Tools of the Trade, from Bricks to Tips.

Behind every stop-motion/ model making student there will need to be a good toolbox (or at least there should be) and here I want to give you all the best tips and must have tools to include into your kit. You will certainly need these in your future in stop-motion and model making careers. With each product I shall embedded links into the item name that will take you to Amazon, this is to help you make quick and easy purchases or to help you find a cheaper equivalent online or in your regional shops. It is best to get these items whilst you have access to a student loan. Most of the tools you purchase at the start of your studies will last you well beyond your 3 or 4 years of study.

DISCLAIMER: Not everything featured in this list is necessarily needed for all kits, it is entirely your decision whether to purchase any of these items. HOWEVER, SAFETY GEAR IS A MUST, NO EXCEPTIONS!

Safety Gear

Your own protection must always come first. You might be thinking "I don't need to worry about this stuff, I'm young", I used to think the same and regret not taking these precautions then; who knows what has happened to my body since 2002 from all the fumes and particles I've inhaled or chemicals I've left sat on my skin. The following items are what you can purchase to give yourself a healthier hobby and career.

Goggles- You need something that can completely cover your eyes, even if you wear glasses, You want to minimize the chance of even the tiniest piece of debris from entering your eye, they are one of your most important assets you want to protect, if you loose your sight due to a chemical splash or a rouge piece of steel grinding it can be career changing.

Respirator- - You can use the cheap "one-time use" white masks, but they don't always protect you from the chemicals and airborne debris from sanding. I personally prefer the long-life respirators with changeable filters, they fit more securely to your face and give more protection by filtering out the air you inhale; they require a little care, but the bonus is that they do make you sound like Darth Vader! It's a win, win situation! 

Ear Defenders- You'll be surprised by how much damage you may be doing to your ears when using mechanical tools, big or small. Small industrial ear plugs are good to use if you’re not using loud machines every day, but a decent pair of ear defenders that go over your ears are also a good investment. Another thing to note is that headphone are really not a good replacement for ear defenders, they can be distracting when you are in a space that uses pillar drills, sanding belts and saws. They also do MORE damage to your ears as many people increase the volume so they can hear the music over the machines.

Gloves- Many of you will probably want to use latex gloves to keep your hands clean from paints and chemicals, these are a bad choice. Many of the chemicals you end up using will eat through latex or do little to prevent contamination of materials. Nitrile Gloves however, don't react to many chemicals, they have no ingredients that would result in an allergic reaction and I think they are also a stronger material than latex. If it’s good for a tattoo artist, it's good for you too.

Scalpel Bin- When disposing of any sharp items like scalpel blades, you need a safe place to dispose of them properly. Ideally, there should be a bio-hazard bin in the university workshop for everyone to use. If you need one for yourself or for home use, a small "portable" one is always a handy thing to have. Alternatively, you can use a washed-out cheese spread or butter tub with a slot cut in the lid, just remember to write a label on the tub so people know its content.

Apron/ Old Cloths- This is for keeping you clean and for protecting your body, there will be some chemicals you will use that will permanently stain or ruin fabrics (I've lost more good clothing to latex and resin spillages than I care to remember). I always buy good, thick material "work clothes" (Denham jeans, cotton hoodies, etc) from charity shops since it doesn't matter if they get ruined and I'm also donating and helping local charities. However, if you choose not to do this, you can purchase a overall suit (make sure it's good for chemical labs), but there will also be occasions that will call for thicker protection (this is for those who are using steel bristle Dremel brushes to clean ball & socket armatures), so an apron made of leather, waxed fabric or PVC is best.

First Aid-Even with all the precautions in place, SOMETIMES accidents still happen. It's always good to try and have a basic safety kit to hand. In my university days I used to make sure I had plasters, medical tape, and germolene in a small tub to use on cuts from small tools. Of course, if anything serious actually happened I always went to find a medically trained member of staff.

Sculpting Tools

Sculpting tools are very much a personal choice. My advice is to start with a Wax, Ball and Loop tool sets first and then see how you go from there. Your sculpting tools will always be an ever-adapting part of your kit.

Loop tools- These give you more control over how much material you remove off the surface of a sculpt, they come in circular and triangular loops and can range in size.

Push tools-Also known as Ball tools, they are effectively a ball tipped sculpting pen that allows you to push sculpting material around rather than removing it. I find this a more effective way of sculpting and can come in a range of sizes depending on the job.

