5 Cheap Hobby Tools Every Mini Painter Needs

[@Ninjon]

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[@batou1468]

as with the lacquer, safety should always be promoted when it comes to using resin. even the ones claiming "eco friendly" or "low fumes" are still toxic to skin and lungs.

[@EggyBreadWorkshop]

For filling larger gaps with UV resin: Mix your resin with baby powder to make a paste. Easier to control than the straight liquid resin. Easily sandable. We've been doing this for years in the 3D printing hobby.

[@greyhaunt8121]

Does it interfere with the curing at all since it limits the transparency of the resin? Asking as I've used UV in jewelry and we do run into that problem when adding color to UV resin sometimes.

[@Gwenx]

That is very worth a try!

[@rogthepirate4593]

@@greyhaunt8121 I would assume so, honestly. It's likely something you won't notice since the outer shell will cure fully, but it may very well result in some uncured resin in the gap. Which is likely not as big of an issue if it's in a paste form and contained by said hard outer shell, but also still not great because it's still uncured resin, and that can ruin a model even years down the line. In conclusion, I wouldn't risk it. It's an issue you can't really see but it can ruin things a long time after you're done with the model. Not worth the risk I think.

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

Or don’t, and it doesn’t need to be sanded.

[@kennyvanlimbergen7409]

Could you use the uv resin also for filling layerlines and sanding it

[@judgementalseagull8905]

Between the AK paints, Mr Thinner and Tamiya Extra Thin, Ninjon gonna start painting a Panzer tank

[@Senor_Elegante]

Do we all know that tamiya extra thin is EXACTLY the same product as the tamiya airbrush cleaner but about 4 times as pricey? That’s been one of my biggest money saving tip. I learnt it from Juan Hidalgo miniatures. Amazing KZbin channel if you’re in the hobby! Also the tamiya XF white (needs tamiya thinner) is the smoothest airbrush paint I’ve ever come across. This one I learnt from cult of paint - and another incredible hobby channel. (Edit a typo)

[@utakuryukko2023]

And even cheaper would be to buy a bottle of Butyl Acetate and a bottle of Acetone, both available in any good chemical supply shop, and mix them 50/50 (in volume). With a 1 litre bottle of each, I got nearly a lifetime supply of glue. No dangerous reaction will ever happen, that's just 2 solvents. Just wear a standard organic vapor mask when doing it, but if you're airbrushing enamels/lacquers you already have one (I hope so).

[@4_am]

You lie sir, one is a 50/50 mix the other is a 49/51 mix totally different product. I didn't even think of buy the base cemicals and mixing it myself!

[@Senor_Elegante]

@@4_am yeah I believe a company must change the proportions to legally denominate something as a different product…

[@4_am]

@@Senor_Elegante hehe, I think I heard the same.

[@photonfartsqueeze6694]

This blew my mind. A friend told me about it the other year.

[@jacobstrong1494]

The mini hobby really needs to get on board with more tools and products that the Gundam community uses. The gundam community has soooo many high quality products that are perfect for miniature/warhammer painting. These two hobbies should be married together, not seen as enemies like they are now.

[@jaredfinkenbinder]

The same goes for regular plastic modeling hobby too. I have been trying out some Gundam tools and recommend many of them to the members in my modeling club. It's also worth looking at the model railroad layout builders, their craft has a lot of useful ideas for terrain and basing.

[@evilpeachesofdoom]

@@jaredfinkenbinder Totally agree with this statement. My local hobby shop has many different departments, all with different "guys" who know a lot about products. They always always tap into the knowledge base of each other to solve a problem for the best price possible. They have even sent me to different stores to get products they didn't have in the quantity I needed instead of selling me multiple small items. The Gundam guys are a wealth of knowledge on modeling, also, railroad and historical guys have crazy work around ideas.

[@HerrDoktah]

Any standout suggestions?

[@jaredfinkenbinder]

@@HerrDoktah Glass Files. I got the set from Steadi on Amazon. Also, almost ANY tool from Dspiae. Their vice (any of the three versions) is a super tool to have in your toolbox.

[@ninjatango]

Not much has any use in miniatures. I cringe when I see people ruining high quality side cutters on GW sprues for instance.

