I won’t ask for detailed methods or instructions here, but could someone, maybe, link me to a decent beginner’s tutorial on assembly of those expletive little multi-part PE tool clamps common on panzers? I’m determined to use them, but have come very close to flinging the little blighters in the trash. They are so handsomely-crafted and look so good but, though I have very small hands for a grown man, it still seems as though Dragon intended the things for elves or fairies, or maybe that gnome on the Travelocity ads . . . .
I have given up on Dragon tool clamps all together, the little studs on the end are to small to provide any strength at all, so i have chosen to use Aber clamps exclusively.
I start by bending the bottom part, i fix it to a piece of stainless steel i have lying around with a thin strip of low tack tape. I the apply a piece of low tack tape to the prongs of the bottom part so they dont garb onto the top part when i put it on top.
I then place the top part on the bottom part and pre bend the handle a bit. I grab the handle with some fine tweezers and position it around the pins on the bottom and top parts and with another pair of tweezers i gently sqeeze the handle to close it around the pins and that’s it … simple, but it takes a lot of practice.
PE is new to me, after so many years out of the “sport.” If those are Aber on your Panther, they look bloody good, and seem to be a bit more substantial than the ones DML supplies. I have no problem bending them, but the little tabs and prongs are almost too small to see, even with 3.25+ reading glasses under my 2.75x Optivisor. I’m using a very similar method to the one you describe, right down to the tape. Maybe Aber will produce better results.
Thanks!
Actually it’s a Kingtiger, but i forgive you 
The Aber ones are actually almost identical in size and shape to the Dragon ones its just that the taps and prongs are a bit bigger and more sturdy, and thats the main difference. Ofcourse it’s a bit more expensive and it seems a shame to throw the Dragon ones away, but i can’t make them work so i find that i don’t have a choice, and i have grown so acostomed with the Aber ones that i find it hard to use anything else.
I can usually assemble the 9 clamps required for a Tiger in a day (a saturday or sunday where i don’t have anything else to do) it is recommendable to take some good long breaks now and then during assembly.
The new LionRoar set is also quite good, it’s etched from stainless steel rather than brass, so it’s much stronger. I’ve found these to be the best I’ve used so far, and can assemble a set of 8 in about 2 hours. They’re also dirt cheap at about $7 for a set of 90.
I’m saving up for an electron microscope![X-)]
Now what do you recommend for the shakey hands?
Less coffee?
Grizz
Stainless- I like that idea. More robust. As for shaky hands- I tend towards less coffee and more Valium. And stand up often, come back to the full-scale world and walk about a bit. It helps ease tension in my neck and shoulders, which comes from struggling under a hot light and a magnifier.
Oh, and KingTiger- duh. I just glanced at the round grillage and my mind selected Panther, for some reason.
[:D]
Hmmmm…I just happen to have a set of these somewhere that I haven’t used yet![:D] Thanks Hermes!
Can’t go wrong with Aber though…just takes a little practice like TMN1 says. AND they’re workable!!
I don’t have a good hobby shop within 200 miles, so getting such things off the shelf is very hard for me. But I found a set of the Lion Roar clamps on eBay, for less that $10, including shipping, so I’ll give 'em a try.
Thanks to all for the help!
If you can find Brian Balkwill’s photos, they’ll be of great help.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/95064/thread/1113158880/Perfect+Aber+clamps+(3-part)+in+5+min
Even w/o the pics, that little syllabus can only help. It is essentially the same method I attempted with the DML clamps, tho I have no hold-n-fold; I just stuck it down on a bit of sticky-side-up tape, which isn’t as stable. I’ll keep fiddling with it and, maybe, LR’s stainless set will be a little more forgiving than the DML set.
Thanks for the link, Roy, and I’ll search for the pics.
The LionRoar set is a lot easier to use than the DML ones. I took over a day to do the clasps in the original DML late Tiger (9 or 10 of them) but the LionRoar ones I can assemble in as little as 2-3 minutes.
I also use just my fingers and a tweezers…and I probably have better eyesight than some of you, um, “veterans”. But the LR set is still a great improvement over the DML ones…heck, anything is an improvement over those[sigh]
I thought lionroar made the pe for dml?
The new voyager clamps has the same design as lionroar or aber, but the holes are HUGE. pretty easy to put together. Aber still got best details though.
Can’t say about LionRoar and DML, but I can say that good parts and the right tool make all the difference. For about $40 (USD) I got a set of the LR stainless clamps from ebay, ordered a Mr. Fold-It from Sprue Bros. and picked up an inexpensive set of jewelry tweezers from a local A&C big box. Thus equipped, and with my readers and Optivisor, I set up and had one of the little boogers together in about 45 minutes. Not a speed record, but I’ve been struggling with these things for months w/o actually getting one together. A little practice and I can do better.
The LR set is more substantial and has larger, sturdier mounting prongs than the DML-supplied set, so that the clamp is actually “functional.” That may bring a grin to those well-versed in PE, but to this 51 yr old dude, it’s like whacking a line drive double after a season of strike outs. I takes my victories where I finds 'em! 
Hey way to go. Never Never give up…unless you really really really want to.
Grizz
I think th e link to the photos is broken. Anyone know of a tutorial that has good photos?