Wax sculpting tools- The most common tool you'll find in a sculptor’s kit. These tend to be double ended and normally have a variety of tips of different sizes. You can also customize your tool tips for different jobs if you’re feeling adventurous.  

Silicone tipped tools- These are effectively silicone paintbrushes, a recent addition to the world of sculpting tools. You can find them in large and small sizes (small often being used for cake decorating) but due to the silicone's softness they work better with a soft clay like Plasticine or when a hard clay is still in a heated, softened state.

Handmade tools- There are  times when you either can't afford to purchase a tool or you can't find the right tool for a sculpting job. In times like these, you will need to make your own tools. It might sound daunting but it’s actually not that difficult, you just need to think a little outside of the box. There is a brilliant tutorial on the Stan Winston School of Character Arts on making your own sculpting tools by Shannon Shea (VFX artist with credits on Jurassic Park) It's not that expensive to purchase and once bought you can re-watch it whenever you chose. I now use my hand made tool more than any other of my shop bought tools, having that custom tool for your work really does give you the best results.

Texture Pads- These can be bought or made from found objects. Be experimental, you'll be surprised how good a piece of dried orange peel or a piece of fabric can make the skin of your sculpture look, even rubber thimbles can give great textures. Some notable materials I can suggest for texturing puppets in the sculpt phase are washing machine mesh bags, garlic bulb plastic mesh bags, wool,  sculpting tool grips, wood, to name a few.

Retractable Scalpel 

Most of you will probably have a scalpel in your kit already, but trust me here, it's only a matter of time before you end up cutting yourself seriously with the exposed blades. I strongly recommend investing in a retractable scalpel handle where you can still replace the blades when they go dull but now you can keep the blade safely inside the handle at a swipe of a button, minimizing the risk of hurting yourself or others that maybe working close to you.

Hot/ Cold Glue Gun

These are invaluable tools in your kit and its best to have two sizes, a large hobby gun and a small mini craft gun. Make sure to keep your gun stood upright during use and never lie them down on their sides even when cooling, this can cause them to explode (I kid you not, I've seen it happen!) Also, to cut down on having to buy multiple guns for different temperatures, try to look out for "Dual Temperature" in the product description.

Dremel

Dremel tool- This is more than likely going to become your go-to-tool for most of your model making life. Any Dremel product is good but make sure it has a decent dial for adjusting the tools speed, don't use the battery powered versions and use an adjustable rotary tool stand locked onto your work surface to keep the main body of the Dremel off the work surface.

Pen extension-This is the part you'll be using to do your work with. Unlike the main Dremel tool itself, the pen extension gives you more control over using the tool tip resulting in prefect jobs every time.

Multitool chuck- Remember the days when you had a tool tip and then wanted to swap them over, but the next tool tip you used was too small so you had to swap out the internal chuck so that you could use the other tool tip. Well, the Multi-tool chuck basically cuts all of that nonsense out, saving you much precious time.

Dremel Stand- A hook on top of a telescoping pole with a G-clamp base is ideal as you can then move it around your work desk. However, if such an item is outside of your budget, you can always make a wooden stand in the same fashion and clamp it into place with a G-clamp. 

Needle Files

These are perfect for filing down small areas that a Dremel is to powerful for. Sometimes the best tools for filing jobs are the ones done by hands and elbow grease. Needle files are great, but Diamond Files are much stronger.

Digital Calipers

These can be a cheap or expensive purchase, but they will be one of your best friends in model making, sculpting and armature fabrication. Metal versions are best but beware of the sharp edges, they are not sharp enough to cut but they can give you a nasty scratch if you’re not too careful. Make sure it has the small wheel along the ruler’s edge (located at the bottom right of the digital unit) to allow for smoother, controlled measurements.

Tounge Depressors and Lollipop Sticks

One of the most used tools in your kit, they more likely to be used for mixing paints and resins but can also be used as a material for making props, set pieces or making new tools for sculpting.

Cocktail/ Kebab Sticks

Like the lollipop sticks and tongue depressors, these are likely to be used for your model making, tool making or mixing processes.