[@Dewoy1]

*Blutack* is definitely something i can´t live without anymore. Its like a non hardening sticky clay. Its got infinite applications, from dry fitting your models/being able to play with them and still sub assambly paint them later, to storing my brushes upside down after cleaning, fixing models on a paintpods as a handle, making a base for a bottle of glue that would otherwise fall over easily. Its just a versetile product to have! And the longer you have it, the more usecases you´ll find. It´s a must have for any hobbiest in my opinion.

[@Xanthelei]

One caveat is, make it the real stuff. I'm working through a pack of knock off grey stick tack, and it's just terrible. Plenty sticky with none of the hold, thins out way too easily, sticks in crevices when I'm trying to remove it. Never had those problems with actual Blutack.

[@M.Melnick]

As someone new to painting I think a brush nearby that I can use to get rid of mistakes is a great cheap hobby tool.

[@asafoetidajones8181]

I have three sizes of eraser brush, ready to scrub wet mistakes. They're the cheapest, stiffest kid's brushes, with black synthetic bristles. The stiffness helps them erase better. Whenever I paint, I keep them in water with a stack of 2x2 paper towel squares. The corner of the pt square is for absorbing the excess. I've even got to the point where I'm confident enough erasing that I might dip an old cut down natural bristle brush in acetone and get right in there scrubbing down dried paint.

[@Ultimateprototype13]

Just a word of caution with lacquer primers and paints, as someone who has airbrushed gunpla with them. I'd recommend not just a half faced respirator, but a full faced one instead. Or half faced with proper goggles. One painter I follow who uses them fucked up his eye once, due to not using one. They're stronger than enamels and can have a strong smell as well, so may be a bit much for bedroom painting. Stay safe friends, happy painting, and much love to ya Jon!

[@SamuraiMujuru]

As a BIPAP using hobbyist I've got a better recommendation. A perfectly serviceable water distiller runs about $75, so for a little over the price of two of the linked 12 packs you can have unlimited distilled water.

[@cartilagehead6326]

I’ll do one better: for $200-300 you can get a full RODI setup and then you’re ready to go for when you decide to take up the hobby of reefkeeping

[@tollietime]

@@cartilagehead6326 Ill take your offer and raise you, got an A/C unit in your home?? that poops distilled water by the yard everyday! collect it, run it through a paint filter and boil that sucker up boom instant free SAFE distilled water (gotta boil it to avoid legionnaires disease if you're gonna put it near an airbrush!)

[@user-ii7kb2bc4g]

or you could just boil water, then let it cool.. then boil it again.. and poof you have distilled water.

[@utakuryukko2023]

@@user-ii7kb2bc4g No, that's not what distilled water is. Although a lot of what is sold now as distilled water is now just deionized water. Boiling water twice will get rid of all bacterial/viral contamination, will remove a bit of the minerals but not all.

[@pariahzero]

Distillation is a solution that works well for those of us who live in a desert, where water is a scarce resource. RODI wastes about liters of water to produce liter of purified water. Distillation wastes almost none. (The tradeoff being distillation uses electricity; but solar energy is more plentiful).

[@ModernSynthesist]

Huzzah! Continue spreading the gospel of Nivea for sculpting! Glad you gave it a go when I randomly dropped it in your mailbox. And so happy to see you using Apoxie Sculpt as that's another big brain sculpting move!

[@rolling-roadkill]

I gave a small jar of sprue goo to my mom and her husband a while ago. They had bought a caravan which had small cracks on the panels and I told them to try that on a small area to see if it does the trick. Now I've had to make more goo since it worked so well and was so easy to use, they wanted to have a bigger batch at hand in case of other repairs needing done. 😄

[@matteolaborg]

"All the microbes and nasty stuff in your standard water" is not entirely accurate. The contamination originates from the environment after it is dispensed. Distilled water can become equally contaminated, all other factors being equal, depending on how long it is sitting around and how it's being used. A good practice is to change out the water, whatever type you are using, more often and to clean and disinfect your wet pallet regularly.

