household objects

[Tom Geiger]

Okay, household item tip. My wife uses these Swiffer mop pads extensively. They come in a plastic box with a clear lid. Since she's using them anyway, the boxes are free to me.

They come in two heights. I believe the lower box comes with 15 pads in it and the taller one 25... or something like that. They are perfect for modelers. The taller box can hold a project, while the shorter one is great for parts collections. Here's some of my parts boxes.

Here's my bench at my old house. Notice that I keep all my unfinished projects on the shelves above the bench so they stay in my mind. Many of these have gone into these project boxes since they stack nicely and have a clear top.

Edited April 5, 2014 by Tom Geiger

[David G.]

I use wire from twist ties that come in boxes of trash bags for fuel and brake lines.

Here's a fuel line made from that wire.

David G.

[mnwildpunk]

Once a lighter is all. Used up I pull it apart and inside is perfect lil tube you can drill out the end and use it for exhaust tips or injector stacks

[Yo Jutt]

Hi guys! I like to use hockey stick tape for seat belts. It comes in different colours and can be painted as well.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Cut up soda or beer cans can be used for all sorts of things. I use pieces for small brackets & things like wire looms & battery cable ends. It's just sheet aluminum so the sky's the limit. I used it for the brackets for the heater hose & carburetor return spring as well as radiator hose clamps on this '60 Buick engine. Steve

[webestang]

Not household but restaurant.....I used a creamer container from Cracker Barrel for a scale trash can.......

[MeatMan]

Great ideas guys. I recently came across one of those foil food pans. The thickness looks just right for a wide range of uses including race car interior tin. I haven't used it yet but I couldn't pass it up as it was free!

[Krazy Rick]

Vaccuformed pill packaging works like a charm for porthole windows on van, truck & trike models - like I've used here, on my "Trike-a-delic" ..... if you look at all the different sized vaccuform packaging, ( and shapes ) - you'll see many uses, headlight covers, etc.

[John Pol]

Good to see you on here Rick the trick looks great

[bobthehobbyguy]

Great ideas. Ingenuity is a big part of model building.

[samdiego]

One of my favorite Bare Metal Foil tools is old business cards. I'll use a folded over corner to work foil into tight areas but one thing that surprised me was how well they polish the foil. I use the matte uncoated cards (or the inside of most matchbooks) and burnish just as hard a the part will allow. There almost seems to be a coating that this removes and takes it to near mirror finish without any scratching. The drawback would be that you can't really get into small recesses. I also use bus cards as scrapers to remove paint and glue or to absorb both from unwanted areas. So make friends with your HR People and you can score boxes of cards from former employees.

I use toilet paper, folded into a half inch thick block and dampened to press foil into shapes. This will press the foil into very small areas without tearing. Again squeezing as hard as the part will allow. I'll use a bench vice to squish foil into things like this 1/8 scale license plate style club plaques and such.

[samdiego]

On the flip side, I knew a girl at the University of Arizona in the late 70's who claimed her father invented the flashcube. When these were new I figured out that you could cross the wires and trigger the flash in your hand. I'll figure more of them were lost to this in my house than were used for photos.

[Mike_G]

I use wire from twist ties that come in boxes of trash bags for fuel and brake lines.

Here's a fuel line made from that wire.

David G.

I use that for removable dipsticks.

[samdiego]

I used a cluster of 4 inside trays from Archway Cookies as a group of industrial buildings in an HO scale diorama of a fantasy space complex. Sort of a streamline modern Quonset hut look. I painted them gray with a bit of window and door detail added.

This is a Hallmark Christmas ornament in an old Cassette tape holder (look it up). The rock wall rocks and stump are from the yard. The model on the stump is from a 1/24 scale trophy

Edited December 13, 2014 by samdiego

[Captain Obvious]

In the past, I've used black duct tape for seatbelts and fuel tank straps, a kitchen splatter screen or juice strainer for grill mesh, and guitar string for a radio antenna. I'm at work right now, so no pics on my work PC...but I'll see if I have any examples when I get home.

Edited December 9, 2014 by Captain Obvious

[Tom Geiger]

In the past, I've used black duct tape for seatbelts and fuel tank straps,

I've made seat belts from masking tape. Just spray Testors Dullcote on the glue side and it neutralizes it. Then paint the tape any color you want and cut to narrow strips to make belts. I've also found that 1/16" ribbon can be bought at that auction place very cheaply. I've bought both black and white ribbon. Black gets used on the majority of models, while white can be 'stained' with Sharpie pens to match any color you desire.

