Lee Boeckeler brought up an excellent idea using glass. I do all my model work on a 1/4 inch thick tempered glass shelf salvaged from an old stereo cabinet. When I have cutting to do I place my cutting mat on top of the glass and experience no harm to the glass. The advantage of the glass is it is level and makes it easy to keep your project flat. My glass shelf is big enough to use a portion as a pallet to mix paints to get the correct weathering look or color I desire. Excellent surface for gluing as well. When I’m done with a project, the glass will have paint and wood glue stuck all over it. To clean I spray with windex and use a straight razor blade to scrape the glued areas on the glass and wipe with paper towels. The glass cleans up in just a few minutes and looks new for the next project. Hope this helps.
The timing of this video was perfect, I just got my first cutting mat last night and never considered that happening. Thanks for sharing! Would love to see more videos like this
Very good points. I have always used my mats as a general purpose work surface and they take a beating. In retrospect I should put down a replaceable work surface such as tempered hard board and use a smaller cutting mat that can be removed as needed. Live and learn. In my many years of modeling I could produce a full book of mistakes!
Why throw it out! Keep using it as a gluing/painting pad. Just put it on top of the new big one when you need to use it. Saves having to remove the big one each time too. Cover the big one with a piece of plastic or cloth then place the small one on top. Paint, glue etc then remove it. A lot easier and saves throwing out a pad that you obviously like to paint and glue on already.
Ha , mines ruined also ! A series of these thrown in from time to time would help new people to the hobby as well as reminders for us who have been doing it a long time.
Good advice. Thanks. I have a cutting mat but it seldom sees duty so it stays stored. I would be super tempted to leave the big one out. I use a large 2ft by 3ft piece of foam board which is my primary work area. It really needs to be replaced. Looks like a very bad crime scene !!
Question, if your going to remove that pad every time you use it than why so large? I would be knocking down stuff and breaking everything in site or why not buy the large one and get a large cookie sheet like I did and buy another pad that fits the cookie sheet and do your assembly and gluing inside of it besides any work so you don't loose parts.
Isn't that what mats are for, gluing, painting, sawing? lol. I think we are all guilty of cutting mat abuse. But something else I have found that is excellent for the bench top surface is melamine. That black/white material usually used for shelving. Man, you can cut, paint, saw, glue and do anything on that stuff and the great thing is, when it gets rough and bumpy, I take a piece of #200 grit sandpaper and lightly sand it. Then a damp cloth to get the dust off and ...bam....that stuff is glass smooth again. The glue, the paint, even the cuts, gone. It's way harder than any wood bench top so it doesn't get gouged up and rough. I have a piece I have lightly sanded at least 20 times now and it's still like new after the sanding. Just throwing that out there to help make things a little easier under that cutting mat you abuse. lol.
Instead of taking the new one off and replacing after each use why not hold on to the old one and use that as a gluing or painting surface on top of the new one . Being much small needs less room to store .
It’s great advice in theory. But in practice then what. You yourself haven’t been able to pull it off yet. So if you do get yourself to put away the cutting Matt for non cutting tasks (what a lot doing other crud on the backside?) then what will you glue and paint in? You then gum up the table top or need an additional surface to pull in. Maybe the old gunked up cutting Matt? There is a cost in time and money for the alternatives from just doing all the work in the one Matt. If one replaces the cutting mat every 5-10 years is that such an issue vs the need to move it every time? I’m just thinking about the practical realities on implementing the strategy of only cutting on the cutting mat. Do report back on how it goes with the plan after a year.
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I have done the same thing with my cutting mats... thanks for the reminder that I need to get a new one (to use just for cutting)!
I'm glad I'm not the only nimrod that's ruined a self-healing mat.
Lee Boeckeler brought up an excellent idea using glass. I do all my model work on a 1/4 inch thick tempered glass shelf salvaged from an old stereo cabinet. When I have cutting to do I place my cutting mat on top of the glass and experience no harm to the glass. The advantage of the glass is it is level and makes it easy to keep your project flat. My glass shelf is big enough to use a portion as a pallet to mix paints to get the correct weathering look or color I desire. Excellent surface for gluing as well. When I’m done with a project, the glass will have paint and wood glue stuck all over it. To clean I spray with windex and use a straight razor blade to scrape the glued areas on the glass and wipe with paper towels. The glass cleans up in just a few minutes and looks new for the next project. Hope this helps.
