Make your own tools

It’s quite straightforward to make this tool: you just need a thin brass pipe and various guitar strings, which you’ll choose based on the type of work you intend to do. In my experience, the thickest bass string (wrapped with a thinner string) is the most efficient, as it creates an ideal texture when evening out the surface at smaller scales.

• Cut the Pipe:
  Start by cutting a piece of thin brass pipe at least as long as your finger. If it’s too short, it will be difficult to handle and easy to lose.
• Choose the Guitar String:
  • Reuse Old Strings: If you or someone you know is a musician, you might already have broken guitar strings around.
  • Buy New Strings: If you’re purchasing new strings, note that you’ll have enough material to make dozens of these tools, and they’re quite inexpensive.
• Shape the Wire:
  • Round End: For a rounded tip, simply fold the wire into a loop.
  • Flat End: If you want a flat scraper, bend the wire at the necessary angles.
    Cut a small piece of wire according to the shape you need, then insert it into the pipe.
• Secure the Wire:
  • Insert a small piece of paper inside the pipe first to stop glue from running down.
  • Add a drop of superglue (and use an accelerator if you have one) to set it immediately.
• And that’s it! You now have a custom scraping or texturing tool for your sculpting projects.

The tool may eventually break over time. If that happens, remove the old wire by using a small drill bit to loosen the glue inside the pipe, then pull out the wire with pliers. You can repeat this process as many times as needed to restore your tool. If you want a larger version, look for piano strings, which allow you to create sturdier and bigger tools.