[@ClkwrkDragonfly]

THIS! Using distilled water is great for keeping minerals out if you have hard water, but it does very little to reduce growth in your wet palette. In fact, given that a lot of municipal water in the US is chlorinated, unless Jon is on well water he'd possibly see less microbial growth with tap water until the chlorine gasses off since it's actively antimicrobial. Also, if you're so concerned about it that you're still willing to spend that kind of money regularly (or if you have very hard water) it's more economical in the long term to get an under-sink reverse osmosis filter.

[@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t]

Personally, I just use tap water (soft where I live) and about 1 part in 10 (well, maybe less) isopropyl alcohol.

[@Gwenx]

I bought a watercan with a filter in because our water here is so filled up with chalk its disgusting, and apparently it could be an extra reason my brushes has a hard time! So i highly reccomend that people with very chalky water at least use filtered water :) I bought my filtered watercan thingy from one of those herbal medicine ish shops 👍

[@yhormthemidget]

​@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t I would expect IPA to actively butcher the paint at that concentration but I guess not. Good to know. I just use whatever household desinfectant I buy normally. A few squirts under the sponge and it is good for weeks if I forgot the change the water. I never had any problem with mold.

[@seppingtondestamina9398]

I live in Scotland, our water is soft and I have never had any such issues a Jon describes.

[@DockZock]

As a Gunpla builder I was already in my head yelling at the screen "use Mr.hobby surfacer" when you talked about priming. Welcome to the party, try some Mr hobby clearcoat next!

[@charlesnunya2347]

good video, thank you Jon. I really like the UV resin! It is so strong I feel like it is better than glue sometimes when I put things together or reattaching something really quickly that has broken off. I have also printed some models like a beholder where the big pupal on the eye is concaved and I will paint the iris color then use the resin to add the clear cornea above it in a few shallow layers making sure not to have any bubbles. It looks really good and because of how viscus it is you can get it to have that slight bulge that an eye normally has. Or put a tiny bit at the end of scopes to make a realistic lens effect. Or on wrist computer screens for certain space marines to give the screen some depth when you look at it.

[@Manuel-zp7cl]

Tip from my barber: put a bit of Nivea cream in your hair to give it some structure and moldability. Those squirt bottles are my favorite cheap hobby item as well. They're invaluable when airbrushing.

[@gamer7138]

Spray bottles on hard spray are also nice for airbrushes, the squirt that has a bit more pressure behind it cleans up a lot really fast

[@paulburrow5178]

Be doing that for years

[@gleggett3817]

As a model aircraft painter the appearance of Mr Finisher and sanding sticks ought to have been less of a surprise.

[@ellearmstrong-cochrane4049]

50/50 mix of Apoxie Sculpt and Kneaditite (greenstuff) is my preferred sculpting medium. It retains the tackiness and a bit of the spring of fresh GS, it's sandable and carvable after curing, and it retains fine detail like good GS, plus it can be cast in conventional vulcanized rubber molds. Another sculptor tip: get an empty brush pen (Molotov makes a great one with an ultra-fine tip), fill it with 99% IPA, and use it to clean the surface of the model before trying to add putty. I also use it to remove any leftover residue from tool lubricants while sculpting, and you can use it to smooth any polyclay-based sculpts you might be working on.

[@timwells8359]

I bought 6 of the tattoo squeeze bottles... And have zero regrets that I have 2 of those spare. I believe I bought them from a previous video of yours and I 100% agree that this pickup is so much worth the money. For the UV resin, you can "gloss" areas selectively. Trick I learned from the KZbinr "North of the boarder" which is not Miniatures, but really enjoyable craft videos to watch.

[@Aisaaax]

My product recommendation: a phone holder arm. You can put on your phone in it, open the camera and zoom in to the maximum you like. And that works WAAAAY better than any magnifying glass or glasses. If you need to check your model before priming for mold lines or if you struggle to paint those eyes because you can't see them well - you can literally use your phone screen as a magnifying glass with no distortion or focus problems of a normal lens. And you can have plenty of space between the phone and the model to allow you to paint in real time (High magnification lenses will need you to hold the model really close to the lens to be in focus). Don't buy magnifying glasses - use your phone camera and some rigid phone holder arm with it. You can also download magnifying glass apps on play store that have software zoom that goes beyond your phone camera's limits.

