something. These didn’t last long in my tool drawer, and I
have basically found that the friction clamps don’t work very
well in the real world of modeling.
Spring clamps are the type of clamp I use most often, at
least when I need only a small clamping range. However it
is also important to make sure the clamp doesn’t apply too
much pressure to the modeling parts. As such, the clamps I
currently use most often are the clamps sold by Micro-Mark
called Miniature Spring Clamps (11). These clamps have a ¾″
capacity and don’t apply too much pressure for most jobs.
These are fairly common – I found a large bag of the same
clamps at my local ACE hardware store.
12: These angle plates were purchased from Micro-Mark.
11: Spring clamps like these are available from Micro-
Mark as well as some hardware stores.
My favorite clamps for building resin freight car kits are the
Coffman clamps that were discussed in a Tool Shed article in
the
Angle Plates
Angle plates are used with a milling machine to hold the
piece vertical while it being machined. Parts clamped to the
vertical surface can be held perpendicular to the table even
if they are not flat on the bottom. Angle plates normally
have T-slots so it can be securely fastened to a milling table.
I purchased my angle plates (12) from Micro-Mark. My large
ones are 2″ models, while my small one is 1″. They don’t
have T-slots or another way to hold them to a milling table
other than clamping them. While I don’t use them with my
milling machine, I do use them all the time when building
12
11
The Tool Shed - 6
MRH-Mar 2014
