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My question is what do you use? I'm struggling to find a good hobby drill and hobby knife that are good and at a good price.

http://www.amazon.com/X-Acto-XZ3601-X-ACTO-Knife-Cap/dp/B005KRSWM6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428774467&sr=8-2&keywords=xacto+knife

http://www.amazon.com/Steelex-D3387-Swivel-Head-Vise/dp/B005W0W4IY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1428774500&sr=8-3&keywords=pin+vise

Those are the ones I use.

Yeah, what Todosi has are your basic pin vice and hobby knife... nothing wrong with that at all. I like rubberized X-actos with fat handles more, but they cost about $10.

If you have a local hobby store, try P3. With some type of store discount from list, you can get a knife/drill for about the same price as the amazon options. The P3 pin vice comes with bits and 2 collets that are the right size for things like pinning and drilling out bolters.

I would get a Swann-Morton no3 with blades. I prefer them to X-Actos, which tend to have a problem with the blades falling out of the handle. The scalpel mount on the Swann-Mortons are vastly superior in my opinion. Swann-Mortons are also inexpensive, very high quality and made in the UK and not China like the x-actos.

http://www.craftknives.co.uk/product/no3-handle-sets

 jorny wrote:
I would get a Swann-Morton no3 with blades. I prefer them to X-Actos, which tend to have a problem with the blades falling out of the handle. The scalpel mount on the Swann-Mortons are vastly superior in my opinion. Swann-Mortons are also inexpensive, very high quality and made in the UK and not China like the x-actos.

http://www.craftknives.co.uk/product/no3-handle-sets

I use them, very high quality for a good price, and there is a good range in blades available to buy. the handle ive been using is several years old and no mechanical parts to go wrong, one solid metal unit so pretty much nothing to go wrong.
also forged in Sheffield not China so

Swann-Morton are nice but I have yet to find someone that sells cheap blades. At my fine arts store, I can get 100 No. 11 blades for about $12USD, and price per blade is important because they really don't stay sharp very long -- I put in a new blade essentially every 5 troops, 1 medium size model, or multiple blades for 1 very large model. A sharp blade just cuts much more cleanly and accurately.

odd i can purchase pack's of 10 for about a pound, that's not too much in grand scheme.

how many troops you doing though as one 12 dollar pack would do a entire company easily with quite a few left over.

on my scale that pack would last a very long time.

I prefer Swann Morton too. Still got the GW branded one (although I've misplaced it & am having to use a Stanley knife!!).
Bought a pack of 100 blades from Amazon a while back. Then lost them so ordered another 100. Day after the replacements arrived found the 1st box!
So any one in Portsmouth that needs some no 10A blades, see me.
Re pin vice - get the one with the concave base plate as it's the most comfortable. I find that the ball-ended one can cause a bit of palm ache & the one with collets at both ends chews through the skin.

 Talys wrote:
Swann-Morton are nice but I have yet to find someone that sells cheap blades. At my fine arts store, I can get 100 No. 11 blades for about $12USD, and price per blade is important because they really don't stay sharp very long -- I put in a new blade essentially every 5 troops, 1 medium size model, or multiple blades for 1 very large model. A sharp blade just cuts much more cleanly and accurately.

I have only recently started to change my blade much more frequently and I must say I have seen a significant improvement. I am now swapping much more often, maybe once a month or so. Or when I snap the tip (which can be quite often <-- Aggressive modelling anyone? )

I use an x-acto, the blade can occasionally come free, but its not often at all imo. Blades are also cheap to replace.

I suggest not getting a pin vise at all. Use a verifiable speed cordless drill. You can control how fast or slow the drill bit rotates. It works a lot better than a pin vise IMO.

Gundor2 wrote:
I suggest not getting a pin vise at all. Use a verifiable speed cordless drill. You can control how fast or slow the drill bit rotates. It works a lot better than a pin vise IMO.

I would disagree -- the rotational speed on most hand drills is so high, and if you don't start a pilot hole, you can mess up your model. Plus, it's very easy to either slip or drill too far. Plastic is so soft that even a second with a regular hand drill can be too much. Whatever you do, don't use a dremel to drill plastic.

If you really want to use an electric device (without spending hundreds on jewelers tools), I suggest the tamiya hobby drill. It is torquey enough to drill and slow enough to have sine control. Plus, you put it together yourself like a model

Either way, I think a hand drill is an essential tool for a hobbyist. Also, a vice: Using a hobby-sized vice to hold a model in place while you drill will make those holes way easier and better, and prevent bits from breaking.

