29 replies to this topic

[farmer1]

Here is a pic of the vise I use to bend photo etch, all the hobby suppliers sell them, ebay has several too, different shapes and styles available. Photo etch was a real problem/mystery to me til I got this. The piece I was working on today, ' 57 Chevy rocker panel.The clamp holds it really well, slip a razor blade under it and bend away. I'll be trying the wipers in the next few days and if I can get some decent pics I can post them if it would help anyone ?

[sjordan2]

That would be great, Randy! Naturally, there are many different types of wiper sets, but they must have some things in common.

 

Here's an example of a Model Factory Hiro PE Borrani wire wheel tutorial by Andy Smith that made everything clear...

 

http://www.modelcars...showtopic=52976

Edited by sjordan2, 20 February 2013 - 02:04 PM.

[crazyjim]

What do you call that thing, Randy?  Just a PE bender?

[Harry P.]

Here's another way to go...

 

http://www.ebay.com/...=item2a1d74d25e

[farmer1]

search photo etch bender or photo etch bending tool, you'll get lots of choices. I like the vise style because I can lay things out under my 5x lighted magnifier, just can't see like I used too

this is the model car garage wipers, cut them loose and cleaned up with a file. Like was previously mentioned they bend nicer with the pre-scribed lines to the OUT side. I think the scribe makes for a little thinner area and it just naturally bends easier there. Pics are so-so, the best I could get

now they're ready to paint, a drop of super glue holds it together, I have also dipped the blade in some tamiya acrylic clear, let it start to get tacky and set it on, won't fog the windshield that way.

[tactical sekt 66]

practice makes the next car look that much better, live and learn. chiily b1 nicely done. any company out there that produces better P E kits and acc.?

[crazyjim]

Who makes the best PE wipers?

[sjordan2]

Thank you, Randy.

[Chillyb1]

Chiily b1 nicely done. Any company out there that produces better P E kits and acc.?

 

What you find suitable will depend on what kinds of subjects you build. I build primarily European stock vehicles of the 1950s and 1960s, and sports and racing cars of both European and Japanese origin across the decades since the 1950s. If you build American subjects, you can't do better than Model Car Garage for specific pe sets. They have beautiful etch quality and are comprehensive; moreover, they are really easy to work with. For the kind of things I build, I find that KA Models and Hobby Design make excellent sets. For example, I bought two of Tamiya's Kenwood Porsche 956 kits and pe sets from Tamiya for one and Hobby Design for the other. The Tamiya set is adequate but more expensive and very limited in what it includes. The Hobby Design set is much cheaper (about $13 compared to Tamiya's $20) and includes an astonishing array of parts for the interior, exterior, and engine bay. It also has thinner metal, which is much easier to work with. 

Who makes the best PE wipers?

It is hard to say who makes the best wipers and some of the answer, like the above, depends on the type of cars you build. The MCG wipers I've already stated are superb: widely available, inexpensive, and easy to work with. The Crazy Modeler sets are good especially the set A, which allows for a very wide variety of wiper arm base, wiper arm, and wiper blade to suit almost any application. The general use set is good for modern cars. The KA Models set is not recommended. I don't like the thickness of the metal and they don't look as realistic after folding and painting. I highly recommend both Hobby Design and GoodSmile Racing sets. There are several from Hobby Design that also allow for a wide variety of applications. And the GoodSmile Racing set is outstanding for vintage cars. 

[Pete J.]

I hope that helps. And, by the way, here are the reverse miniature clothespins I mentioned:

 

They make an excellent holding tool for lots of different applications relevant to scale modeling, but I find them particularly useful for holding pe wipers while gluing. 

Now why in the heck didn't I think of that!!! Great idea.  I just cut the clamping ends at an angle.  This would have been so much easier.  This was worth reading through the whole thing to find!