Home
What's New
Search Site
Lighting Products
Lighting Accessories
Lighting Effects Products
Lighting Kits
Little Sounds
Tubing
Photo-etched Products
Stamped Metal Products
Other Detail Stuff
Soldering Aids
Other Cool Tools
Tips 'n Tricks
Ordering & Delivery Info
Feedback
Customer Photos
Retailers/Distributors
Effects for Sci-Fi
Effects for R/C

Best viewed using:

 Internet Explorer

or

Mozilla Firefox

Tips 'n Tricks
This is our "idea" page. Whenever we find a jig or fixture that saves steps or improves precision,  a procedure that simplifies a process, or a just plain helpful idea, we'll post it here. Hopefully, some of them will be ngenious n-uf to nspire you. All drawings, photos and documentation on this page may be freely reproduced for non-commercial purposes only.

We encourage you to contribute clever and well documented ideas. We'll try to post as many as possible. If submitting photos please make sure they're in JPEG or GIF format and each is 25KB or less in size (for readers with slow Internet connections). Send to: ideas@ngineering.com  With your permission, we will include your name as author. Lengthy procedures and MS Word documents will be converted to Adobe® PDF format for easier download by our readers.

 

     Click for details   Adobe PDF icon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More Info
Photos

 Rod Drilling Jig
Ever need to drill straight holes in small diameter styrene rod without the rod bending or wobbling. This simple little holder will support your part. If you need to make a piece of special plastic tubing this will clamp and hold firm letting you drill for very thin tubing wall thickness. We've also used it as a guiding tool for sawing a slot along a length of rod.

 

                            Click for details    Adobe PDF icon
 Jeweler's Bib
Save time and a lot of frustration with this simple aid. As hobbyists, we spend considerable time at the workbench using small tools and working on very small and delicate parts. It can be very aggravating to have to stop and crawl around on the floor looking for a dropped part. An old friend who did watch repair put us on to this and its been a great help. You can make one in just a few minutes, and probably have the material on hand.

 

          Click for details Adobe PDF iconAdobe PDF icon

 Light Box

Our N2018 .018" diameter stainless tubing is ideal for fabricating different styled lighting fixtures in several different scales. We offer two versions (N scale and HO) of gooseneck style building light kits using this tube and its small size helps these lights to look very prototypical. That's the good news... The not-so-good news is that once this tubing is formed into the gooseneck shaped, threading two of our tiny #38 wires through the tube can range from very challenging, to extremely frustrating, to "%@#!*&!
(depending on the scale you're working with).

One of our customers responded with a technique that he found made the job much easier. After trying it, (and tweaking the process just a little) we definitely agree. We've created a PDF file of the procedure that can easily be downloaded and/or printed by just clicking on the PDF icon to the right.
This actually has nothing to do with Casablanca… it’s about modeling and magnification. Or… what you see is what you get! Just click on Bogie's picture for more information
If you plan to do precision work with small photo-etched parts and have difficulty accurately cutting them from the fret, build this light box and make the process much easier and more precise. It also helps to improve accuracy when trimming decals. With the light off, the plate glass top is also excellent for those assembly projects that need a very flat, cleanable work surface. It's easy to build.

 

  Gallery...  what???
  Paint my Tweezers ??
Here's a clever way to cut down on nicks and scratches the next time you're handling pre-painted photo-etched material. Just dip your tweezer tips in the paint color of the pre-painted parts and let them dry thoroughly. When you use them to handle or bend the parts, the paint will help hold and cushion the part. It won't totally eliminate the possibility of nicks and scratches, but it will help.  When you're done, just soak the tips in solvent or gently scrape the paint off.

Gallery Glass ®. This product is manufactured by Plaid Enterprises, Inc. located in Norcross, GA and can be purchased at any Michaels Craft Store, Craft Warehouse or most craft supply stores.

We have found this product to be extremely useful in many modeling applications due to its unique qualities. As squeezed from the bottle, it has the consistency of white glue, It comes in many different colors and dries to a rubbery consistency, and... totally clear in that color. As a result, you can make lenses, encapsulate wired LED, create taillights, turn signal lenses, street reflectors... the possibilities are endless. And... being acrylic, it doesn't attack anything. Being a bit rubbery when dry, if the application doesn't appear quite right, just peal it off and do it again. This is truly amazing stuff. It's available in 2-ounce plastic squeeze bottles (enough to last for many years) at about $2.49-$2.99 per bottle. For examples of use, click on Photos in the More Info table above.

© 2022 Ngineering
 Gooseneck light wiring simplified
  Here’s looking at you…