 Talys wrote:

Gundor2 wrote:
I suggest not getting a pin vise at all. Use a verifiable speed cordless drill. You can control how fast or slow the drill bit rotates. It works a lot better than a pin vise IMO.

I would disagree -- the rotational speed on most hand drills is so high, and if you don't start a pilot hole, you can mess up your model. Plus, it's very easy to either slip or drill too far. Plastic is so soft that even a second with a regular hand drill can be too much. Whatever you do, don't use a dremel to drill plastic.

If you really want to use an electric device (without spending hundreds on jewelers tools), I suggest the tamiya hobby drill. It is torquey enough to drill and slow enough to have sine control. Plus, you put it together yourself like a model

Either way, I think a hand drill is an essential tool for a hobbyist. Also, a vice: Using a hobby-sized vice to hold a model in place while you drill will make those holes way easier and better, and prevent bits from breaking.

I thought doing a pilot hole was a given. I also don't recommend using Dremel tools. The hobby drill or something close to it is what I was thinking of. Most cordless drills(Dewalt, Makitia, Black and Decker,..etc) still drill slow enough to get the job done. And if you have dozens(Orks) of barrels to drill out, your hand won't get fatigued.

X-actos are great for the knife.

As for the drill, I use the one that came in the GW tool kit yearsssss back Still works great for me, although I do want to invest in a Dremel to eventually.

Gundor2 wrote:

I thought doing a pilot hole was a given. I also don't recommend using Dremel tools. The hobby drill or something close to it is what I was thinking of. Most cordless drills(Dewalt, Makitia, Black and Decker,..etc) still drill slow enough to get the job done. And if you have dozens(Orks) of barrels to drill out, your hand won't get fatigued.

Oh, ok. But you need a hand drill to do the pilot hole Even with a very fine drill, using something like a Dewalt can easily slip and ruin a model.

Also: if you use a vice to keep your models from moving, invest in carbide drill bits. They will cut through plastic like butter (but they are more brittle, hence the importance of a vice to prevent the drill bit from snapping).

 Talys wrote:

Gundor2 wrote:

I thought doing a pilot hole was a given. I also don't recommend using Dremel tools. The hobby drill or something close to it is what I was thinking of. Most cordless drills(Dewalt, Makitia, Black and Decker,..etc) still drill slow enough to get the job done. And if you have dozens(Orks) of barrels to drill out, your hand won't get fatigued.

Oh, ok. But you need a hand drill to do the pilot hole Even with a very fine drill, using something like a Dewalt can easily slip and ruin a model.

Also: if you use a vice to keep your models from moving, invest in carbide drill bits. They will cut through plastic like butter (but they are more brittle, hence the importance of a vice to prevent the drill bit from snapping).

Don't use a drill bit to start the hole. Use a X-acto blade. Make sure it's sharp. Also you can position it better to make sure the hole is centered. It doesn't slip like a pin vise can when making a starter hole. Any drill bit can slip if there is nothing for it to go into. It doesn't matter if its in a drill or pin vise.

Dremel does make a nice 7 piece drill bit set that goes for $10 US at a DIY store. Goes from 1/32 to 1/8.

A Dewalt(and other brands) can go at slow enough speeds that it won't damage the model. It's all about how far you pull the trigger on them.(@Talys - You don't have to use the drill at maximum speed all the time. ) Like anything, be careful when you do any drilling and there won't be a problem.

I use General X acto blades

but for drills i use

edit: on a Dremel
off harbor freight. they have a lot of junk sizes though. i think you can get them off ebay for some kinda drills for cutting into circuit boards or something.

Gundor2 wrote:

 Talys wrote:

Gundor2 wrote:

I thought doing a pilot hole was a given. I also don't recommend using Dremel tools. The hobby drill or something close to it is what I was thinking of. Most cordless drills(Dewalt, Makitia, Black and Decker,..etc) still drill slow enough to get the job done. And if you have dozens(Orks) of barrels to drill out, your hand won't get fatigued.

Oh, ok. But you need a hand drill to do the pilot hole Even with a very fine drill, using something like a Dewalt can easily slip and ruin a model.