[@Gwenx]

I know people think its a little wack to use one of those fidget poppers for painting but, seriously, i love to use it for all the things that is a no no on the wet palette! Its so easy to clean!

[@sasserine]

Finding them in white or clear is the harder part.

[@huranku98]

I'm so jealous of his modeling room. I must have one sometime soon.

[@samueltyler889]

Digital calipers. Mostly for making terrain, but I haven't run out of uses in the miniature hobby for a cheap digital caliper.

[@greyhaunt8121]

Another use for UV resin is making spit drop or slime streaks, etc... You put the UV resin onto a silicone mat in the shape you want and then cure it. It will peel right off the silicone and then you can glue it in place on the mini using a touch more UV resin.

[@racerdeth]

Oh thanks Jon now we're never gonna be able to get Mr Surfacer/Mr Levelling Thinner any more - it's hard enough for it to stay in stock at places already! 😅 Though I'd like to say for everyone who is tempted by it - Jon is being almost a little blasé about the precautions you should take with lacquers. A purifier is not enough, you need a good *extractor* that moves the air outside. The particulates are no fun but you need to get rid of the fumes primarily, and it's real nasty stuff. Still, the last few years I've been scale modelling more than mini painting and I'm fully a lacquer convert when it comes to those.

[@ahillamon]

The blue tinned Nivea cream is an absolute godsend when you've got a cold and you've been blowing your nose so much that the skin around the nostrils is becoming raw and painful. Dab some of that cream on and be amazed at how much it helps protect and soothe the skin (the reason it works better than most regular hand creams and skin lotions is to do with its "fattiness", it creates a protective barrier and stops the skin from drying out so much from all the friction when rubbing against tissue paper).

[@asafoetidajones8181]

I've never tried it but a gentleman I knew who spent a great deal of time in his own company insisted on recommending Nivea for... alone time. 🤨

[@GrayDGunpla]

Gunpla Builder tip, you can prepare a pre thin bottle of Mr Surfacer to speed up the paint process, it should last you a couple of months depending on your use xD

[@xcoregamerskillz]

Have you tried the Paint Puck? It's great for acrylic paint brush cleaning. It's not re-sealable, but it comes completely apart, is made of silicone, and has little places to hold your brushes.

[@vee_tinymoose]

I love my paint puck. Did learn the hard way to be careful to not let solvent get in the water (clear tube shattered)

[@MrCorychbbs]

I find it absolutely insane that I can watch this video and already have 9 out of 10 of the items you are showcasing, lol. I think those of us who are completely invested in the craft are always on the lookout for what can be useful to us in the hobby. I have so many things that I found on clearance at some hobby store or just by walking by and something caught my eye and my brain screamed, "That would be a great container for your paint washes." The tip on using UV resin for the gaps is great. I have epoxy sculpt and try to use that when I can, but the UV resin is way more efficient on small gaps for sure. Keep up the great vids, I am glad I can watch one of your videos and not have to go spend 100 bucks and make the wife angry for once lol.

[@haraldhenning897]

Generally looking around and re-using "trash" or stuff you'd throw away anyways makes for great hobby products. for instance my tip for airbrush cleaning (instead of the tatoo bottles) is re-using an empty cleaner bottle... you know, the ones with a trigger you get window cleaner in and such. The water comes out dispersed and with higher pressure, so it "showers2 the paint out of the cup.

[@Randaddy87]

I like to use UV resin as an alt adhesive. To hold things together or down. Exp, magnets under the base. Gorrilla Super Glue for intial stick, let dry, then let resin surround the magnetic and reinforce the hold.

[@wikyWargaming]

I reduce my sprues down to goop with acetone in sealed glass jars. Makes a good terrain substrate, and you can cast with it.

[@FlesHBoX]

For gap filling with UV resin, you can mix some baby powder into it to make it easier to manipulate and place precisely. This is a very common trick in the resin printing community (though we use our printer resin since we already have it, but it is essentially the same).

[@packcrackergoose7111]

Can we get a warband/vanguard/etc challenge with you and other youtubers where you all speed paint your starter forces with randomly assigned Color Cube schemes?

