James River Branch: Tools and Supplies

Tools: Work Light

It's a simple fact: to do good modeling, you need good light. I learned this from my earliest career work as a graphic artist, where you almost can't have too much light. As a consequence, I gravitate toward drafting lights (right), which are mounted on flexible arms that allow you to place the light were you need it most. The downside to these lights is the massive amount of heat they can generate, which is potentially hazardous not only to one's modeling, but also to one's fingers and forehead.

Recent advancements in light generation have helped tame the heat problem; LEDs are now capable of generating useful amounts of light with very little heat. Back a few years when high-power LEDs were just emerging, however, no one made the "perfect" (for me) modeling light, which was a brilliant, cool, well-focused neutral-white light source on an articulated arm.

So, I made one. I removed the LED emitters from an under-cabinet unit and mounted them to a small heatsink; then I attached the heatsink to the end of a flexible arm, replacing the 250-watt quartz-halogen lamp I'd been using—and getting burned on—for years. One of the many benefits of this type of light source is that they're far more energy-efficient; consequently, I consider my modeling work these days to be fairly "green."

Just getting started? Lighting can be a personal thing; that is, each modeler will tend to have preferences that vary from those of others. Therefore, I think the best way to find your own perfect light is to go shopping. Some "big box" home improvement stores have a decent assortment of task lights; so does Staples. If none of these are convenient, one of the best online sources I've found is, oddly enough, Drillspot. Some of the prices might be a bit off-putting, but consider this against the value of your eyesight!