The funny thing about this: you realesed this vídeo the same day I got myself my first cutting mat! Thanks for the advice!👍😉
Keep up with the videos Kevin, we're approaching 2 years without one.
James, hopefully more will be coming later this year. Quite a few changes to catch everybody up on. Stay tuned. Cheers, Kevin
The timing of this video was perfect, I just got my first cutting mat last night and never considered that happening. Thanks for sharing! Would love to see more videos like this
Very good information series. Just catching up on the older videos. A+
Very good points. I have always used my mats as a general purpose work surface and they take a beating. In retrospect I should put down a replaceable work surface such as tempered hard board and use a smaller cutting mat that can be removed as needed. Live and learn. In my many years of modeling I could produce a full book of mistakes!
Why throw it out! Keep using it as a gluing/painting pad. Just put it on top of the new big one when you need to use it. Saves having to remove the big one each time too. Cover the big one with a piece of plastic or cloth then place the small one on top. Paint, glue etc then remove it. A lot easier and saves throwing out a pad that you obviously like to paint and glue on already.
Ha , mines ruined also ! A series of these thrown in from time to time would help new people to the hobby as well as reminders for us who have been doing it a long time.
I always kept a piece of glass around for glueing and stuff like that I would just put it on top of my cutting mat when needed
Thanks for sharing. Keep the series up
I love your layout. I miss living in Colorado.
Nice I like the glass thing for G P. Simple to find!
great tip! Yes more would be appreciated
Good advice. Thanks. I have a cutting mat but it seldom sees duty so it stays stored. I would be super tempted to leave the big one out. I use a large 2ft by 3ft piece of foam board which is my primary work area. It really needs to be replaced. Looks like a very bad crime scene !!
Good tip. 👍👍👍
Thank you for that. I just wish I had a cutting board. But if get one now I know how to take care of it. Are there any G P mates out there?
I have a thick piece of glass that I put over my mat after I am done cutting. I do most of my work on the glass, it cleans up easy.
How do those self healing mats work? Do they self heal well? I could never figure how those mats work but seems like a cool idea. Thanks....
Philip
Question, if your going to remove that pad every time you use it than why so large? I would be knocking down stuff and breaking everything in site or why not buy the large one and get a large cookie sheet like I did and buy another pad that fits the cookie sheet and do your assembly and gluing inside of it besides any work so you don't loose parts.
Did the same thing to a glass cutting board. Wife ended up buying me one of the self healing mats now.
Heck I'm making the mistake right now. Thanks 😊 I'll stop right now.
Are you re building your layout or just haven't done anything to it for a long time? Haven't seen any videos on updates
I think we have all made this mistake. Mine looks like hell.
Isn't that what mats are for, gluing, painting, sawing? lol. I think we are all guilty of cutting mat abuse. But something else I have found that is excellent for the bench top surface is melamine. That black/white material usually used for shelving. Man, you can cut, paint, saw, glue and do anything on that stuff and the great thing is, when it gets rough and bumpy, I take a piece of #200 grit sandpaper and lightly sand it. Then a damp cloth to get the dust off and ...bam....that stuff is glass smooth again. The glue, the paint, even the cuts, gone. It's way harder than any wood bench top so it doesn't get gouged up and rough. I have a piece I have lightly sanded at least 20 times now and it's still like new after the sanding. Just throwing that out there to help make things a little easier under that cutting mat you abuse. lol.
Been there, done that, got the T-Shirt...twice!...
Instead of taking the new one off and replacing after each use why not hold on to the old one and use that as a gluing or painting surface on top of the new one . Being much small needs less room to store .
I think we all have made the same mistakes.im sure many of us hobbyist.have used our mat's like you have done.but yes the mats are not cheap....
It’s great advice in theory. But in practice then what. You yourself haven’t been able to pull it off yet. So if you do get yourself to put away the cutting Matt for non cutting tasks (what a lot doing other crud on the backside?) then what will you glue and paint in? You then gum up the table top or need an additional surface to pull in. Maybe the old gunked up cutting Matt? There is a cost in time and money for the alternatives from just doing all the work in the one Matt. If one replaces the cutting mat every 5-10 years is that such an issue vs the need to move it every time? I’m just thinking about the practical realities on implementing the strategy of only cutting on the cutting mat. Do report back on how it goes with the plan after a year.
Use a piece of oven parchment paper over the mat when your doing anything other than cutting......have a couple of pieces at the ready.....
I can safely say that my cutting mat looks like yours lol
Mine looks the same
Just use temperd glass on it !
Mine is worse than yours lmao