[@mateuszsowa174]

Baking soda - you can sprinkle it on super glue, it dries rock hard almost instantly, sucking up the glue. It's rough though, so should be used for strong connections in hidden places, like magnets or pins under the bases.

[@130n35s]

With UV resin, I use it to build up on a base for characters that are jumping. Removing the ruins off my harlequins is a good example. I use it as the core, then paint in layers of blurring colors and finish with Lexel (a flexible silicon caulking that is clear) Drybrush over it, even add some pieces of iridescent mylar to make it look like the flash of color they would move like. Other uses could be adding flecks of dirt being pulled off the ground, or splaying away from the landing space.

[@comradedangerfield]

tamiya extra thin cement is almost exactly the same as tamiya airbrush cleaner, both being a roughly 50/50 mix of acetone and butyl acetate. the cleaner comes in a 250ml bottle for about 10 bucks while the cement is about 5 bucks for 40 ml. the cement bottle is handy for the little brush attached to the cap, but when you are running low, just get yourself a bottle of cleaner and top up your cement bottle

[@paintfortauva]

Another good use for resin, use resin to help strengthen the ankle joints on Tau battle suits which at notorious for breaking. Sometimes things you would normally pin, can instead be secured with a good layer of resin

[@SchmidttysForge]

I kind of wish Jon would release his own line of sable hair brushes for miniature painting. And include a lil smoosh in there and a bigger brush for quick, all over applications.

[@Zhoyzu]

I use UV resin to also fix some broken bits that glue wont hold. Ive also used it for Ice basing and water since you can harden just the surface with a few quick passes of the light then scramble it like an egg or w/e and you get good water/lava textures

[@timparks9833]

I installed an RO system for water in my house, so it’s 99.99% pure water. Only problem is it’s more acidic because of the RO process. It’s a small problem, but it does slowly wear down my air brushes and brush collars over time. But it’s over a very long time.

[@theChistu]

You recommended tattoo water bottles in a previous video, I think, and I jumped on the idea. They are SO damn useful around the paint desk! You'll just start grabbing it any time you need water and you'll always get the perfect amount.

[@Finallyh3r3]

Hey boss!! I found the same thing with the polyurethane primers…my fix is to dunk/brush all models with 99% iso before priming and then a drop or two of Tamiya x-20a thinner makes it stick so well it won’t strip after. Also resin is amazing for lenses, water and glass

[@MrFraknak]

That sounds like so many extra steps. Just use three surfacer at that point.

[@Finallyh3r3]

@@MrFraknak For sure, but I’m giving a way to still make your old polyurethane primer work for you. All sprues should be washed in soapy water or alcohol before painting no matter what, I use Tamiya thinner for all airbrush work anyways so it’s on my bench. 5 for a bottle of x20 and 5 for a bottle of 99% is cheaper than buying $20 bottles of the new primer and thinner, plus you can use it after with the mr surface too. Many ways to skin a cat

[@koz1138]

Probably works on the model but doesn’t do anything about the very real issue of polyurethane primer crudding up your airbrush.

[@matthewgroff8468]

Uv resin is the best material for miniature icicles. Put a small blob on a piece of parchment paper, drag a toothpick through to form the pointed icicle shape, and cure. Peel off and add uv resin to the other side, and cure. Adhere it to your scenery with some more resin. Super easy.

[@centerededgedesignusa7957]

Apoxie Sculpt sticks well, too! I use it for customizations all the time, its also carveable/sandable/drillable after it cures.

[@greyhaunt8121]

I have also made jewelry in the past so when I picked up using 3D printed minis (after being out of gaming for years) I found instant purposes for my UV resin! I use it as "glue" all the time to repair broken minis. The only possible issue doing that is unlike glue which you put inside the break you work more around the break because if the resin cannot get contact from the UV light it won't cure and you end up with an uncured wet patch were light didn't get. Very rarely a problem and if there is too much you just sand it down. A total life saver when reattaching small bits. Always great when you find a new use for a different hobby tool!

[@ChaseSecurity]

Perfect timing, I'm headed to the hobby shop later today to buy a new airbrush compressor.

[@bretts2356]

Great vid! I saw the copper weights on your wet pallet and, while I would not stop using those if i were you, I would recommend to others to just use old pennies. As long as they are older than 1982, they're copper. Hard to beat $0.04 for a full set of pallet paper holder downers!

