I use quite a bit of those plastic things that keep the bread bags closed. Not sure of what they are called or really made of but it gives me an almost endless supply of small scrap plastic. Works with cement you use normally on your kit.
Lessee-----Baby Powder, Hand Cream, Toothpaste, Cold Cream, Nail Polish Remover, Clothes Pins, Asst. electronic parts, Change of Clothes, Vodka, Pack of Smokes and a Mossberg for when things REALLY go south.
Just this week I had an idea to use syringes for super glue to attach PE parts. I bought a pack for insulin use, however the medium glue I use is too thick for the syringe. But because it’s such a fine needle it’s perfect for applying the smallest amounts of glue needed. Then in a fit last night as I was applying some railings to a round part of a ship I had an idea to load up some super glue accelerator into another syringe. That made my life much easier. So now I apply the glue with one syringe, hold the PE with tweezers and then with the other syringe push out a small drop of accelerator. The pharmasist at first thought I was doing glue and was hesitant about handing the package over, then I explained further and he said have fun 
Don, I remember seeing those kinds of needles at my grandmother’s house when I was a kid (around 65 years ago). She was a seamstress, and made wedding dresses for a living. I don’t know what she used them for, but they were always sitting right on top of the sewing machine so I guess she used them a lot.
I use the “blush brush”, all types of nail sanding sticks, Q tips, plastic “credit cards” sent in trash mail, various pieces of material from electronics before they go out in the trash, and anything that looks like something I could use.
Jim
I wanted to try syringes for modeling needs but a.) not sure what the laws are and b.) too embarrassed to ask for them.
I also use:
Q-tips
Sponge tip make-up applicators to help tamp down decals
Sewing needles-scribing
Pipe cleaners for my air brush- would you believe they lock them up here?
Toothpaste-polishing
Glass necklace beads- paint bottle agitators
Pump hair spray-dump out the hair goo and use the bottle for spraying water on my model railroad scenery. This always made them wonder: Why is this bald man buying hair spray?
Vaseline- I attempted to copy some parts using epoxy and modeling clay- it was recommended as a release agent.
Formula 409, Simple Green, brake fluid-paint strippers.
I’m not sure where you live but here in Ontario they seem to be over the counter no prescription needed. If you ask for insulin syringes they shouldn’t give you any funny looks. I doubt it’s illegal to buy them anywhere, what’s the worst they can ask, do you have a prescription or what are you using them for.
I just made a joke and said it was for gluing models not heroin. He laughed and gave me a pack.
Sorry did you say they lock up pipe cleaners? Why? Cant you buy them at art supply shops.
I found the art supply ones tend to be too large and are often made of synthetic fibers. Regular pipe cleaners are cotton.
As far as the other part, they have become very anal around here as far as sales to minors. They have signs up saying they card under 40 and things like that. Many retailers do not stock pipe tobacco and related supplies, unless you go to a so-called “smoker friendly” shop. Oddly enough, the check stands are loaded up with all sorts of Bic lighters and such. I think you do have to be 18 to buy lighters though.
Jim
I’m always looking for stuff that could be useful in the hobby:
discarded electronic parts- great for cylinders and engine parts
discarded electrical cords and electronic wiring- useful for armor tow cables, engine and aircraft wiring and plumbing and even aircraft seat belt buckles.
paper coffee filters- great for polishing
wood coffee stirring sticks- my go to tool for stirring and mixing paints
ladies emery boards- from the Dollar Store or Wally World, in multiple grits and some are padded.
discarded ceramic tile- used as the support cutting surface for pe.
discarded plastic tops from water bottles- used as disposable mixing palettes for paints and washes. Turn them over and use the other side to place a drop of any type glue for a precise gluing application.
left over kit’s parts tree numbers- can be carefully shaven off and used as casting numbers on armor.
wood popsicle sticks- great for making wood fences, wood slats, and just about any king of diorama setting.
discarded plastic pill bottles- great for holding small parts and there are types with a double screwable top that will allow a figure to be temporarily secured to it, making a great handle to use while painting, and allowing the figure to be in the bottle until it’s completed.
plastic food trays- I save some of the small Jello plastic cups to be used as disposable cups for decanting spray paints, holding small parts or mixing diorama terrain materials. The larger microwaveable disposable food trays can be used as temporary holding bins for a project’s parts such as holding all those wheels for German armor subjects.
