Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

hi

does anyone have any suggestions? the citadel one seems way over priced?

thanks

tom

Your basic hobby knife will do the job admirably as a scraper, knife, anything that needs a hard edge for material removal. If you want to preserve the cutting edge, use the blunt side for scraping. Alternately, dental tools also make for good hobby tools. All far less expensive than the GW branded hobby crack tools.

The MicroMark Seam Scraper has received positive reviews. Personally, I haven't seen much need for a specialty tool - a knife (I use the blade edge, not the back) works just fine for scraping and files/fine emery boards are better suited to knocking down larger shift lines. I'd square up and burnish a scraping edge on some scrap steel before I bought a tool like the GW one, let alone pay their asking price for it.

I usually sneer at GW prices, but I tried this and I think it's a fairly good buy. The Micro-Mark seam scraper can't be got here, and what looks like the same product under the Model Craft label is the same price - £10 - or more expensive. Squadron seam scrapers from US ebay sellers are cheaper, but the cost to post them to my location bumps them up to a comparable cost too. (Otherwise, there's a guy on ebay who sells Squadron seam scrapers for £30 each. The GW one doesn't seem so unreasonable after that)
Although I'd guess you'd probably have easier access to a whole bunch of hobby tools in Japan. I know Tamiya's plastic scriber does the same thing (for deburring styrene after you cut with it) and it can even a bit cheaper than the GW tool (a bit) here in the UK. I've got one of those too, but... well... thinking about it now, I'm not sure why I didn't just stick with that and use it for mould lines. Just forgot about it, I guess.

But either one saves the juddering and nicking of thin, sharp knife blades. I used those meself for mould lines, without major problems, but a specialty tool just makes it go much smoother. Especially if mould lines are the part of the hobby you hate the most, like me.

Walmart or a hobby craft place will usually have something like 10 razor blade knives for well under $10.They are low quality, but for mold line scraping it is fine. I think I got 3 handles and 10 blades for about $6.

Hobby knife and files (which should be part of your hobby toolkit) do the job just fine. Just make sure you're only using sharp blades, a dull one will rough up the plastic around the mold line.

RAWRAIrobblerobble wrote:
Walmart or a hobby craft place will usually have something like 10 razor blade knives for well under $10.They are low quality, but for mold line scraping it is fine. I think I got 3 handles and 10 blades for about $6.

Make sure they have a reasonably rigid blade. I've bought some cheap blades that weren't very stiff and it makes mould line removal far more difficult. I mostly use some Testors knives that are only a few dollars each where the blade is permanently set in to the handle. They're heaps stiffer that most removable ones and I find that makes the mould line removal process easier (but still a royal pain in the arse).


Automatically Appended Next Post:

sockwithaticket wrote:
Hobby knife and files (which should be part of your hobby toolkit) do the job just fine. Just make sure you're only using sharp blades, a dull one will rough up the plastic around the mold line.

For most lines I use the back of the blade, not the sharp side. Angling at about 45 degrees and dragging it toward yourself will scrape the line off, I find much more cleanly than using the sharp side. I only use the sharp side to surgically remove lines in hard to reach spots or on detailed areas where I can't just scrape the mould line off without also scraping detail off.

Keep back a couple of the heaps of pounds/dollars/yen that you pour into GW/PP/KS/whatever and buy a nice proper tool that'll do you years, if not forever.

It won't kill ya.

 Vermis wrote:
Keep back a couple of the heaps of pounds/dollars/yen that you pour into GW/PP/KS/whatever and buy a nice proper tool that'll do you years, if not forever.

It won't kill ya.

If I believed it would do a better job than my knife I might. But most the knife complaints I hear come from people using knives that aren't stiff enough (juddering and gouging) or just not doing it right. Because I use knives that are nice and stiff and have a good back edge, I can't really see the advantage in a scraper tool.

I have a GW scraper and a Seam Scraper. I find myself using a regular sharp hobby knife more than either of them. But every tool has it's purpose. I find the GW scraper works best on really bad mold lines that would take a hobby knife or the othe rscraper much longer to get at. But I would buy the GW scraper again for sure. It really is a nice tool. Still, nothing beats a good 'ol hobby knife and micro file.

If you aren't happy using a knife i find 400 grain sand paper is just about perfect .I've been using the stuff for years.

I see this question all the time.

Yes, a No 11 blade, sand paper, emery board, sanding stick, standing block, file, or whatever tool will work. No, it will not be as clean or as easy in many cases.

The GW mould line remover tool is much, much stiffer than a No 11 blade (it won't bend at all), and the end close to the handle is gently curved. This gives you two immediate, practical benefits:

1. The mould line remover will almost never damage the model, especially soft miniatures such as plastic or resin. Because a knife is flexible, if you don't get the angle right, it can drag or bend, and you might nick your miniature.

2. Against a flat surface, the flat part of the remover tool will give you an absolutely perfect removal in a single swipe. But guess what? it will do the same on a smooth curved surface too. There are a zillion GW models that have smooth curved surfaces, like the legs and shoulders on space marines.

The tool also lasts forever. It doesn't dull, dent, or wear in any way. The new GW tool and old one are pretty similar, but the new one is about the same price, and is weighted better (the old one comes with a cleanup brush that's nothing special).

The mould line remover tool isn't "necessary", but in many instances, it is just a better tool and gives a cleaner removal in less time. It's also only something like $15 -- which is the lower bound of one premium model. Think diamond files, knife blades (other than No 11), a pin vise, or sanding block. You don't need any of them, but in certain situations, they just make your life a lot easier.

If you have a friend who owns one, try it. I can't imagine not having it in my cleanup kit, now.

As I mentioned earlier, not all no 11 blades are created equal and a Testors knife with a fixed blade (only a couple of dollars) is the stiffest hobby knife I've used. It doesn't judder at all when scraping mould lines. I could easily remove a mould line in a single scrape from hard plastic, but I do multiple quick ones just to make sure it blends in with the surface.

The tool also lasts forever. It doesn't dull, dent, or wear in any way.

Well, to be fair, the back of a knife doesn't dull, dent or wear either. It's the sharp side that does, and I'm pretty sure regardless of which tool you use, you are occasionally going to need a sharp side to remove lines on details.

If people have such good things to say about it maybe next time I buy a kit from GW (could be a while, lol) I'll actually buy it from the local GW and ask him if I can test the scraper. Most the reviews I read/watched when they originally were quite unimpressive, it scraped well but wasn't good for removing lines around detail and you couldn't get in to corners with it. So from reviews I've read I don't think it'll be any better than a sufficiently stiff knife, as most the problems I hear from people using knives is they are either using floppy knives or not using them properly.

but if I can get my hands on one I'll try it... sure as hell not paying $18 for what amounts to a shaped piece of steel just to try it though