Paint Brushes

There are so many types of paint brushes and uses for them it’s hard to give a definitive list for these, but what I will say is use the cheaper kind for some of the work where they will end up being thrown away and the more expensive kinds for the precise paint jobs like model/ prop painting. However, for sculpting, when using lighter fluid to smooth out your clay sculptures, experiment with different brush hairs. The thicker hog hair brushes give coarser results whereas a softer water colour brush gives a smoother result. Experiment and see what happens. Things to avoid with paintbrushes are latex (this will ruin your bristles unless you use a cheap, throw away brush) and silicone (you can wash out silicone in white spirits, but only before the silicone has cured)

Lighter Fluid

This has been a recent discovery for me, before I used to smooth out clay sculpts using my fingers or cling film, now using lighter fluid and a soft brush I actually get better results. Bearing in mind that not all clay's work well with lighter fluid, check online sculptors forums if you are not using Monster Clay or Newplast. Now, this is something I don't recommend for carrying around in a kit, I suggest only using this in a workshop/ work space environment. Always make sure your bottle is kept upright and the nib is closed after each use, as lighter fluid evaporates quickly. Most importantly, keep the fluid and the tin away from heat sources and naked flames as its highly flammable.
Another note, I found with lighter fluid that if you are making molds with hard boards and use hot glue to hold them together, lighter fluid will actually help break the bonds of the hot glue.

Airbrush

Suction fed Airbrush

Gravity fed Airbrush

This is something I am currently looking into myself. Ideally, you want more than one airbrush, one for model making (using tried and tested paints on your props and sets) and another for your puppet making (ones that you have room to experiment with different paint applications for stop-motion puppets). Ideally, you want a gravity-fed paint pot instead of one that relies on suction from the air passing through the brush, but the issue with a gravity-fed airbrush is that the paint needs to be fluid, more so than a suction method. We all must start somewhere to get the feel for what suits your needs, you can start your puppet airbrush with the basic Humbrol Airbrush and over time experiment with different paints or purchase and test out other airbrush types.

Helping Hands

Helping hands are something I have never really needed to use before, but my time in Ireland I did see they were quite useful to have around. They were great for holding models or props whilst painting or freeing up a model makers hands to do other jobs while waiting for something to dry off on a table surface. These are something that stay more on your desk rather than belong in your kit, but it’s something worth considering.

Tweezers

Finding a good set of tweezers is a nightmare, but I found these Pixnor Tweezers on my last job in Ireland and they are the best things I've ever used. They often play a role in my model making in some form or another, but beware the tips as these can be quite sharp.

Hair Dryer

This might seem like the last thing you would expect to find in your kit but believe me it can save you so much time in waiting for things to dry. Now you don't need to purchase the best, I used a travel hair dryer since it was small and could fold away and it lasted me nearly 10 years before I had to get a new one. It takes some practice to get a handle on air speed and temperature but once you master that you'll be speeding through projects.

Mini Vice

Never underestimate the power of a good vice, these mini vices are perfect for model making, armature fabricating and prop making. If you can get one with an anvil section and a swivel base it can be a valuable asset to your work space. Also, be aware what kind of jaws the vice possesses, anything that has "teeth" to grip can sometimes damage what you are trying to work with, so make sure it has flat jaws or has the option to have soft close jaws attached.

Milliput

This is a two-part putty you mix together by hand which will harden after a period of time. These have many applications in model making and stop-motion puppets, from making "bones" for an aluminium skeleton to props and set pieces. Research what the properties are for each type, but I personally recommend Milliput Fine and Standard as a good starting point.

Araldite Adhesive

You will very likely need to use more than one type of glue to do your model making and puppet builds but Araldite has always been my go-to glue. It's a two-part adhesive set in two squeezable tubes that when mixed with equal quantities of parts A and B will give you a high strength glue. There are quite a few variations of this brand, but the ones I have used and have proven to be useful are Standard, Rapid and Steel.  You can also get some in syringes which, while a little more costly, are easier to get equal quantities of both A & B parts for mixing. There is also another brand worth noting called Gorilla Glue which is the same, but some people say this is cheaper or stronger?

Pliers

These can range from large or small, it depends on the jobs you'll be doing with them, but I suggest having a large set for the big jobs and a miniature set for your armature fabrication jobs.

Hammer

This will primarily be used during separating mould sections when demoulding, but you can also use them for set construction and armature fabrication as well. There are quite a few hammers to choose from, such as the Pin Hammer, Stubby Hammer and Claw Hammer, but if you wish to use a more specialised hammer for a specific job then make sure it's worth the investment.

Chisel

This item is also used for seperating your mould sections when demoulding but can also help with some aspects of set construction. Personally I would only invest in the small to medium sizes of chisels, or any size bellow 1", anything about that is a little overkill, unless you know you'll need it.

Mini Spirit level

More for the model making/ set building side of stop-motion students, but sometimes the need for a level surface is required. 

