Visit to a crafts store

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billk

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Jun 12, 2001
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Today I paid a visit to a crafts store (Michael's) looking for a Dremel attachment that my "normal" sources didn't have. They didn't have it either, but I spent over an hour wandering around looking for it (they're not real organized and I was too proud to ask) and I did find:
- More kinds of glue, paint, inks, brushes, knives, etc than I knew existed.
- Some stuff used to make "gel candles", whatever they are, that you heat and pour into a mold. It looks almost totally transparent - might be a way to model water.
- All sorts of dried and artificial floral stuff. I got some that looks like it will make great N-scale pine trees when glued into a trunk.
- Little (about 1in long!) spring-type wooden clothespins that would make great little clamps for various projects, at 50 for around $2.50.
- Throwaway foam brushes, 10 for a buck.
- Little working clock faces, great for a town hall if I had one.
Anyway, I would recommend it to anyone. It was an hour well spent even if I didn't find what I was looking for.
 
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Woodie

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Mar 23, 2001
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Billk,

I love to "browse" too. You find all sorts of goodies in the junk boxes, however I have noticed with most suppliers. They never have exactly what you want. That chassis that goes with the loco kit, that decal that is needed, the right blue to match the prototype, the passenger coach set minus the dining car, the right Xclass deisel, but in the wrong livery, only 3 curved turnouts when you want 4. I think you all know what I mean!
mad.gif


TOOT!
 
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billk

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Andy - No Home Depot around here (Cedar Rapid, IA) but there is a Menard's. A while back I found a very reasonably priced CAD software package there (~$25, called QuickCAD) that I have used quite a bit drawing layouts, plans for trestles, etc.
 
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George

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Hello billk!

These art supply stores are a treasure trove for small details, or even just ideas from looking at things you never thought of.

If you like doing the layout up for Christmas, you will find all kind of decorations for a scale town square in the dollhouse accessory aisle.

And you're absolutely correct about the adhesives. They will always have a wider variety than any hobby shop or hardware store.

If you're up against a wall looking locally for Dremel bits, why not ask your local jeweler where he/she get theirs?

George.
 
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billk

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Jun 12, 2001
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George - Thanks for the tip about the jeweler's. Actually, what I was looking for ins't even on Dremel's web page, so it must have been a figment of my imagination!

Bill K
 
roryglasgow

roryglasgow

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I enjoy wandering around the nearby Hobby Lobby for the same reason: ideas. Plus, they sell a little bit of train stuff, so its convenient (although more expensive) if I need to pick up a few items.

What did you find that you thought might work well for pine trees? I picked up some caspia the other day to use as tree trunks (based on a recent MR article). I was thinking that the flowers on the ends might make good pine branches if glued onto a trunk...

-Rory
 
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billk

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Rory - Some stuff called "Stemmed Princess Pine". I'm going to try gluing the tips of it into holes drilled into a trunk. BTW, a plain old stright pin, stuck through an eraser and then chucked into my Dremel, makes a good (and cheap) drill bit for those holes.
Bill K
 
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Drew1125

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Jan 28, 2001
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Hey billk!
I get all my art supplies at Michael's. They have the best sellection of brushes, acrylic paint, gels, matte & gloss medium, & I got a Badger single action air brush for $20!!
They also carry a lot of plastic modeling supplies such as Xacto, Testors, etc...
Also, check out their plastic model kits. While they don't carry RR kits, they do have lots of ships, planes, & auto kits at marked down prices, & these can be a bonanza of detail parts such as pipes, vents, grills, & all kinds of do-dads to add to the layout!
I like browsing through that dried floral stuff too! (can you tell I love this place?)
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[This message has been edited by Charlie (edited 06-20-2001).]
 
V

Voice

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Another good place to look is a store selling stuff for teachers. I wander through one every so often, they have such goodies as powdered tempera paints (in BIG jars), acrylics, brushes and just all kinds of neat things. You just kind of have to ignore all the books, though....

Dick
 
roryglasgow

roryglasgow

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Shamus,

Thanks for the tips! Where I come from (East Texas) there are two species of pine tree that dominate: loblolly and longneedle (aka, longleaf). Unlike the big pines out West that many people model, these tend to have more rounded tops (think of a toilet brush as opposed to a cone). Those that grow in dense stands or forests have few branches except at the very top (up to 100 feet tall). Those that are fortunate enough to grow in an open area tend to spread out more, growing branches nearer the ground. I love these trees! I want to create pine forests on my layout, but I haven't found anything in kit form that looks like them. One of these days I'm going to sit down and try making some using caspia as branches...I'm not sure if it will look very realistic, though. :confused

Here are some links with pictures of both kinds of trees:

http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesLSH.asp?curGroupID=10&lshapeID=22&curPageNum=25
http://www.enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesLSH.asp?curGroupID=10&lshapeID=22&curPageNum=27

One of the things I really enjoy is standing in the middle of a pine forest on a hot, muggy afternoon in August. It's so quiet and the smell is awesome!
smile.gif


-Rory
 
roryglasgow

roryglasgow

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billk,

Speaking of Dremel bits... There is a web site called American Science and Surplus that sells oddball, reject and overstock items of various sorts. They list a number of bits for "Rotary and Dremel Tools" under the Tools section. You might want to take a look. I've never bought anything from them, so I can't vouch for their reliability, etc...

http://www.sciplus.com/
 
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