

[Gondor]

Arrived today, two items that I had been looking for at Telford, but no one had anything.



They only recently came back into stock as well. So an early Xmass presant to myself 

[PR19_Kit]

What does a 'micro-rolling set' do please Alastair?