Beads

I have found that plastic beads or wooden beads have two uses in a toolkit, being used for puppet eyes and being used as key points in moulds. When using them for eyes look for tutorials online on how to make some really good eyes, there are some great tips I have found in the past but of course this all depends on the final look you want them to have. If your using them for mould keys, make sure to bury them just over half way to prevent any undercuts from locking the mould in place, also to use plenty of mould release. You can also look in charity shops for loose threaded bead necklaces, just make sure to find the smooth, injection molded beads if you plan to use them for puppet eyes.

Small Steel Ruler / Mini Tape Measure

Technically, you could have the standard sized versions of either, but sometimes having something small for your toolkit can give you an advantage - just make sure the ruler is steel if anything.

Stationary Set

It might sound really obvious but having a good stationary set will make life easier for you. Having a compass, metal sharpener, HB Pencils and protractor set is a good starting point for you to create your own measuring and ruler kit as you go.

Cutting Mat

Personally, I prefer A2 sized mats, but it depends on how big your table space is. Either way, these will help protect your work top from damage.

Jewelers Saw Frame

These will most likely be for those of you who want to learn to become armature fabricators, but they do have roles in model making and prop making, too. Only acquire the Fixed Frame types with a flat wingnut or lock-nut to hold your saw blades. The benifit of getting a saw like this is that you can change the blades to suit your material, which means you can cut steel rods, brass tubing and even steel plates up to 20 or 30mm thick. The adjustable frame versions tend to loosen over time which can result in you braking blades more frequently.

Mire Saw

This is probably a good starting saw for your toolkit, its small, the blades can be replaced when the teeth go blunt and you can get two different depths of the blades. Its good for cutting wooden dowels, brass tubing and plastics. As your kit grows this maybe replaced with different saws or possibly even higher quality ones, but for a beginning student its worth the investment.

Lego

This is probably the most unusual item you will want in your kit. The cheaper "knock off" lego's (or building blocks) are perfect for making up mold walls, giving you a reusable and adjustable mold making option. For silicone molds you don't need to worry about using spray release on the bricks as the silicone will peel straight off the plastic, but hard molds like plasters and resins will stick so make sure to apply spray releases or Vaseline to the bricks before pouring in your mold material. 

Scissors and Cuticle Scissors

Cuticle Scissors

Day to Day Scissors

You will find that you probably won't use scissors all that much, but sometimes these work better than a scalpel. Normal scissors, especially the "heavy duty" kind, are good for day to day crafting, but the Cuticle scissors are the best for using to remove the seams of freshly demolded puppets; this is due to their curved edge which helps you from cutting into the puppet by accident. Small scissors are also advisable for cutting thread if you need to make cloths for a puppet. 
Remember, like all types of blades, scissors dull over time. If your finding it hard to cut through materials you once had no problems with, then it’s time to invest in a new pair or a sharpening tool.

Spray Release and Vaseline

R5 Mold Release

Vaseline Petroleum Jelly 

Also known as Wax Spray, if your planning to go down the mold making or puppet making route this is a must have for your kit, I personally use R5 Mold Release but there are other brands you can purchase that do the same job. 
ALTERNATIVELY, if your struggling to find a good mold release, Vaseline applied thinly with a medium sized, flexible paint brush can also do the same job, just be very careful when applying around the negative space of the puppet, Vaseline does not play well with silicone.

Plasticine

You might be thinking "Why add plasticine as a kit item?" Well, it has more use than you think. Acquiring a colour you have no value for (in my case I use Blue), it will give you both a malleable material you can use to hold up props or puppet parts to dry after painting, and it gives you a mold making material to build up the floor inside your lego walls; this way you can distinguish between what is your puppet sculpt and the mold floor material. You can smooth out the rough areas of the mold floor with either your finger, a tool or a brush dipped in lighter fluid and the plasticine won't dry out if you need to leave it over night. 
Be aware that the natural oils in plasticine will inevitably dry out if not properly stored and it will need replacing every so often so to help prolong its life, keep it out of direct sunlight, store in a "air tight" container and use as often as possible to help you gauge if it needs replacing before you start the next job.

