Question about scribers and decals

[gasdriverca]

First of all what is the best blade to use to scribe panel details or doors?
Second can ayone tell me what this decal is for I mean which livery-"Opel Astra 2000 ST27-DC537c" because I found it on a site but they had no pictures for it,my suspicion is for the SAT1 car but i'm not sure?
I have the "Irmscher DTM 2000 ST27DC538c" & "ATS DTM 2001 ST27DC539c" so if anyone can shoot some info my way i'd be a happy camper again.
Thanks Gasdriverca

[Helico]

I use a Tamiya scriber for straight lines on flat surface


and scriber saw for tight corners, curves and around the edges

[gasdriverca]

Crazy modeller....thats where I seen them before,I couldn't remember who and where I had seen the scriber & blades, thanks bud.

[RallyRaider]

I find nothing more exotic than the back of a regular number 11 Exacto blade works best for existing straight lines. For fiddilly curves and corners try a sewing needle in a pin vice. For starting new straight lines the etched saws like in Helico's post can't be beat.
Crazy Modellers look like a copy of Hasegawa/Tritool saws.

[RallyRaider]

Regarding the Astra decals, found this on the S27 site. looks like the livery is Jagermeister.
A company called something like Mr Moon (?) released the SAT1 decals.

[gasdriverca]

thanks for the info rallyraider but that Mr.Moon decals no longer do motorsport decals due to the incline in sales,he only does fire engine decals now thanks anyway. Plus i used the good 'ol exacto blade but wondered if there was something better out there! I use that blade but must of had it on to much of an angle or something and the gap looked a bit too big.

[Didymus]

My Squadron scriber is one of my favorite tools. With all due respect to RallyRaider, it doesn't tear like the back of an Xacto #11; it makes a nice clean cut. Now and then I'll find another use for it, like when I need to clean up a rough edge.

Ddms

[hirofkd]

I use three kinds of tools for panel lines. One is Olfa hobby knife, which is much like Exacto, but the blade is smaller and sharper. Another one is Hasegawa PE saw, and it's thinner than the width of most of the panel lines. And recently, I found a nice set of tools called Pen Liner.
http://www.ms-plus.com/search.asp?id=26788
It's essentially a small PE saw with a handle, but I have a better grip with this one than the Hasegawa PE saw.
The company, Satellite, also makes sets of scrapers and blades.
http://www.ms-plus.com/search.asp?id=26790
http://www.ms-plus.com/search.asp?id=26789
Rainbow Ten has them in stock. (search by "satellite")

Those tools look really cheap, and indeed they feel cheap in your hand, but they do their job.

[lotus123]

I've used the Tamiya scriber (too wide), dental pick (not great) as well as the SRC scriber blade (a bit too thin and aggressive).

My current favourite is very high tech - a sharp pin in a pin vise!

[gasdriverca]

Originally Posted by Didymus

My Squadron scriber is one of my favorite tools. With all due respect to RallyRaider, it doesn't tear like the back of an Xacto #11; it makes a nice clean cut. Now and then I'll find another use for it, like when I need to clean up a rough edge.

Ddms

Thats 1 of the problems I'm gettin with the exacto is that its kinda rough & i'm using all sorts of stuff to clean it out which I find frustrating & thats why I'm wondering if I'm using the right tool.

[Didymus]

Originally Posted by gasdriverca

Thats 1 of the problems I'm gettin with the exacto is that its kinda rough & i'm using all sorts of stuff to clean it out which I find frustrating & thats why I'm wondering if I'm using the right tool.

You definitely don't want to look at those back-of-the-blade "cuts" through a magnifying glass!

Even though the Squadron Scribing Tool costs only about $7, it's a hefty well-balanced tool that gives great results and looks and feels like a quality product.

I really like my Crazy Modeler saws, by the way, but I don't think they're the best thing for re-scribing panel gaps.

Ddms

[mrawl]

I agree, the Squadron is great, however I found I had to grind mine a bit to make it narrower - the lines were a bit too shallow and wide by default.

[Twowheelsrule]

Originally Posted by gasdriverca

Plus i used the good 'ol exacto blade but wondered if there was something better out there! I use that blade but must of had it on to much of an angle or something and the gap looked a bit too big.

I agree the Exacto blade makes a wide cut. I have a scriber tool and it also makes a wide cut.

THE BEST TOOL for me is sewing thread. You have to have a panel line to follow and a hole or spot to start in. You take the thread and saw back and forth and it gets the plastic hot enough that it cuts right through! Yes, the thread will break a few times but, with care you can cut trunks, and doors and when you are done the gaps are very small. Only light sanding is required to clean the edges left behind.


TW

[Didymus]

The sewing thread sounds like a great idea, but I think the OP wanted the best thing to scribe panels and doors, not to remove them.

Ddms

[Twowheelsrule]

Originally Posted by Didymus

The sewing thread sounds like a great idea, but I think the OP wanted the best thing to scribe panels and doors, not to remove them.

Ddms

Woops! I think you are right.

TW