Tools of the trade

Every good hobbyist needs a good set of tools and working with diecasts is no different. Fortunately the tools you need are far from specialized and many you may have in your garage already. These tools will get you pretty far if you want to create a chop shop hot rod, a speed demon, or just a new coat of paint.

The Essentials

• A drill w/ bits
• A Dremel tool
• X-Acto hobby knife
• Needle-nose pliers
• Clamps and rubber bands
• Protective eye wear

You probably have a drill in your basement or garage right now. You don’t need a lot of power when it comes to diecasts, so your standard issue cordless drill will probably do the trick just fine. If you have more power, great, just be mindful that you don’t over do it when working. You’ll also need a few drill bits, preferably ones that are made for metal. A 3/16 bit and a 1/16 bit are the ones I use the most to disassemble cars.

A Dremel is one of the most valuable tools a diecast customizer can have. With a seemingly endless supply of attachments and bits, the Dremel can do just about everything else the drill won’t do. Working on your diecasts requires a lot of grinding and cutting, and the Dremel does a great job at both of those things. In fact, without a Dremel I’m not sure how you’d go about modifying a car.

A hobby knife will also be your best friend when it comes to working with the interiors, windows, and any other plastic that comes with your car. The hobby knife can slice through the plastic pretty well so it’s great for whittling down edges and creating holes and slots where you need them.

Needle-nose pliers are a no-brainer when you’re working with small parts. They’re great for grabbing and bending bits of plastic, as well as great for hanging on to axles and other small parts while you work on them with a knife or Dremel. Of course, a good set of small pliers won’t hurt in the slightest. Grip pliers and wire cutters are good tools to have in your case with the needle-nose.

Clamps and rubber bands are a must-have for holding things together. All you need are some cheap plastic clamps which I found at the dollar store. While you’re there, grab a bag of rubber bands and you’ll have all you need when it comes holding your cars together while things settle and dry.

The safety glasses won’t help get your diecast cars apart but they can safe your eyes. More than once I’ve had pieces of metal unexpectedly fly up into my face and I’ve been thankful for the glasses. Believe me, shards of metal and your eyes do not get along.

Some other things that will help

You can get by pretty far with the essentials but sometimes it’s the non-essential items that end up saving the day.

Things like toothpicks. They’re small and cheap and they’re great for mixing, poking, holding, painting, applying glue, and other tiny needs. I recommend the flat toothpicks opposed to the round. Flat toothpicks make better mixing sticks and are better for applying paint and glue.

JB Kwik (or JB Weld) is available at Home Depot or other home store and is basically liquid steel, I think of it as liquid solder. I use JB Kwik because it cures a lot faster and is plenty strong for most car mods. JB Weld is technically stronger but it takes longer to set and I don’t really see the benefits over JB Kwik when working on such small pieces. JB Kwik is an epoxy that comes in two tubes. You mix equal parts of each then apply it to your car (with your toothpicks). JB Kwik is great for hardcore adhesive when you need to bind metal to metal. In short, if you don’t want something to move – at all – use JB Kwik and it won’t move. It’s also great for filling in holes and other body work since it can be sanded, ground, and cut like other metal.

You can find sanding strips at your local hobby store for about 10 cents each. They’re small and they don’t last long but they’re great for filing down rough edges in places where your Dremel just won’t fit.

Start saving cardboard. The thinner cereal box cardboard is perfect for creating painting masks and other on-the-fly supports.

Like toothpicks, popsicle sticks are good for lots of uses. Mixing and applying, sure, but they can easily be stuck together to create support structures for keeping your car suspended when you need to work on wheels.

Clay is also great to have on hand. It’s flexible and re-usable and also great for holding your car steady while you work. Clay also works great to keep your car held together when you’re fitting and testing. Not to mention clay is great when you need to add weight to your racers. Just some cheap modeling clay is fine.

Sorting bins are actually more of an essential since they keep you organized. They’re awesome for keeping your car parts separate and they do well at keep your tools organized too. Trust me, your Dremel will quickly gather numerous add-ons so it’s good to have something to keep them in.