Handling small parts

[slownlow]

I always struggle with very small parts. I know there is some tool jewelers use but not sure what to look for. In the meantime I found wetting a medium small paint brush will give enough surface tension to pick up a piece and position it.

[ColonelKrypton]

Surface tension works well for many such tasks.  Using a small paint brush is a good tip.

What you may be thinking of is something like this:

https://uchida.com/products/jewel-picker

has a sticky end. Some tools are double ended and there are several sizes.  Also a wax stick ( bees wax ) is another. You will find this tools in craft stores, Amazon, eBay, your favourite hobby store, ( etc ) Not always easy to search for as they are called different things by different users. 

Wax sticks can be found by searching ( on Amazon for example ) for something like:   nail art wax stick   or nail art picker . 

cheers, Graham

[Bainford]

Neat idea. 

[bobss396]

Scale Motorsports has or had something called Grabit Stix that worked well. I have to see if I have any left.

https://scalemotorsport.com/products/grabitstix™

There ya go... these work quite well and I see Mega Hobby carries them. 

I have used small balls of Fun Tac (the blue wall poster stuff) on a toothpick. If it won't be visible after, I'll impale a part on an xacto blade. I have used white glue as well, it peels off after it dries.

[Rocking Rodney Rat]

The "wetting solution" I use is saliva....carry on. -RRR

[Anglia105E]

I have a cocktail stick, to which I place a blob of Blu-Tack on one end, and then when I lightly press the end of my ' tool ' on the part it can be picked up and positioned where you want it to go . . . Carefully tilting the tool to one side will release the grip, once your glue takes hold . . .

David

[NOBLNG]

I have this double ended tool that works pretty good. Plus this spring loaded gripper. I don’t use either one much, but it’s nice to have them when needed. I have used the gripper for locating lower rad hoses.

[magicmustang]

I use my tweezers from Hell! They have a deal with the carpet monster and can launch a small part so it can never be found. I keep believing it won't this time but it does. 

Edited April 8, 2024 by magicmustang

[bobss396]

Ugh... radiator hoses... always fun to do. I just did a set for my '77 GMC wrecker. Managed not to drop them this time. I'm using something a little softer so the tweezers take a bite into the material. 

I started using 1/16" shrink sleeving over some .040" wire I somehow have a huge bag of. No idea where it came from. I shrink it over a gas stove flame and it comes in around .055". My radiator and engine fittings I use .093" aluminum tube that has an inner diameter of .062".

[R. Thorne]

I find myself using these rubber tipped ones more and more often.

Edited April 8, 2024 by R. Thorne

[Ace-Garageguy]

Hamster hands.      

 

[bobss396]

21 hours ago, R. Thorne said:

I find myself using these rubber tipped ones more and more often.

Who sells those? I just may shrink some black sleeve over a pair to see how well it works.

[R. Thorne]

Amazon is one source.

[peteski]

9 hours ago, bobss396 said:

Who sells those? I just may shrink some black sleeve over a pair to see how well it works.

I just slipped short pieces of wire insulation onto the tips of my tweezers.  Not as pretty as those factory-dipped tips, but they do the job.

[JET.]

Round tip tweezers are also better than pointy tweezers for holding small things and not shooting them across the room lol

[bobss396]

It helps to have real medical-quality tweezers to start with. Most of the hobby ones are too flimsy. Even used quality tweezers are good, I used to come across them at work.

[Mattilacken]

I will try an other tool that i think will work as a sharm. the Dimond painting pen, they do have various heads and you use a sticky plastic that you press in to the tool to have the parts to stick. 

[NOBLNG]

On 4/12/2024 at 11:38 AM, JET. said:

Round tip tweezers are also better than pointy tweezers for holding small things and not shooting them across the room lol

My tweezers have gotten together and are having a competition to see which one can launch a part the farthest…and then they all laugh.?

[Skip]

I use a toothpick and a little dot of 3-M poster tack, the stuff you put posters on the wall without tacks. It sticks to the part, releases it easy enough that I've never had a problem. Been using this stuff for years now, tried the wife's glue dots, they are too sticky and don't let go as easy as the poster tack does.

[Rattlecan Dan]

I use a small birthday candle. Works pretty well on a variety of parts no matter how small. Snip off the wick and good to go.