I can't live without these diorama tools
Every artist, woodworker or maker has tools that are essential to their success. Today, I'd like to share with you three tools that are the most critical in my shop.
Let me be clear, these are the tools that are paramount in my creation process. You may not have these tools, or if you do, you may have others that are more important to you. If you're a beginner who hasn't had time to determine what tools are essential to your work, check out this video, to learn about the basic tools and materials I suggest for diorama building.
If any of these tools were to break, I would replace them without hesitation.
In my opinion these tools were all fundamental in my development as an artist in this medium. Each one not only represents a particular set of functionality that is vital to my process, but they each represent a milestone moment that helped my evolution as an artist.
Proxxon Hotwire Foam Cutting Table
In the XPS foam world, the Proxxon is a near industry standard for Hotwire foam cutting tables. This was the first "fancy" diorama tool that I got, which was a Christmas gift from my wife (Love you!). It immediately made an impact on my work, allowing me to leapfrog my previous diorama self with newfound ability to cut repeatable shapes with smooth 90 degree or angled cuts every time.
Because of this tool, I was able to offer my first ever limited-run pre-order - a wall-mountable building façade.
Like I said, the tool allowed me to make precise, nearly identical cuts of foam. So having the Proxxon allowed me to fairly easily make 10 of these dioramas. Something I very likely wouldn't have tried by hand.
This 3D printer represents the second FDM machine I acquired for my shop. My first 3D printer was a Kingroon KP3, which my in-laws gifted me for Christmas one year. That was 3D printer 1.0, so to speak. I used that 180x180mm printer to learn what it took to effectively print diorama parts, dealing with a multitude of print failures, hardware breakdowns and so much more.
It wasn't until I felt I had that machine fully dialed in that I decided to go for the quite popular Ender 3 (V2) as my second printer, which boasted a much larger 235x235mm print bed and unlocked an ability to print larger diorama props.
I now create 99% of the models I use in my dioramas using a program called Tinkercad. This program is quite easy to use, allowing me to model windows, doors, signage and so much more.
Hot glue is the most common type of glue I use in diorama building. It bonds and sets quickly, and when used on the low temperature setting works great with XPS foam. While this tool is much more abundant and economical than the other two on this list, I use this far more than I do the others.
You can get a glue gun and glue sticks at any retailer that sells art/craft supplies, like your local dollar store, Walmart, Dollar General etc.
That's all for now. Check out our video on this topic or sound off in the comments section below and let me know what your irreplaceable tools are.
DISCLAIMER - VASCO Toys is part of the amazon associates program. If you click on any of the amazon product links in this blog, I will receive a small commission on those sales at no extra charge to you.
I am not responsible for any harm or injury that may be caused a result of others attempting this type of project. Build at your own risk.