"My recommended tools for making terrain" Topic

Just finished a short article for DaggerAndBrush showing you a selection of tools that will come in very handy for pretty much any terrain project. I keep it simple and recommend a number of tools for cutting and measuring; painting, sculpting and engraving; and tools that are nice to have, but not essential.

So if you just started making terrain or intend to make some this may come in handy.

wp.me/p49oPQ-IV

Nice article.
My most essential terrain tool is my dremel with 543 Cutting/shaping wheel
link

It's not the most precise instrument but it chews thrugh wood, plastic and plaster, sands, shapes, smooths (or textures) and is practically indistructible. I can't even remember the last time I swapped in a different bit.

Good info. You did not mention the two most important tools you have:
Courage to do it all
Talent .
Not for sale.

Thank you. Glad you found the article useful. That Dremel bit looks good. I only used the sandig attachment so far, but for the rough stuff this seems like a good choice.

Great list! I'd estimate that I've got maybe 75% of that kit in my workshop. Superb idea about using metal brushes to score & texture surfaces. I've got several brushes but have never used them for terrain making!

My list of Useful Wargaming Tools. hope it helps.

Take care

Andy

Some good ones there.

Don't forget rulers in both standard and metric measurements (a steel ruler is a must for working with cardstock when bending it), as well as pens, pencils, paper, tape, and glue as well, for some applications.

I'm using various glues right now, e.g. white glue, hot glue, and styrene glue, and need to find a good non-warping glue for paper and cardstock again, since the white glue is giving me a bit of trouble with that.

Various grades of sandpaper too, for some applications.

@PatrickWR: I think I got the metal brush one from the Terrain Tutor, but I can't remember.

Good list womble67. I'll put a link in my post, as you also cover miniature specific tools.

@Mako11: I'll follow up with a materials post. Glues will be definitely featured. Acrylic medium also works quite well as glue. Maybe some dots on your cardboard will do the trick?

I suspect I need to quit using paper for paper and cardstock buildings, and just use cardstock, to prevent some of the warping, though a glue less prone to that would be a good idea as well.

Problem is with the paper, if you thinly apply and/or spread the PVA/White Glue so thin, it gets very tacky, so unless you place the paper precisely, you can't reposition it like you would normally do, which is rather unfortunate.

Using cardstock does seem to be a bit more forgiving.

Will have to go back to some of the glues they recommended in model building class, ages ago, but some of those seem to now be out of production, and/or hard to find here in the USA. UHU is one, and I forget the name of the other, which we actually could get a few decades ago.

Might need to switch back to foamboard, and/or styrene sheeting, or plexiglass too, the latter of which we used to create shiny windows, after making mat board walls, and gluing those to the plex. We cut out openings for the windows, before gluing to the plastic.

I saw super-strength glue sticks in the drug store today, and wondered if those might work too. May have to give them a go, but they were pretty expensive compared to other glues.

Just came across the instruction video by Golden Acrylics. Maybe that gives you some ideas how to glue paper, cardstock etc.

YouTube link