My best customizing tools are a pair of medical forceps. They are used to hold a torso and legs by the hook. Additionally I use two pair of needle nose vice grip pliers for holding heads and arms when painting. These are some of the best tools for customizing I have ever found.

What are some others?

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Dremmel, obviously... I have also started to find that a hot glue gun has come in more and more handy lately, and well, I make use of balloons alot too. But I use a dremmel and a variety of bits in nearly every custom I do, and usually a drill too, if I am doing swivel wrists.

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Dremel, razor blades, & superglue (both for customizing & medical use as a result of razor blade slips... )

A .02 shader paintbrush.
A small crock pot and a packet of Ryt Dye
Microbrush application brushes

- R

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I tried to narrow this list down to the ones I use on just about every custom.

Dremel with all the attachments (mainly a diamond cutting wheel and a pointed etching bit for drilling and rough sanding).
X-Acto knife.
Dentist pick for sculpting.
Gorilla glue and superglue.
A meduim detail brush that comes to a fine point.
Vice grip pliers.

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Dremel
X-acto blade
X-acto saw
GREEN STUFF!!!
A little wooden sculpting tool that I snagged one day

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My dremel. I use it everyday (well everyday I customize).

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X-acto knives
my little Phillips-head tweaker for unscrewing chests (wow, I hope no one takes that out of context)
my little red handled screwdriver for prying open things without cutting myself
Brown stuff kneaditite w/wax #5 tools
Windsor newton cirrus sable brushes
Vallejo and Delta Ceramcote paints

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My brain.
I use it from starting concepts to parts selection to visualization to working out problems to finished product on every custom.

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How does the Gorilla Glue work? I've got some but never used it.

I'd have to say my most used tool is a cheap brush and 44 cent paints from Walmart. I use them on every custom.

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Dremel and a small selection of grinding and drilling bits

Needle nose pliers with the angled tip; I LOVE these things, especially for pulling O-rings through and holding heads for painting.

Alligator clips. Useful for holding a variety of parts, even whole figures, for a variety of purposes.

Figure stands--homemade and otherwise. I used to just keep a pair handy, but that number has really grown.

Loews-Cornell #2 round paint brushes.

Old, dried out brushes I keep for paint mixing.

Apple Barrel paints and my little plastic paint trays.

DecoArt Multi-Purpose Sealer.

Green stuff.

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My best customizing tools?

Doc Rob and JFAK075.

Seriously. Without them, where'd be the fun?

Well, them and a 10/0 artists brush.

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You're supposed to wet one side and then put the gorilla glue on the other side. I had a problem with small parts not staying where they should so I started using superglue instead of water to hold it in place while the gorilla glue dries (up to 3 hours).

I've only had one thing re-break after using it and that was because I dropped it from chest high right onto the glued area. I like it so much I've used it for knick knacks, keychain size store discount cards, porcelain tooth brush holders, and plastic coaster feet for a glass cutting board which I have since washed in the dishwasher.

The thing you want to watch out for is that the gorilla glue expands when it dries. That means a little will go a long way and you'll want to remove any excess. You can use an x-acto to cut away anything you missed.

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Best tool is a number of 12" by 16" meal trays that were obtained from one of my College Dining halls.

I've got a couple of them (one for tools, one for the work, somtimes one for painting.) They make customizing work mobile so I can move from infront of the TV to the Computer, to anywhere else and clean up is then pretty easy. I even have one that I converted to a spray painting tray using chopsticks.

Next fav tool is a Razor Saw/ Xacto Saw. These things work great on plastic and are a MUST for vehicle customs.

other useful tools are a Pin vice with needle sized drill bits. a Dremel, Hot melt glue gun, a set of Sears Speedlock drill bits, sometimes a cordless drill to use them in...they have a hex base so you can use them by hand for delecate areas. Dental tools for sculpting,

then other regular stuff...brushes, pot, strainer, and rit dye. exacto, and screwdrivers.

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Dremel, super glue, dental picks, computer (yeah for all the details, stickers, etc.), and fingernail files.

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