What items do you buy/purchase at Michaels Crafts. - Model Railroader Magazine

The A.C. Moore is "moore" convenient, so I usually go there.  First, I hit their web site and find the coupon.  There's usually one for 40% off one item, which helps when buying that Envirotex.  Michaels will take the A.C. Moore coupon, by the way.  I have trouble finding the Michaels coupons - the Moore web site is better designed for that.

Craft paint, small brushes and also foam brushes.  They're great for smoothing out roadways.  I usually get my balsa wood there, too.  I picked up a bunch of small wood letters to spell out "Moose Mills" for a rail-served industry on my layout.  I get Aileen's Tacky Glue there, too.  You might also pick up a package of floral wire - it's convenient for modeling railings and the like.

I got some modeling clay and used it to make an impression of a piece of plastic artificial honeycomb used by beekeepers.  Then I used the clay to make a latex mold, and the mold to cast my hydrocal cobblestones.  I also used the clay to make a long set of stairs, and then made a casting mold of that.

Our A.C. Moore even had some Woodland Scenics trees.  They're very overpriced, but with that 40% off coupon they're pretty reasonable.  They don't seem to have re-stocked them, though.  Michaels was my source for "Instant Rust" which is great for doing heavily-rusted models.

And don't forget the oher LHS - your Local Hardware Store.  That's my source for Durhams Water Putty, the "asphalt" for my roadways.  They have music wire for connecting the Tortoises to the turnouts through 2 inches of foam, which is too long for the stock wire supplied with the Tortoise.  Our True Value has brass rods and tubing, too, and a large assortment of rattle-can spray paint, along with drill bits and Dremel wheels.