[@ikjcaboose935]

reminds me of when i started playing, we used to glue pennies to the bottoms of bases to stop the top heavy metal minis falling over all the time.

[@johnhildenbrand2642]

Fun part about living in the Pacific Northwest, we have water soft enough from the tap to be safe for carnivorous plants, which means it's absolutely ok for painting

[@brianlojeck]

as opposed to Los Angeles and Phoenix, where the water is so hard beans don't ever get soft when you cook them in tap water. 🙂

[@spicksSC]

Hard water is bad for painting?

[@johnhildenbrand2642]

@@spicksSC It leaves that mineral, white chalky film all over your brushes, models etc

[@kadoscott4404]

I too live in the PNW, paint miniatures and have a large bog garden that I water from the tap/hose. Small world!

[@thisrsrsnamect5599]

Shoutout to Mr Hobby. Excellent tools and paints - I recommend them to anyone that builds and paints plastic

[@Fox01313]

Good list! Also I recommend going to the craft section of Dollar tree for a lot of inexpensive basing materials, clay modeling tools & they also have a lot of cheap brushes (for varnish, primer, PVA glue) .

[@andywilson5828]

I have 2 wet pallettes that I use. But I STILL will use tablet blister packs more often, to mix small amounts of paint etc. Have been doing this for 35 years

[@rogthepirate4593]

Another good use for UV resin is quick and dirty casting of smaller detail pieces. Make a mould with blue stuff, squeeze some resin in, cure it, done. Takes minutes.

[@inquisitorsz]

I also use UV resin as glue.... mostly to better hold magnets onto bases. I use normal superglue to grab the magnet, then put some UV resin on top and around the magnet. Never had any come off and I don't need to mix up any putty or 2 part epoxy glues that you'd traditionally use to hold magnets.

[@GoblinsLoft]

Cheap Hobby Product; Poundland (or Dollarama?) clear tape to hold magnets into place while the glue or epoxy dries. Masking and duct tape are absorbent so after a few hours ... little fuzzy scraps have bonded with the glue

[@kris220b]

those tiny crocodile clips on steel sticks ( with and without rubber sleeves ) they are so handy for holding subassemblies and small parts for priming and painting, and they are cheap for like 20 of them

[@jo3kr111]

Also I love using mason jars with large gauge copper wire coiled as I like! For all the other “ I can make the myself” people

[@maxdammit]

i have a full copper plate under my sponge, not a microbe will live in there

[@Gundumb_guy]

Lol when you started talking about poly primers I came to leave a comment about how the only laquer product I use on my scale models is mr surfacer because it sprays like butter when thinner and it is so thin it’s actually insane!

[@xephorce]

you single handly made it impossible to get that primer and thinner. lmao. i searched for 3 hours last night before I found a place that had it in stock. that's power my friend.

[@yobtar]

I switched to the Me Hobby stuff after your first video with it. That stuff is so good its crazy! Its so good you cant even ruin detail on the models its so good!

[@Rudolf_reindeer]

Thanks for the Nivea cream suggestion! It looks similar to O’Keefe’s Working Hands so I’ll experiment with that first. Some cheap everyday products that really help in miniature hobby are pointed Q-tips (much more accurate than regular kind) and toothpicks (great for placing small amounts of whatever).

[@Rudolf_reindeer]

My weird product suggestion is argon gas spray. It’s used to preserve large amounts of paint, varnishes, stains, and resin over time. It’s probably not cost effective for miniatures, but it would make an interesting video!

[@jo3kr111]

I like using one of those mini water bottles and poke a pinhole on the top for spraying airbrush and filling wet palette

[@HamyHaxxor]

Just getting back into the hobby after 20 years and all of this information is super useful. Thanks!

[@doomsakari0]

Your videos have genuinely helped me grow so much as a painter and generally as an artist. I've never had a lot of people around with shared interests but watching your videos feels like I'm taking advice from a friend. Keep being awesome.

[@Ninjon]

Thanks man, that means a lot. Really!

