My favourite tools
Every maker has their favourite tools, and these are mine.
CUTTING
One of my all time favourite things for making is my easy-action scissors. Their handles are like that of pliers, so you can squeeze them closed, and a spring opens them back up. It is much gentler on your hands than regular scissors, particularly if you use scissors as frequently as I do! Mine are from Fiskars, My particular favourite are called Fiskars Razor-Edge Micro Tip, which can cut out teeny, tiny detail. The one hazard, of course, is that they can, and will, slice right through your flesh if you’re not careful with them. Sadly, careful is not my middle name, and I have the scars to prove it! But oh, how I love them.
Swann Morton make some good cutting knives. I prefer them to Jakar because you can get a nice, sturdy plastic handle that doesn’t irritate my nickel allergy (hello, hypoallergenic friends!) Also that sturdy plastic handle is blue, so extra points for making them in my favourite colour. ALWAYS use pliers to remove broken or blunt blades. If you don’t have pliers, you shouldn’t have a knife. Safety is important.
GLUING
My favourite glue is Crafter’s Pick The Ultimate. It’s a PVA, but it is super strong and will stick anything together. It is expensive, but you are paying for quality glue. I’m not sure it’s necessary for everyday crafting, but it is the business for my sculptures.
HOLE MAKING
I use a big dress making pin, and I place some blue tack inside a jam jar lid, so that I’ve got somewhere safe to jab without damaging my fingers or my table. I also have a bradawl for bigger hole making purposes.
JEWELLERY PLIERS
I have loads of pliers! Jewellery pliers come in lots of different shapes, and are without grips, so that wire can be shaped without leaving any scuff marks. My favourite are round nose pliers, which I think are really versatile. I have them in multiple sizes, because I collect and hoard things like a dragon. I use my needle nose pliers (small round nose) the most because I find them to be the neatest for most wire wielding jobs. Though I use a sturdy (copper coated) steel wire for my wreaths, feet and stems, so sometimes I need larger pliers for unwieldy thick wire.
GU POTS AND PRINGLE LIDS
Such handy little containers for fiddly bits on my desk. I clearly know more Gu pot eaters than Pringle eaters, because my ratio of pot to lid is about 10 to 1. I am also very fond of a jam jar. Why recycle when you can reuse?
PLASTIC PAINT BRUSH HANDLES
Do you know of those nasty paintbrushes that always come with a cheap children’s paint set, with the black bristles that seem to remove more paint than they apply? Yes, they are absolutely terrible as a brush, but don’t throw them out. By all means, pull those bristles out with your pliers, never to be seen again. You will never find a neater applicator for PVA glue. The handle end has a lovely thin round point for dotting glue in fiddly or small places. And the sides are nice and long for spreading lots of glue across a flat surface. I am allergic to glue, so I need to be extra neat with my gluing! They are my favourite thing, so I’m always happy to swap with my nieces for an actual paint brush. I have also commandeered from my nieces some plasticine screw top jars (once they were done with the plasticine, I’m not a monster), as they make great little refillable and air tight glue pots.