Hi,
I’m looking to incorporate a photo-etched set onto a model for the first time, and I was wondering if there is any special techniques or handy tools or tips that could make my life easier. I have no knowlegde in the PE area other than that PE is metal[:p]. So any tips or advice would be much appreciated!![:D]
PE is best attached with superglue (CA) and I find some accelerator is helpful. You should have a fresh blade for your razor knife, a good set of pointy tweezers or good electronics tweezers. These parts are small so an Omni-visor or at least a set of X2 reading glasses might be good to have (I use both but not at the same time - not that blind yet). What I do is cut the PE part off the tree (Watch out - they can go flying away if you are not careful), I have a pad of post-it notes on the side and put a drop of medium superglue on the pad. Now I place a drop of accelerator on the desk and touch a soft paint brush to it then brush the area where I will place the PE part. Now pick up the PE part with your Tweezers, touch the end that will make contact with the model to the drop of glue so just a very small amount is on the part. Now place that part. Once it touches the accelerator treated area the glue will set IMMEDIATELY. For larger parts don’t apply the accelerator first but after the part has been placed - this can give you a few seconds of adjustment time. Take your time and plan your approach first. The first adventure with PE can be a little discouraging but like any new procedure - practise makes perfect.
Any questions feel free to ask - I’m always willing to help.
When cutting PE parts away from their “trees” stick the part to be cut into the sticky side of masking tape, or any tape you prefer (you can stick down the whole fret if you wish). This way, the part won’t fly away when you cut. If you’re going to use an X-Acto knife for this, make sure you have a supply of spare blades as you’ll find the blade dulls easily depending on the type of metal that you are cutting. Good luck with your “adventure” [8D].
Thanks for the info guys.[^]
Is it OK to cut the parts with scissors? I heard that it’s just like cutting thick paper with scissors.
I just thought of a great idea for folding PE. Can I use the metal part of a floppy disk to hold down the part while I use an X-acto blade to fold it up?
I use an older pair of fly tying scissors to remove my parts from the PE tree. (I sharpened them out in the shop in the bench grinder) If you use scissors, I recommend you cut well away from the part when removing from the tree then trim off the excess. Use onyan tape trick or there is a good chance that if your scissors don’t shear the part cleanly, it will twist off and go flying.
I use an old piece of glass from an old 4x7 picture frame and a number 4 blade. The glass provides a strong backing. So when you push the blade straight down and cut the piece it won’t bend in the process.
I also put a piece of either regular tape or 2 sided tape on the glass so the piece won’t go flying off after it is cut off the sheet.
Good luck and hope this helped
Paul
Some PE is stainless and is very hard to cut. For both stainless and brass PE a few passes over a candle flame will anneal the tree and part and it will cut and bend like butter, a little butane torch is perfect for this. On parts that are larger, it is also a good idea to rough up the surface a bit so paint will stick (especially acrylics).
I recall an article or tip mentioned regarding PE cutting from the fret. Usually the PE comes in a plastic bag. Keep the PE in the bag and cut through the bag and piece (I use a cutting pad on my worksurface-unlike glass it doesn’t dull the blades as fast, but the PE will dull it anyway, so…). This will keep the PE piece in the bag and it won’t fly off. I first tried this on some US air seatbelts. It worked like a charm. Don’t be afraid to move the parts to another plastic bag (Ziploc) if it doesn’t work in the original packaging. I had to do this for some fenders for an M4. It works great.
Dmod 
I got fed up with changing blades on my knife cutting PE, so I bought some Xuron PE cutters to do the job, and they work just fine. I also use the Hold and fold, Etchmate and H & F bending kit to get PE to the shapes I need. A good pair of sharp tweezers and pliers will also come in handy.
I am gaining confidence. Thanks for all the input!
Do you guys wash the PE beforehand? I’m wondering if there’s any point washing it in a thinner or similar (plastic prep solution?) , is there a danger of this causing corrosion?
I’ve only used PE a couple of times but didn’t wash it before… the external PE gets washed int he final steps for painting… just be vewwy vewwy careful because if it’s not CA’d down good it will come off if you handle it too much while washing…
for the interior I paint the pieces before putting them in… it’s a lot easier. sometimes I might have to touch up a little but it’s easier than trying to paint a turnbuckle almost under a co-pilot seat etc…
oh, and sometimes I find some of the PE doesn’t look quite to scale or makes the cockpit look too “busy” use your own judgement when using PE, if you dont like something there’s no rule you have to put it in. (example some throttle levers tend to look 2D when you use them from the PE so I tend to stay away from them if it makes the model look more like a toy because of it…)
I’m with tho9900 on this one.
The 2D look can take away from an otherwise awesome looking model.
I found to counter the 2D look, when painting just pile alot of paint onto the item, say a throttle lever.
Use your judgement for this, cause a throttle handl will be larger then the stem it is attched to!
how do you guys prep PE for paint ? im using acrylics.
well see that’s what I was using then realized immediately Acylic doesn’t stick to PE… (I wasnt happy with that even though I should have figured as much) so I use enamels for the PE… it’s not bad since the main bits of PE are flat black, red, steel/aluminum etc… I already have them but if you didnt it wouldnt be a lot of paints to buy…
crocket recommended roughing up the surface… something like a finishing sandpaper would probably work just fine…
Here is a site that has some good information on it, and helped me when I first started using PE.
http://s96920072.onlinehome.us/TnT_Archives/Photo_Etch.htm
HTH
Cheers
Thom
I use acrylicds 99.9% of the time, and to help with adhesion to the PE parts, I give the part a nice wipe over with some Iso, then a light sanding with a fine grit sandpaper, just enough to lightly scratch the surface.
Work in a circular motion if you can, this helps to hide the scratching.
Then another wipe over with Iso, and she’s good to go to the paint booth.
Just remember to prepare things like PE flaps etc off the model.
It’s easier for a start, and allows you to paint the part in all it’s nooks and crannies before attaching to the model.
When I first started using PE sets, the only tools I had were a Pair of LaCross tweezers two difernt sizes, one is small and pointy, the second is pointy and bent, for the hard to glue aereas. Plus a set of small of small pliers similar to the ones jewlers use, oh yeah an exacto knife wit a sharp #11 blade.I also learned a techniqe from one the members of the model club I belong to. It is this use double sided carpet tape on yuor work bench, then place the PE fret with part that you are going to remove from the sprue, and there you have it no more ducking for cover as the part heads for the great beyond,ie the carpet. This works well with plastic parts also.
Cheera and happy modeling
whats lso? isopropanol ? will surgical wipes do the job ?