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Just curious if anyone knows of a better/cheaper alternative to this kit:



Mainly looking for the scraper, the toothbrush thing can easily be replaced with a superior quality brass brush for less.

For reference, I've discovered that metal scrapey tools like this work rather nicely on minis from other companies and want to experiment further.

Cheers!

- squig

On plastics I usually use an old swan Morton metal scalpel handle to deburr and run along rough edges - does the job.

Or a metal sculpting tool.

I also use razor blades for finnicky work.

A set of needle files are amazing for cleaning up.
If you have bigger bits though, get a nice big workmans file-seriously, they are amazingly good.

 master of ordinance wrote:
A set of needle files are amazing for cleaning up.
If you have bigger bits though, get a nice big workmans file-seriously, they are amazingly good.

Should be in any modellers tool box.

Scraper tools are garbage. As others have said, go to a local hobby or model railroad shop and get a set of needle files. Even if you only work with plastic, life will be so much easier.

 Mr. Burning wrote:
On plastics I usually use an old swan Morton metal scalpel handle to deburr and run along rough edges - does the job.

I haven't used the tool in the OP, but this sounds to me like what squig is looking for- not a file. A scraper and a file work very differently, and I personally really don't like using needle files...

I actually use dental tools.

You can get sets for pretty cheap from a variety of places, and the scrapers that are designed to get plaque off teeth do wonders on metal, plastic and resin.

You will want to make sure the set has scrapers and not just probes and picks. Companies like Squadron and Micromark also sell scrapers.

Personally, I find scrapers faster and cleaner than files. I use my files for cleaning big things (gates and vents...resin blocks). For mold lines, the scraper slices them off clean and smooth.

Granted, you can also just use the back of an Xacto blade. Did that for years before I started hording different tools.

 master of ordinance wrote:
A set of needle files are amazing for cleaning up.
If you have bigger bits though, get a nice big workmans file-seriously, they are amazingly good.

I'm asking about this specifically for types of plastic that don't file well at all. Mantic's restic and single-piece board game plastic mix for loka and mars attacks.

Not hard plastic, that I file without any problems, and have a great set of files.

I use this for everything and have the scars to prove it.

This works fine for me.
Can be a paintbrush too

I've heard great things about the MicroMark seam scraper, but it's definitely not a cheaper option.

For tricky materials, I'd had decent luck using a square engraving burin, like this one:


Lay it on its side to cut with the edge of the face, not the point, and it shaves soft materials nicely. Turn it sideways (drawing the tool perpendicular to its length) and the precisely machined corners work as scrapers (although the width, being square stock, makes it slightly more awkward to use than something as thin as the GW tool). Plus, it still works for its intended task - soft inside corners can be sharpened, panel lines restored, actual engraved detail added, etc. and it works just as well on white metal as on plastic. A suitably small one (I think mine is a #4) runs about $5 and can be found on Amazon. Mine came more or less useable out of the box (ground a small heel, shoved it into a wine cork as a temporary handle), but I'd recommend refacing it and adding a real handle if you plan to engrave along with scraping.

 oadie wrote:
I've heard great things about the MicroMark seam scraper, but it's definitely not a cheaper option.

Oh, that does look good! Would be curious if anyone end sup getting that.

Found one of the posts about it:

 varl wrote:
I can vouch for micromark's seam scraper. it's a great little tool. it works much the same way that using the back of your hobby knife does, but the scraper is much more rigid (better control) and doesn't dull like knife blades do. the point on the scraper is so fine that you can get it anywhere you can get a hobby knife. what I normally do is use a hobby knife to remove any big chunks of flash and to smooth out the bits where it was connected to the sprue. then I go in with the scraper and clean up the other mold lines.

The triangular head means that it's more of a "shaver" than a scraper, but it seems like that would be all the better for things like Bones and restic that cut relatively easily, but resist abrasion (well, they don't so much resist it as refuse to let what the abrasion has displaced actually detach). I'd probably be picking one up, myself, if I had more of either material to work with.

A mix of a standard Xacto blade (80% of the time), needle files (15%), diamond files (4%) and a surgical scalpel for the really fiddly/crap materials like Sedution Wars resin (1%/never again!).

It seems to me any hard edge will do the job, the more accute the angle of the edge the less effort/more skill required.

I've used micro screwdrivers before too, the're still useful if you have to chisel into a gap/depression where you cant cut into with a pointed blade.

I am super intrigued by that scraper now. I too use my knife to scrape mold lines currently.

Thanks everyone, looks like there aren't really any cheaper options than GW, although possibly there's better quality options.

I think I'll pick up the GW one for now, see how I get on with it and then maybe try out the micromark and/or squadron scrapers to compare.

Knives work well on some sorts of plastic, but with other types it can be horribly dangerous due to the need to slice rather than scrape.

Plus, when you're shaving away with a scraper you can be a bit more confident and get it done quicker I think, if not cutting yourself isn't a concern.