"Your favorite old tool!" Topic

This might provide some smiles. What's your most beloved and useful vintage tool that helps you in this toy soldier hobby? I'll start with "Old Betsy" -- this jacknife of unknown origin that I received from my grandfather's toolkit, I believe, in my teen years. It would have been an old knife then. But I have used it ever since the mid-70's to cut, clean, and scrape miniatures, pry open Humbrol tins -- it has never let me down! I normally just use the small blade for everything. These days I have x-acto knives and metal files to handle many tasks, but Old Betsy is never far away and is indispensable to me.

What are your favorite tools that have stood the test of time?

My old tool is working just fine, thank you very much!

Im not sure it's my favourite but I can think of a old tool.

I have 2.

1: a 'P38' can opener that has been on my key ring since the 70's

2: a Leatherman that I've had since 1989

I got an aluminum letter opener in a Christmas gift 15, 20 years ago. The rest of the "desk tools" kit has long disappeared, but that letter opener is the best thing ever for spreading modeling putty on bases and for applying gap-filling putty.

I use a 40 year old Stanley knife for cutting and trimming. The blade is non-retractable, which seems to make the blade less prone to moving around. I've had several more modern, retractable craft knives over the years, but my old Stanley is my favourite and gets daily use.

I sometimes use a pin to paint very small details (like horses' eyes) I drilled a hole in a BB & epoxied the pin into it. Been using it almost 40 years… ;-)