P.E.Cutters

Tools, Techniques, and Reference Materials Tools
1

Yeah !

It’s smee agin ! Hey guys and Gals . How many of you own the scissor type P.E. cutters and what do you think of them . I had time to use and study some for a club I belong to .

Yeah , I’m talking about the New braunfels Model Railroad Club . Most of our members are in the over 60 population and are always complaining about the little cutters they use getting dull .One even tried cuticle scissors !

So , here comes the Vice-President of Modeling and Displays with two types of P.E. Cutters ! ( yeah , That’s me ). None liked the Scissor type .They cut into the part with them, and in some cases had to come back and straighten bent areas around the cut off point or Just plain bent parts .

The regular wire cutter tip type ( read Jewelers Nippers here ) were well recieved and lauded a lot . I bought four more pair . This lead me to study my tool box and see what I had been using on my " Metal earth " Fascinations " P.E Sculptures .

If you have tried any of these you know they are P.E.Stainless ! I use the left-over sprue for Gun Tubs and such on 1/700 ships . If you use the scissor type , you sure will bend the heck out of these little parts .This goes for a lot of Eduards , G.M.M. and Tom’s P.E. for Ships , Planes , Armor and Cars ,Plus the various brands specific to the Car building hobby .

To be honest with you . I use a very small pair of Beaders Clippers bought from H.L. They look like miniature Wire Cutters with a very fine point . These seem to do the job and leave no cut -off nubs or bent parts behind. Yay , no sanding of the part ! Question , have you EVER tried to sand the nub off a 1/700 rail ? DON’T !!

Now , in closing remember , I always write these things knowing that everyone has their favorite and best tool .What I find great ,you may despise . I just am trying to get this stuff I learned over the years ,out before the shop door closes on me .

You gotta learn from some-body , why not an Auld Phart like Moi ? T.B.

2

Two nice threads TB, spru nippers and PE tools. Both are something we all use (and sometimes misuse) and either love or hate.

Boy, PE I struggle with, esp in 1/700. I have used mostly Xuron shears. Not the spru cutting type, but the shears.

#440 - is a bypass style cutter. Works pretty well for snipping of PE nubs nice and square to the part.

#9180 - both of these are marked 9180, but are very different. The first one is very thin, the second is thicker (heavier jaws) and has a serrated edge on one jaw, I’m assuming for heavier metals. They are mini versions of the sheet metal workers shears I have in the shop.

The first one with the finer jaws is my favorite go-to.

Lastly, a file. It doesn’t work well on 1/700 brass, but does work very well on 1/700 stainless and 1/350 brass and stainless. It is a very fine diamond honeing file, used to touch up carbide and tool steel edges on router bits. I got it from one of the woodworking supply stores. It doesn’t have a number on it. It is a wood handled, diamond coated steel tool, feels good in the hand, is flat on one side and curved on the other and tapered. By holding the PE in my tweezers, I can file the nubs off with this without snagging like a regular file. I’ve had it for several years and it doesn’t seem to wear out.

I also have a couple of nicely made PE bending tools from the small shop and a rolling tool for curves. I only seem to use the bending tool on longer bends, but it works fine for what I do. The bending tool I don’t use much, instead using a handle from a pick up or xacto tool much of the time. The round aluminum pieces from the bending tool work pretty well when rolled over the brass against a rubber pad though.

EJ

3

I actually do use a pair of scissors at times if I am cutting out a piece of PE near the edge of the fret. If I am cutting a piece from far inside, however, I use an X-acto blade. I use one with a 45 degree point rather than my #11. The point on the 45 degree blades seems to be sturdier.

4

I do (use PE shears).

I love the things. I spent my first couple years with PE cutting the parts off with a custom sharpened x-acto blade on a piece of scrap glass (a method I saw online). Using the shears (scissor-type) PE cutter-offers is so much faster, and leave so little to finish file.

This was quite a surprise, I didn’t expect much when I tried the PE scissors.

5

Interesting. I’ve been looking for PE cutters at Hobby Lobby. Can you post a pic of this beaders clippers you speak of? When I was working on Metal Earth kits, I was using plain old straight edge blade from my hobby knife set. Dulled the crap out of it after doing 2 Metal Earth kits. LOL!

6

That’s what I’m talking about. I wore out a honing stone keeping mine sharp. (Just exaggerating for effect [:D])

I’m pretty sure mine are the same as EJ’s:

https://www.amazon.com/Cutters-Xuron-Professional-Scissor-9180ET/dp/B00NIF9SX4

I know you don’t like Amazon, it was a convenient way to find them. I probably got mine from Squardron or Sprue Bros.

Once in a while the edge will come out so true, it won’t even need filing.

7

E.J.;

Thank You for the reply .Now here’s a good one .the one you have with the fine points and serrated on one edge I have ,as well as the tool you showed for dressing the cutters .I have always looked for in many cases tools that can be used from their original purpose to softer materials. T.B.

8

BlackSheep214 .

Sorry I don’t have a photo and posting it would really tax my knowledge right now .( new meds ). It’s on the hooks at your local H.L and mine have a light purple( Orchid ) handle set . Some ( the more expensive ) are chrome plated .The last set I got at Sally’s beauty supply .They work on metal Earth material real well . T.B.

9

Don;

That , my friend is a given .The thinner the blade the more torquing it suffers allowing the blade to break , sometimes with not so pleasant results !

That blade in a large handle works well , but the life is limited on such P.E as stainless .I went through two pkgs on my Eduard P.E. on the 1/200 Arizona .

10

I’ve been using a hardened pair of fly fishing lure scissors for years I find them to be great