Ok, so, I don’t think I’m alone here when I say that working worh PE can be a big pain, but in the end it can make your model look sooo much better. I wanted to buy a tool that would make working with it easier, but wanted to get everybodys opinion.
The Etch Mate seemed like it would work, but it’s $65!!! Seriously, I can’t justify spending that much on something that is basically two pieces of metal attached with a thumb screw.
What else is there that you all use aside from the standard workbench tools? If I recall, I saw a set once that had something like the Etch Mate, but came with a bunch of other stuff (like dowel rods and the like).
I checked the archive and didn’t see too much on this topic, so I figured it wouldn’t be too much to post.
I can tell you that the etch mate is worth every penny. There’s alot more to it than 2 pieces of metal and a thumb screw. You could make it with the proper Dxf file and a CNC 3 axis milling machine, but for $55 (check hometown hobbies), it’s hardly worth the effort. It really is a nice tool and well engineered.
For me, the “best tool” is my hands and an optivisor - believe it, or not. But, an etch-mate will definitely help with larger pieces of PE or very small, fragile pieces. I’ve got one and have used it on every build with PE thus far.
The best tool? Your brain and knowing when it’s time to put things down for a little while and cool off. I haven’t used a lot of PE but anytime I do I wind up getting mad and swearing I’ll never do it again. Just finished the seats for my Phantom and, once again, I swear I’ll never do it again.
To answer your question, I use a couple of X-Acto knives (one with a #10 blade for cutting them from the fret), tweezers, double-stick tape. I also usually work over a box top so when I drop something I stand a chance of not losing it.
Good point, but I don’t think so. It isn’t the bending that causes my problems. PE parts are SMART! They will happily sit there on the end of a toothpick and let you put CA on them, move them to where they need to be, and right before you get ready to stick them down they’ll jump off the toothpick. Or they will let you stick them in place only to find out that the CA you used had about as much affect as using water for glue. Or they will sit in the jaws of a tweezer until you turn your head and can’t see where they go, then they will launch.
I did forget to mention that one of my favorite tools for working with PE is a toothpick cut off so that the end is about 1/16" wide. I then put a tiny spec of Blue Tack on the end of the toothpick. It makes picking up those tiny little parts much easier.
This is a picture of my home made PE bender. It is basicly a copy of Etch Mates product. The main difference is I placed the tool head in the center, that way you don’t have to reverse it to use the other side. Mine is made from scrap pieces of 1/8 inch 2024-T3 aluminum. The only tools I used were a die grinder and various files. Because I used scrap metal it cost me nothing. Check with a local sign shop or sheetmetal shop to see if they have a scrap bin you can pick through.
Guys… You all had some awesome suggestions and advice. Ironically enough, this thread started out with me complaining about how much the Etch Mate was. Honestly, I’m not sure how this happened, but I just ended up spending $102 on the 8" Mk’R’ Multi-head Kit. Sometimes I really question my spending habbits. How does one go from thinking that $65 is too much, then spend almost twice that on basically the same thing?
Anyhow, maybe it just goes to show how hard of a time I have working with PE. From what everyone else has been saying, I’m not alone in this. Hopefully this will make it a little less stressful.
I spent around an hour last night working on Eduard’s PE cockpit for mt 1/72 109 G10, so you can imagine the size of the parts.
I’m sure the Etchmate is a great peice of kit, but so far I have found a 6 inch steel rule and a sharp Xacto blade work plenty well enough, especially on components 3mm across!!!
If I was bending large amounts of PE, I’m sure it would be worth the outlay, but seeing as I don’t, and not forgetting that I am cheap, I’ll stick to my home spun methods of dealing with PE.
Is Mk’R’ the brand name and is it made of steel?
I hope your tool is value for money, and that you’re happy with it. I have only recently registered and I enjoy reading the contributions to the forum. Thanks,
I was trying to get a good deal on a 4" Hold and Fold on Ebay but it seems that everyone that sells on there goes for around $45 or so.
They are only $50 from the manufacturer.
Some of those Ebay bidders just have to win don’t they? [:D][;)]
[2c]+[2c]= my 4 cents…
CA glue…& accelerator
very sharp cutting instruments…side cutters or xacto knife
rat tail file set…
round toothpicks…
a thinly profiled steel ruler…
& p a t i e n c e…perseverence & practice…
I would also like to add this: the best tweezers/hemostats that you can afford. I bought som of those junk Pakistan tools from ebay and online places and they may look good and are cheap, they are junk. Find a dentist or surgeon and buy a pair from hime (or medical supply house). German or US made. They offer much less resistance and this I find is critical for handling the minute parts and pieces. I have a locking pair and a strraight pair, both with angled tips. Simply priceless. In fact I have 3 pairs of the cheap ones that someone can have. I wouldn’t even try to pul a splinter with them.
Some cheap tools do come in handy. I found a pair of flat nose pliers without a taper that are excellent for forming flat parts and for flatening parts. They were only 3 bucks at a flea market.
Oh, yeah, also get a those fingernail files w/ sandpaper on them from Walmart or target. The black ones. I use the one with 4 different grits on them and the finest grit really works well for removing that ever bothersome bit of brass that is left on the part after cutting. It polishes it off more than anything.
My coordination level is just average and my close vision has sunk below average, so I’ll take every advantage I can get. That includes a PE bending tool, surgical instruments, high power magnifying glasses, and so on.
The PE bending tool is great. Even though it has only two main components (with precision alignment pins), it shows the sort of quality machining that you don’t see too much anymore. The design is obviously more than two chunks of metal slapped together. For instance, the holder that screws against the base is sprung, so the fingers meet the base first, and the clamping pressure is controlled by the amount of tightening of the nut. Bending is not only easy, it’s also gives the pleasure that comes from using a high-quality tool.
A few years ago my wife purchased a large amont of surgical instruments from a lab that was being closed. I “borrowed” several of the tools for modeling, and like tediam said, the quality difference in the German tools is evident. These tools have really made holding small parts easy. I particularly like the ones used for eye surgery - tiny tweezers (or whatever their medical name is).
The aspects of modeling that I once found emotionally challenging - parts flying away, not being able to see what I’m doing, bends that aren’t right, etc, can usually be alleviated by using the right tools. I salute those whose skills allow them to do complex work with simple tools. For the rest of us a little help equals a lot better work and more enjoyment.
darrenbb - Nice job on your own PE holder! It shows you don’t need a CNC mill to make it yourself.
I use micro surgoens scalpal with different blades, a regular scalpal, a regular round exacto blade handle and tweezers. But I find the most important tools for working with PE is a magnifying lens and a flashlight so i can find them when I have tweezerpult. dont foget the ca, dont matter how good you are with the stuff if ya cant attach it to the model.
I’m in with KJ200 and cirikili - add a blunt nose pair of pliers, jewlers/watch makers tweezers is also very helpful
But that does not take anything away from “tools that make life easier” - I’m just old school and would rather spend the money on a kit as I don’t bend PE all that much ( and it shows [:D])
I too am trying to decide if one of the Hold and Fold units is worth getting for myself. [%-)]
They look really handy when needed but I wonder how often I would need one as many of the kits I build do not have PE parts, but then again when I want to go into some better detailing then one would be invaluable.
I am like my dad was and like to “build it myself” when I can, but it might not be worth all of the work for the price. I think the 4" Hold and Fold would be all I would ever need, and they are only $50.