Cheap hair spray from the Dollar Store- great for the ‘hairspray weathering technique’.
metal strainers from the Dollar Store- used for armor and aircraft engine and vent screens.
dried flowers and moss from the craft store- useful for diorama settings
wine bottle foil- great for making straps, belts, tarps, fenders and a ton of other things.
beer, soda, tea cans- for manufacturing parts such as certain aircraft seats, Schürzen for German armor, etc.
Kitty litter- best material I have found to use as rubble, sandy, or rocky terrain. Crush the material as fine as you like and is easily colored with craft acrylics mixed with water and white glue.
dried roots from the backyard- these make excellent trees. trim to size, spray hairspray on it and sprinkle ground foam to build up the foliage.
spices from the kitchen- spices like dried oregano, parsley or any leafy type will make great ground leaf debris.
sewing needle- I use one in my hand held pin vise with the eyelet slit open as a super glue applicator. The eyelet will hold the right amount of thin ca than can be precisely applied to the most difficult part to reach.
window cleaner from The Dollar Store- Huge bottle for a buck and works the same as Windex at a fraction of the cost. Great for stripping off acrylic paints from plastic parts, cleaning the ab, and it even works at cleaning glass! [;)]
3M Nexcare waterproof tape is fantastic to masking camo demarcation lines. Cut it into thin strips and mask away. It’s extremely flexible and is great for masking compound curves.
I bought a few cheap picture frames at the dollar store simply for the glass. I use them when cutting decals or Tamiya or Nexcare tape with a straight edge.
A friend who used to work in a hospital gave me a bunch of unused disposable plastic haemostats from ER room suture trays. Great grip on them.
Small spinning carousel (lazy Susan type thing) for a microwave oven. Place the model on it ans spin away for hands free painting.
Accordion file for storing decals.
I’ve found a shop-vac useful for vacuuming up the pieces, after a short flight.
Suture scissors - had some stitches this summer from a box-knife incident. Doc gave them to me after taking out the stitches. Great little tool if you can get them.
Beading wire in various colors, sizes.
I keep a supply of whiskers that the household cat sheds rather frequently into her water dish. Use them to paint or to make antennae for AFV’s.
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Never thought of using animal parts for modeling lol.
Hand held Hair dryer - will often speed up paint drying - also use it to heat up and unstick a stuck screw-on paint bottle top.
Panty Hose - cut the legs into various sized squares - use to strain the paint used in my airbrush.
After gluing, I’ve found foam earplugs are perfect for setting a part to dry the right way.
They’re pliable, so you can roll them between your fingers, then put it where you want. It expands, and makes a snug fit, without ‘over pressuring’ or leaving any kind of mark the part(s).
I know it worked for me. My USS Constitution’s masts are perfectly straight.
Also along the lines of gluing, I’ve found a short burst from a can of air gives the glue a bit more tack, so you don’t have to sit there holding the two parts together waiting for them to meld. Just a little time saver is all.
I have to pipe back in here :
I forgot to mention something .Those of you who take meds in those little blue boxes in which the card slides out with the pills .Yeah , those . If you carefully cut the foil back and DON’T squish the little plastic domes ,here’s a good one . I had an airplane model that required each port be a shallow dome .( window to you non-plane weenies out there .) Take these sheets of perfectly formed , visually clear Domes and carefully cut the dome out with a NEW X-Acto . Viola ! You have those domed ports . Now my NIMROD looks great . It’s 1/48 by the way .Don’t ask where I got it . It was in a plastic bag in the bottom of an old box from storage .
These little domes work great on just about every plane I’ve used them on .Oh and don’t throw those pill bottles away ! they are great for holding formed P.E. Parts that need to be safely out of the way for a while, and mixing a certain amount of ACRYLIC paints . And last but not least .Do you wonder what your wife or girlfriend does with those neat tweezers with the little teeth on them that she tweezes her brows with (if she’s old fashioned anyway , You know , she hasn’t gotten into that salon shaping thing .) . Those are perfect for stringing antennaes (are you shipbuilders paying attention ? ) and they can be held with a tiny " Gator clip " The teensy ones , for tensioning a line .I learned this on a 1/25 bridge model .
I think the lady at Merle Norman thought I was nuts when I bought out her whole supply .Expensive ,yes , Usefull ? Darned tootin ! Now they are over thirty and still performing as planned . Bye !
I’ve started to use eye-shadow applicators for applying pigments. They work better than paint brushes IMO.
I use plastic ice cube trays to hold small and to mix paint in. They go on sale in two packs at the local dollar store every summer. I also use cans from SPAM to hold various tools.
I once used dry ice to keep putty from melting a model.
I use bottle caps as paint mixers and a Hollenback tool (dental tool) for folding PE.