[@jeremybeck8957]

The airbrush hack that nobody talks about: Keep a beat-up brush nearby for when you're cleaning or changing paints. Way easier to get paint our of awkward corners than anything else at your desk.

[@Ayra_arts]

another good use of UV resin: Combine with fishing wire and build up slowly and you can create flowing magic or blood effects easily.

[@ikjcaboose935]

i use the little glass jars from "fancy" deserts as water pots and throw part of a cheap silicone dog toy in the bottom to aid cleaning. as for things i cant paint without its probably pen pots to keep good brushes separate and cheap multipack size 0 brushes from amazon.

[@IshanDeston]

Using a Gherkin Glass jar is also airtight and you can just use some cut off pieces of nylon bug screen, popsicle stick, coffee stirrer or bamboo skewer to brush off your brush. Or some equivalent.there of. Doesn't cost extra, you recyle some waste and if it needs replacing you just dumpster rescue another. And instead of Sanding Sticks but proper Sandpaper, double layer cerealpackaging cardboard with pva and glue the Sandpaper to your cardboard. Once dry cut in desired strip width. If you need it more rigid.. coffee stirrer, wooden spatula or the like instead of cardboard. Apoxie is only cheaper in the USA, Milliput is pretty much the same and dirt cheap in Europe.

[@bojoggs-ik8tq]

Zap cyanoacrylate super glue, specifically it's super fast and really good for fiddly bits. Bonus pick the Zap debonder, which is useful for mistakes using aforementioned superfast superglue.

[@ezraho8449]

As someone who is into Gunpla painting/customizing I can't stress enough how good the Mr. Hobby line of products is.

[@aponly]

One problem with priming with an airbrush is using a nozzle that is too small for polyurethane primer. I keep an old Badger Patriot with a 0.5mm nozzle for priming and varnishing. Badger Stynylrez says to use a 0.5 mm or larger nozzle on the bottle.

[@steveg1972]

100% I use .5 in a Patriot xtreme for priming. I never have clogging and it doesn’t chip easily when applied properly. I’ve been using Stynylrez for about 8 years

[@ernestdriftwood2581]

RESIN DANGER ALERT Hello Jon, great video and inspirations. However, I feel that safety measures required for resin work should be mentioned here as well. Resin is microplastic, it can easily penetrate your tissues and get into your bloodstream. Not only it can be harmful on its own, but it can also cause allergy and once you're sensitized it can be permanent. And because it's mircroplastics, it can mean that you'll have allergic reaction to a lot of stuff in daily products, including medical stuff. You should absolutely cover your skin, use a mask with appropriate filters and googles. Also, the tiny UV flashlight may be lacking power to penetrate thicker layers. Remember, even though it appears hard on the surface, inside it may be still in the toxic gel form. Stay safe!

[@shakeval]

The UV Resin is also great for making windows/stained glass or fusing sections of clear resin features

[@awesomekacee]

I use UV Resin for glass panels and lenses. Like the instrument panels in a plane or the dashboard dials in cars.

[@markhohenbrink5230]

It's really interesting that using UV resin for gap filling is starting to become a thing in minature painting because it's been a thing for filling holes and other gaps in wood for woodworking for a few years now. It's kind of sad that I never thought about it prior to this video when I use it regularly when I build furniture.

[@JackDespero]

8:15 Oh boi that sounds like a much better option than my current way of doing it: Just blasting a bunch of superglue.

[@pinkyysk]

I bought some of the water bottle tube things for my plants they are a pain for that. Brilliant for my craft desk. And the nivea cream is brilliant for day 2 and onwards for tattoos it keeps colour in so well I have not be painting minis very long so this kind of video is so useful. I need yes need some apoxy sculpt it looks so fun Great video Gave fun

[@aurel-tk]

One tool I can't live without now is a handled aspirator / air blower. I use it both for drying mini as it got a led light pointing on the blower that just show you directly where there is wet paint. And the aspirator to clean my desk.

[@user-bv2xt6br1p]

Remember, most Tamiya paints and modeling tools offer superior performance.