[landman]

I don't know if I'll get chastised for posting this here but it is about a scale model and it is relevant to the current topic. This guy builds these masterpieces using junk and "household items".

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f13/2-3-scale-cars-motorcycles-55257/

[olsbooks]

Building a 1/16 semi with operating roof clearance lights. I wanted bulbs instead of LED's and the lenses supplied with the kit were clear. Everything I tried looked way too fake. I wanted the light to be diffused more like the real thing. So, orange candle drippings were poured all over the bulb and then "shaved" to shape. Once I had it close, I gently used my fingers to "polish" it out. Did the same on the tail light lenses. And to get a textured pattern, while the wax was still just a bit soft, I just put a fingerprint impression in it.

Edited January 7, 2015 by olsbooks

[Darren B]

I primarily build low riders and they have an accessory that was an air cooler in the old days, I use photo etched screen for the vent screen but its hard to cut and shape, as I was cleaning today and picked up my simple green spray I noticed that they have put a mesh screen in the tip that goes over the end for it and was thinking if carefully cut out and sanded would work great for this task in the future or for any other place where a small screen or mesh would be needed, the photos of my hell train build shows how I scratched the air cooler with the wire mesh, I will try to use this in the next project that I build.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Darren B

[chunkypeanutbutter]

Swamp cooler!

[Darren B]

yes that's it I couldn't think of the name. I did not realize just how expensive the 1 to1 coolers cost for the real car. wow they are insane.

[cruiseliner]

I use surgical tape cut into thin strips to scale, for header heat tape (wrap) or motorcycle exhaust heat tape (wrap).It also takes paint well and is very strong.Heaps of other uses and very cheap.

[jeffdeoranut]

glad im not only one who gets those "looks" in stores...here r a few household items I use:

-I take apart old vcrs, tvs, stereo stuff. they r full of diff size wire and mertal thingies that I use for blower scoops

-old vcr tape cases have a great texture to use as the pads on top of truck rear bumpers or on step pads on running boards

-faucet mesh inserts make great speaker grills

-straight pins with head cut off and chucked in ur motor tool can be used as drill bits

-cheap pencil sharpeners have great colored transparent plastic for many uses

-wifes birth comtrol pills came in neat grooved plastic boxes-almost exactly like the breather n valve covers on scott sullivans 55 cheez wiz chevy-can be used for seat inserts as well

-real car rear view mirror replacement mirror stuff can b used to make mirrored firewalls

-some brands of coffee have 1 inch square mirror like parts on foil lid...I use this for all mirrors n it looks much better than kit parts

-the yellow-orange  or white foam trays that meat is packaged in make great air cleaner foam elements

-other treasures inside cheap disposable cig lighters: metal pc that makes great magnetos, metal pc that makes radiator cap or gas tank cap and a tiny o-ring that I use for the seal found on one to one shocks(use caution taking lighters apart and only when empty!!!)

-sewing pins with round heads make convincing in scale  floor

-shifters and pinhead can b shaped to resemble turn signal and gear shift levers

-lids from pringle chips make thruway palletes for mixing paint, epoxy, etc

[DiscoRover007]

Cut up soda or beer cans can be used for all sorts of things. I use pieces for small brackets & things like wire looms & battery cable ends. It's just sheet aluminum so the sky's the limit. I used it for the brackets for the heater hose & carburetor return spring as well as radiator hose clamps on this '60 Buick engine. Steve

I've heard about this for years but for the life of my I have no idea how you guys cut them to shape and make hose clamps or ignition items. Would love some advice on that.

[StevenGuthmiller]

Cut up soda or beer cans can be used for all sorts of things. I use pieces for small brackets & things like wire looms & battery cable ends. It's just sheet aluminum so the sky's the limit. I used it for the brackets for the heater hose & carburetor return spring as well as radiator hose clamps on this '60 Buick engine. Steve

I've heard about this for years but for the life of my I have no idea how you guys cut them to shape and make hose clamps or ignition items. Would love some advice on that.

I just use a small set of scissors for cutting the aluminum. trim it up to the general shape you want, maybe a little sanding if necessary, drill any holes with a pin vice & bend it to the desired shape.

 

Steve