I save the lids from coffee cans for mixing small amounts of epoxy. Just draw two equal lines and then mix. The next day when the remainder has dried, it just peels off and can be reused. In 28 of years of modeling, I'm only on my second 1000 box of craft sticks (popsicle sticks) great for mixing anything. And my recipe for after run oil is equal parts of Marvel Mystery oil for pneumatic tools and ATF fluid. Only had to mix that once.


This is a good thread. Lots of good ideas.

Google a surgical supply house. You can buy 100 #11 scalpel blades and a stainless steel handle for less than $20.00. They are MUCH sharper than Xacto blades and hold an edge better. The only time I reach for an Xacto knife is when I need something more rigid, but that is probably less than 5% of the time.

Ace Hardware has all the bolts and nuts we use including blind nuts and lock nuts. They have Epoxy and good wood glues, sand paper, dremel supplies, brass tubing, piano wire, dowels, (mine even carries balsa), Locktite, Exacto products, brushes, rustoleum paints, good tape, ceiling tiles for building boards, and on and on. Pennies for nuts and bolts. Everything is cheaper.

I thought I was the only one here on a limited budget. I like to support my LHS as much as I can but if it wasn't for Ace hardware I would never fly. If that is what you can call what I do with an airplane. Crash would probably be a better term I seem to do that the majority of the time. [:@]

I know we need too use the LHS but I would rather buy planes and radio stuff and fuel from them than Way over priced screws and epoxy.

I just did A road trip to Harbor freight today. Got A HVLP spray gun for 14 bucks, more clamps and acid brushes. Even found A pack of long thin screw drivers needed to keep my fingers out of the prop when adjusting the low ends.
Pudding cups always get washed out and used for epoxy mixing. Not good for acetone but lessons well learned over time.

Great thread here. When you live 200 miles from the "local" hobby shop you learn to improvise or you spend a lot of time and money ordering from Tower. The local hardware store actually started carrying some of the smaller size hardware just to help me out.
The nice ladies at the craft shop are sure I'm up to no good when I want 300 t-pins, that big piece of cork board, some 1/4" foam, and half a dozen pinwheels (pushrod tubing). I leave them in the dark...hee, hee.

Rufcut

Yep, the sewing shop and craft store is where I get A lot of little stuff too.
Micro Fastner!! When I was in Calif. the guys at the club would get together when ever an order was being made and buy as A group. It just saved on shipping, something to start thinking about again.
I always buy at least 400 servo screws plus A lot of #2 and #4 stuff. Almost every plane I build has 6 servos so that's 24 screws just for servos. I use the heck out of them for other stuff too so that's only about A two year supply. It's time for another order too but I haven't mentioned it to the guys I fly with now, better do that this week.

I just bought a centering dowling apparatus at Harbor Freight for $13.00. Yes, I used it for the hobby. I made some Venessa CG machines and used the device to drill the dowel hole. Worked great and other places wanted 50-60 dollars for it.