8. Handy Tools

The glue gun is one of our favorite tools for the Christmas village. You can actually glue all kinds of material with this, also different materials together. The glue gun glues many porous and non-porous materials. A glue gun works easily and quickly. Make sure you press the parts you want to glue together within 15 to 20 seconds. After only one minute it is stuck. Check the manual for information on how to use your glue gun safely.

The glue that comes out is very hot, the manual should also state exactly what size or type of glue patterns you need. You buy these cartridges separately from your glue gun and go into the back of the gun. There are various types of adhesive patterns for sale in sizes 7 mm and 11 mm. The quality of these glue patterns may vary. The gun is powered up and in front there is a heating element which ensures that the glue melts and flows out. Give the glue gun some time to soften the glue. When the glue is heated enough, the glue will run out of the nozzle when you press the button.

Some glue guns have a switch to turn the gun on and off, make sure you turn it on so that the gun starts to heat the glue. With a glue gun without a switch, the glue immediately starts to warm up when you plug the plug into the socket. Some glue guns are cordless, so you have more freedom to choose where and how you go to work. This will always have to be put back in its base station to keep warm.

With a glue gun, for example, you can fix your lampposts, trees and figures on your base. Sometimes it is even possible to remove it later, but watch out for cables. You can also attach styrofoam plates with small dots of glue, remember that the hot glue tends to melt in the styrofoam. Some parts that break off your items can also be glued to it, such as the cock on the roof, arm of the doll or a break in your house. But also small nails or thumbtacks under your lanterns so you can stick them in the styrofoam

The Styrofoam cutter, or hot-wire cutter, is actually indispensable for the builder of a Styrofoam (Isimo in Belgium) basis. you will see through, when you go with a normal knife to shape your styrofoam, your whole house is full of those irritating balls of foam. They are still static after cutting and are really everywhere … until well after Christmas. With a styrofoam cutter you can easily cut styrofoam without rubbish. This is because the cutting wire gets warm, which gives you a nice smooth cut.

A hot-wire or styrofoam cutter is the tool to cut polystyrene foam such as polystyrene officially hot and comparable materials. The device consists of a thin, tight metal wire, often made of copper or stainless steel, or a thicker wire preformed in a desired shape, heated by electrical resistance to approximately 200 ° C. While the wire is being cut through the material to be cut the heat of the wire vaporizes the material just before the contact. As a knife through butter, you cut your desired shape. Tight for a stairs or rough for a mountain.

There are several hot wire cutters available, depending on your requirements. There are versions with a thin wire that resemble a jigsaw, variants with a sturdy blade like a knife (hot knife) and a kind of sawing tables for larger work. Below you can see the images.

A sealant or spray gun is a container in which larger tubes of glue and sealant can be placed. For example, a tube of transparent silicone sealant. This kit is ideal for making a water trap. Of course this kit is available in tubes but the tubes offer more content at a lower price. A pistol for these cartridges is only a few euros for price stunters.

Remove the nozzle from the tube and cut the cup of the tube with a die cutter. Then screw the nozzle back onto the tube. Slightly cut the nozzle. The width of the opening should be about the same as what you want to apply, a small dot or wide kit line. Behind the handle is a spring release, if you press it you can pull the rod completely backwards. Place the tube in the gun and squeeze the handle of the caulking gun until the rod is forward again. The nozzle will now first fill with sealant. Place the nozzle at the beginning of the surface to be kittened. Squeeze the gun handle again and start with kitten. Press the spring release button on the back of the caulking gun and the kit stops immediately. If you do not do this, superfluous kit will run out of the gun. With a little bit of skill you can make a nice water party in a simple movement with a kit sprayer.

A tacker is a kind of stapler where the staple is shot into the material. The staple or the staple is then not bent as with staples for paper. A hand tacker is a stapler that you can manually staple on hand force and an electric tacker is a stapler that works on electricity. The hand tacker has the advantage that you work without power but the disadvantage is that you have to put more power than with the electric tacker.

Very likely that you need a tacker with your Christmas village construction is not. While the professionals, think of display builders in garden centers can not get outside. There everything must be fast and very well secured for the loose hands. The tackers are very suitable for fixing plate moss on a wooden base. Street and ocean mats are also fast and flat with staples. with a handy tool it is even possible to tap the cord flat over the bottom. This tool ensures that the staple is not completely in the plate and thus cut the cord.

Manual and electric staple guns have a button to open the magazine. This can often be found at the back of the staple gun. Squeeze the button until the slot opens or until it falls slightly downwards. The place where the staples are supposed to be is now visible. Make sure you keep the tacker upside down to easily insert the staples. Put your staples upside down in the opening. Make sure the staples are the right size. If they are too big or too small, they can hide the tacker. Pay attention to the right type for your tacker before buying staples. Close the trade again and you are ready for use. Shoot only when you are tacker against your material and never just in the air.

In the village below you see that it is built up with a sheet, which is completely “tacked”.

Gripper, also known as the gripping stick or helping hand. A grab is a handy tool if objects are out of your reach. With a grab you can pick objects from the ground or from a tall cupboard. But also an object in the back of the somewhat larger Christmas village. It requires only little power to pick up an object, a grab has a handle or so-called pistol grip, by squeezing this light the gripper closes and clamps itself around the object. Grapples are generally only suitable for picking up lightweight objects such as a figure or tree that has fallen over. We do not recommend moving a fragile house with it.

WD40, not really a tool, but useful for the Christmas village. It is a universal means. WD-40® Multi-Use Product protects metal against rust and corrosion, penetrates stuck parts, displaces moisture and lubricates almost everything. It even removes grease, dirt and much more from most surfaces. Creaking and squeaky animation items can already be refurbished with a small syringe of WD40. However, it does not remove artificial snow if it has come between your item / gears. In addition, WD-40 offers countless applications in the most diverse areas. Easy to use thanks to the handy integrated nozzle. It is not the same as silicone spray, WD-40 is a multispray and silicone spray is a protective spray. To make your skate dolls glide more smoothly over the track, do not use it because it just makes it drier, take baby powder instead of grease. In the skating rink at the mechanism, the weather can. Dispense carefully … do not use too much.

1953, Norm Larsen, founder of the Chemical Rocket Company in San Diego, California, develops the spray to prevent corrosion. Only later was it used for many other applications. Larsen, however, needed 40 attempts before finding the perfect water-repellent formula. Hence the name WD40: Water Displacement – 40th Attempt.

Dremel (or multitool). The best-known multitool is that of the Dremel brand. They often consist of a manageable unit that has a speed controller and also a chuck where various attachments can be placed for small jobs such as engraving, sanding, drilling, polishing and grinding. With your multitool and the right grinding disc you can sharpen the pedestals of the figurines. Dremel is an American manufacturer of power tools, accessories and accessories in the do-it-yourself market. In addition to a producer, Dremel is also a brand name of that type of tool.

The first product Dremel took into production was a knife sharpener for electric shavers. After the modest success of this device, Dremel developed in 1932 one of the first electric multitools, with which the company finally settled on the handyman’s market. Always wear eye protection when working with rotating tools.  It may be a small device, but especially with the grinding disc in combination with the right material, the sparks can fly off. A Dremel can reach speeds of up to 37,000 rpm and many people have the tendency to put him on as high a position as possible, but beware .. that is not always the right position, let the tools do their work and grind or engrave quietly without putting too much force.