Clamps

Now, there's quite a few clamps to choose from so I'll tell you the best kinds to get. G-Clamps are best for heavy duty jobs, mainly for securing tools like vices and rotary tool stands to table surfaces, they can come in three sizes of small, medium and large but be sure to only get cast iron or steel versions. An alternative option are Bar clamps, these are ideal for locking two part molds into a tight, secure positions so that you will have fine seams to remove. They can open up quite wide and have a quick release switch when you want to remove the clamp, the bodies are made of plastic so don't purchase too cheap a model and come in two sizes of small and large, some manufacturers do make a industrial size but you are unlikely to need them. 
Spring clamps these are good for all the little jobs, from holding items to dry at an angle to clipping animation curtains together, these are made from plastic with an articulated tip and come in a wide range of sizes. There are other types of clamps that have more specific uses that may be worth your investment but these three are what I would suggest as your starting types.
As a alternative form of clamp, especially for silicone moulds, elastic bands work just as well, though make sure not to use ones that are too small or too thin. You want them to hold your silicone mould together but not squash it and deform the negative cavity inside and if your using them on a hard mould you want to make sure they won't snap during the curing period.

Allen Key Set

This is more likely to end up in an armature fabricators toolkit and you can get much smaller kits or rely on the Allen keys that accompany some of the armature kits, but having a bit kit like this covers you for all possible sizes you may encounter and leaves the ones you acquired in armature kits as spares should you misplace any one your original set.

Screwdriver Set

You don't need a massive set, but you do need a set that covers both big and small screws. The large standard screwdrivers are good for when your set building and a power drill is to strong for a job, if you can you can purchase a screwdriver with replacement heads saving you space in your toolkit. The smaller miniature screwdrivers are good for armature joint tension as not all armature kits use Allen key screws. The also prove useful for opening your tins of paints.

Wire Wool

Wire wool is a item that would be most often used for armature fabricators since its flexibility can reach around ball joints quite easily for cleaning or polishing after the acid bath and Dremel scrubbing processes. Normally it comes as a large single mass of wool, but you can get smaller, more manageable sizes. The 0's indicates how course the wool is, the more 0's that are on the packaging, the finer the wire wool will be. It is also ideal for polishing up dirty or rusty K&S brass tubing.

Soldering Iron

This tool can be used for seaming foam latex puppets, detailing foam build-up puppets (use a mask when doing this) and can also be used for burning details into wood for props or sets. This is not a alternative solution for soldering armatures, its a different temperature and bonding application so it'll work for a citric board but not steel rods and ball joints. If you purchase a brand that has changeable iron tips you widen your scope for different tool results.

Heat Gun

This is a very specific tool to use, I my self rarely use it but it does come in handy when a hair dryer isn't quite hot enough. This is ideal for using on shrink wrap plastics over your aluminium wire, melting clay's like Monster Clay down into a liquid state, drying liquid latex (beware bubbling and air force on fluid surfaces) paints out quickly. HOWEVER, this product produces extremely hot air, it can cause fires if left alone whilst active and cause serious burns to skin if misused. I only recommend purchasing and using it IF your hairdryer is not sufficient enough for the task required.

And of course you're going to need all of your selected tools in a portable, easy to store place, so now you need to choose your...

Scales

Your most likely to find a set of scales in any industry studio environment, but if your working from home as a hobbyist or a professional, scales can be very important for measuring out liquids and solids. I have found it's best to get two types of scales, a robust "large" version for home use, these would be used for measuring out large liquid units, such as silicone for mold making and resins for casting. Also, make sure to pick up some pocket scales that can measure smaller and finer measurements, it's a really good addition for your toolkit. Not many pocket scales can cater for units over 500g, but if you need to make sure you measure exactly 10ml of resin for that tiny mold silicone, these scales will certainly give you the accurate measurement you want without wasting materials. 

On a side note, please make sure to clean your scales from rough chemicals, these will slowly ruin your equipment and cause it to either be repaired or scrapped sooner than it should be, be sure to have a paper towel or a old rag close by. 


Toolbox
This is literally your choice and your choice alone, I have seen people's toolboxes in all materials, shapes and sizes. When I first needed to keep all my tools together I chose a small plastic toolbox but by the end of my first year I needed a much bigger one, so I opted for a makeup box with fold out trays which could be adjusted to fit most if not all of my tools inside the trays. It has served me well since, though my tool collection has doubled since then so I need to reassess whether I need all those tools still or invest in a bigger toolbox, but if I can give any advice on this is to make sure you purchase a box that has adjustable storage compartments, fixed sized compartments can sometimes be either too small for your tools or just the wrong shape so they only fit a certain way.
If it has a lock (key or combination) go for it, you can never be too careful in a workshop OR in the industry, it does happen sometimes that tools go "missing", that been said, if your REALLY precious about a particular tool in your kit, write or engrave your name onto it then people know who it belongs to.