[@Elfhelm]

But they have some baaad brushes on the cheaper end

[@NB-568]

The tamiya glue changed my life with building models. The little brush for applying meant I no longer had glue on any other part of the model than necessary. I now despise any other plastic glue!😂 Wish I knew about it before the few years of citadel

[@timparks9833]

@@NB-568It makes some pretty good sprue goo too

[@NB-568]

@@timparks9833 it sure does, think I made that from a ninjon video

[@FMMProductions]

I would say Dspiae are better than most tools you can get

[@GrizGriztofferson]

The UV Resin tip has changed my life. Thank you!! Never using super glue for gap filling again (which I'm NOT sad about).

[@LoopeeDK]

I use uv resin similarly to highgloss varnish on surfaces, last i used them on my thousand son bases, where i have small blue glossy inlays looking like magical layline stuff, paint base -> lock in paint and mat color with mat varnish -> bring back the shine to the magical bits with a toothpick and uv resin. and bang mat sandy bases with glossy blue magic laylines.

[@MarketResearchReading114]

You find a lot of quality things glad you're still finding nuggets to share.

[@slayerking88]

I have been using Mr Hobby surfacer and it is amazing. My thinning ratio for it is 1:1 with the Mr Hobby leveling thinner.

[@patrickb2736]

For my water cup, I use a salsa jar and cut a silicone pot scrubber to fit in the bottom. The little bristles of the silicone scrubber are soft enough to not damage the brush, but firm enough to dislodge the paint.

[@caseyrogers7538]

Mr Hobby also has a Mr Surfacer Aqueous Primer that’s water based or something. I haven’t tried the airbrush version yet but I bought a little spray can of it to try and was really impressed with it.

[@stephanecotnoir6334]

I myself tried ( was given to me ) the water pot from Temu that you showed in an other video and totally fell in love with it, since that time i never paint without it.

[@johndillinger519]

There needs to be a better PSA on what a "really good mask" means because it makes no mention of what type can block VOCs like what is being sprayed.

[@Amandapiw]

You can use the uv resin to attach any resin miniature to the base for plastic or metal I use quick set resin it's thick and doesn't move and faster than super glue.

[@peterjones4763]

I use UV resin to fill the underside of the bases of my Blood Bowl miniatures. Adds a nice bit of weight to the base, and levels it off nicely so that I can then cover it with a felt adhesive base. Well worth the effort for a small number of players.

[@JohnB1163]

Excellent and highly informative video Jon I will definitely give some of these products a try, I'm always looking to improve my mini painting. Thank You

[@optomix3988]

Great video! I don't know how I missed this one.

[@stevehough8727]

Damn I thought I knew this channel so well...I was expecting to see sanding sticks first 😄

[@ollid6397]

I used the same UV resin for making a small diorama gluing together glass for rough ice ground for a model.

[@billcedarheath387]

If you use a 3d resin printer you already own the 3d resin used in this video. Just buy a UV flashlight and you’re all set. Use the same resin you print with as was shown in the video and hit it with the flashlight and save money.

[@charlesnunya2347]

I use grey resin in my printer and for things like gap filling for sure you can get away with using that. But I also use my little bottle of clear for the eyes of beholders to add a slightly bulged out cornea effect and it looks really cool. You can only do that with the clear stuff. Or put a tiny bit at the end of scopes to make a realistic lens effect. Or on wrist computer screens for certain space marines to give the screen some depth when you look at it.

[@TheJaegerfeld]

Nice to find another applicattion of Nivea. Every german knows and uses that cream, Nivea is latin and means "The snow - white " as in the fairy tale

[@darkdrgon2136]

I use UV resin for Spittle if something has a big open mouth, and used it for webbing on a Spider-Man model so it would probably work on any kind of big spider

[@MaskedRiderChris]

I've always had a horrid time with small gaps in my minis because everything I use never quite works properly. HOWEVER...I've found that regular old Mod Podge works really well to that end. With that said, I may try out the UV resin you mentioned here and see how well it works for me.

[@larfeet9869]

We used the squeezy bottles for raising aquarium fish. Immediately saw the use for wet palette. Love them!

[@Riddler_von]

Jay -eob taught me about uv resin. But the gap filling is amazing idea thanks

[@andyvanhout]

Everyone in the hobby who is working with metal and resin should know that baking soda is a highly effective accelerant for CA glue, and chances are you have some already in your pantry.