Wooden model will demand a suite of different tools once you compare with plastic-models. So, let me give you some rough ideas about it.
1) Craft-knife vs. Snap-off knife
In many occasions, during your built-boat time it’ll be necessary to do quite precise timber cuttings. Sometimes small and very delicate ones. I can tell you there are many situations where a good cut will determine the future of your model – Failure or success. Bearing this in mind, is mandatory a good quality stainless steel craft-knife set. I mean a set since you’ll have several blade shapes for different cut situations and this could be very convenient.
Please, pay attention snap-off knife in not the same tool. Actually, it is designed for others activities, they normally have more flexible blades which could result in timber cutting imperfections.
2) Glue
It is not a tool properly however it is an important component to get success in your model kit. And, there are a sort of different kinds and glues formulation for each specific situation. The most common type is the PVA glue, it needs some minutes to few hours to cure. And, we can use it for the majority of circumstances (e.g. frames, supports, walls etc). The second type is the cyanoacrylate superglue it is a potent adhesive with seconds of cure time. And, it is used to fix small pieces and in situations where the time of cure is crucial. The third type is the contact adhesive it is very useful in the ship deck timber coating areas. In this particular situation, the contact adhesive has to be spread in each timber leaf (just in on side) and on the deck surface, after pre-cure (few minutes) place in contact each spread timber face on the deck covering all area. The complete cure time adhesive will take few hours.
3) Jaw (spring) clamps
Once you have added glue in your model components is quite important to maintain (sometimes for few minutes) the parts linked together. In this case, clamps are very useful and my suggestion is to have a set of them with different sizes (2”, 4” and 6” jaw aperture). But, consider do not buy items designed with heavy duty springs it potentially could damage the pieces. Try plastic clamps with mobile jaws or metal clamps with rubber embroiled jaws.
4) Pin pusher
Besides the glue some mounts in your model will need an extra reinforcement – The nails. And, these additional steps request a special tool. Please, do not use hammer for this kind of activity in the most of cases you’ll be using 0.8 to 1.2 mm nails and quite frequently those tinnies pieces will bend even with a light (4 oz) hammer. The best device is a pin or nail pusher, basically it is a cylindrical piston placed in a tube into which you insert a pin, then simply push the pin into your baseboard to pug the pin. However, pay attention in the tube diameter. Pin holder with 3mm tube certainly will be no effective if you’re working with 0.8 mm pin.
5) Sandpaper and sandpaper holder
After finish the job by gluing or nailing you’ll need sandpaper the surface aiming at improving your model aesthetical aspect. According to the ISO/FEPA, the grit designation used in wooden model could be between P80 to P220 (medium to very fine). Besides, a sandpaper holder is very important and using a contour cork/wood holder is the best. But, a high-density block sponge holder with a P80 sandpaper can be used instead.
So, I hope you enjoyed it and now… roll up your sleeves and get it started!