Also: if you use a vice to keep your models from moving, invest in carbide drill bits. They will cut through plastic like butter (but they are more brittle, hence the importance of a vice to prevent the drill bit from snapping).

Don't use a drill bit to start the hole. Use a X-acto blade. Make sure it's sharp. Also you can position it better to make sure the hole is centered. It doesn't slip like a pin vise can when making a starter hole. Any drill bit can slip if there is nothing for it to go into. It doesn't matter if its in a drill or pin vise.

Dremel does make a nice 7 piece drill bit set that goes for $10 US at a DIY store. Goes from 1/32 to 1/8.

A Dewalt(and other brands) can go at slow enough speeds that it won't damage the model. It's all about how far you pull the trigger on them.(@Talys - You don't have to use the drill at maximum speed all the time. ) Like anything, be careful when you do any drilling and there won't be a problem.

I use an awl to mark a spot, rather than a hobby knife. Still, if I will drill a pilot, at least to about 1/16" before I use a larger drill bit. The Dremels are just so fast rotationally, and unless you're using the (piece of junk) drill press, you have virtually no control. I have like.. 5 dremel tools and every possible known attachment to them

But hey, whatever tools work for you is cool.

@Desubot -- you can get similar drill sets from amazon. There are some hand drills with collets that will actually fit those, too!

 Talys wrote:


@Desubot -- you can get similar drill sets from amazon. There are some hand drills with collets that will actually fit those, too!

I just like these ones because they are sharp

but if i had a collet for the smaller sizes on my dremel i would do that because the small highspeed drill bits are cheaper than these micro bits. but these are also nice because i can use them by hand for delicate work

For the start, just use a sharp(ened) nail in a "pin vise" to push a hole/dent in the center of what you want to drill.

A standard pin vice is dirt cheap and having lots of them means no swapping out drill bits:
http://www.amazon.ca/SE-846PV-4-Piece-Pin-Vise/dp/B001EPX75U/ref=sr_1_15/186-5613323-1447060?ie=UTF8&qid=1429043485&sr=8-15&keywords=pin+vise+set

For drilling with a little more power and control I have this:

For knives, I like this handle:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/Wood/page.aspx?p=31088&cat=1,130,43332,43393&ap=1

With this type of blade:
The edge is almost chromed or something from the ones I get form Lee Valley, They stay sharp and by being smaller I tend to cut myself less and do not have the tip break like a classic pointy exacto.

This is what works for me after many years of messing around with inadequate hobby specific tools.

 Talys wrote:

Gundor2 wrote:

 Talys wrote:

Gundor2 wrote:

I thought doing a pilot hole was a given. I also don't recommend using Dremel tools. The hobby drill or something close to it is what I was thinking of. Most cordless drills(Dewalt, Makitia, Black and Decker,..etc) still drill slow enough to get the job done. And if you have dozens(Orks) of barrels to drill out, your hand won't get fatigued.

Oh, ok. But you need a hand drill to do the pilot hole Even with a very fine drill, using something like a Dewalt can easily slip and ruin a model.

Also: if you use a vice to keep your models from moving, invest in carbide drill bits. They will cut through plastic like butter (but they are more brittle, hence the importance of a vice to prevent the drill bit from snapping).

Don't use a drill bit to start the hole. Use a X-acto blade. Make sure it's sharp. Also you can position it better to make sure the hole is centered. It doesn't slip like a pin vise can when making a starter hole. Any drill bit can slip if there is nothing for it to go into. It doesn't matter if its in a drill or pin vise.

Dremel does make a nice 7 piece drill bit set that goes for $10 US at a DIY store. Goes from 1/32 to 1/8.

A Dewalt(and other brands) can go at slow enough speeds that it won't damage the model. It's all about how far you pull the trigger on them.(@Talys - You don't have to use the drill at maximum speed all the time. ) Like anything, be careful when you do any drilling and there won't be a problem.

I use an awl to mark a spot, rather than a hobby knife. Still, if I will drill a pilot, at least to about 1/16" before I use a larger drill bit. The Dremels are just so fast rotationally, and unless you're using the (piece of junk) drill press, you have virtually no control. I have like.. 5 dremel tools and every possible known attachment to them

But hey, whatever tools work for you is cool.

@Desubot -- you can get similar drill sets from amazon. There are some hand drills with collets that will actually fit those, too!

You obviously don't know the difference between a Dremel and a cordless drill.