Photo-Etch tiny bending help!!!

[Foxer]

I have to bend the small tabs on this PE generator "fan". They can be easily seen in this photo. I'd appreciate suggestions on how you would go about this. The diameter of the whole thing is close to 3/16" .. the size of a generator. It's easy to say hold one end and bend up with tweezers, but the size of this make even grabbing with fine pointed tweezers difficult. Maybe this should be taken more as a question as to handling these tiny parts.

hehehe .. it sure looks easy blown up to this size!!!

Edited April 3, 2009 by Foxer

[Pete J.]

Forget about holding it and bending the fins with tweezers. You just don't get the support that you need. I would suggest getting a very small sharp set of smooth jawed pliers and hold the part with the folding line aligned with the edge of the pliers and bend it with a very small flat blade screwdriver. If you haven't got or can't get a set of pliers that small, then buy an inexpensive set and grind the jaws to size. It may seem like a lot of work for one part, but it you are doing this once, you will probably need it again. I don't know if they are small enough for this part, but Tamiya makes a small set of PE benders and I have found them very useful. They are not cheap but then good tools rarely are. http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=74084

[Bernard Kron]

For the example you showed above the tool Pete indicates is probably best for the job. Last Christmas I was given 2" Mini Hold and Fold from the Small Shop ( http://thesmallshop.com/index.php?main_pag...;products_id=17 ). It's still not super cheap at $29.99 but it's totally changed my attitude to bending p/e parts. You can make straight, crisp, repeatable bends and it's very precise and beautifully made.

The most popular photo-etch bending tool is the Etch Mate 3C from Mission Models ( https://www.missionmodels.com/product.php?p...=313&page=1 ). It's designed for a larger range of sizes but it's much more expensive at $59.99. It's made of a high strength composite and some reviews I have read claim that it doesn't fold bends as crisply as machined metal tools. Here a pic:

The folks at Small Shop make a wide range of these tools in various sizes ( http://thesmallshop.com/index.php?main_pag...dex&cPath=2 ), all of them made of machined aluminum. If they are like my Mini Hold and Fold they are exquisitely made.

I hope this info is of some help.

B.

[Foxer]

Forget about holding it and bending the fins with tweezers. You just don't get the support that you need. I would suggest getting a very small sharp set of smooth jawed pliers and hold the part with the folding line aligned with the edge of the pliers and bend it with a very small flat blade screwdriver. If you haven't got or can't get a set of pliers that small, then buy an inexpensive set and grind the jaws to size. It may seem like a lot of work for one part, but it you are doing this once, you will probably need it again. I don't know if they are small enough for this part, but Tamiya makes a small set of PE benders and I have found them very useful. They are not cheap but then good tools rarely are. http://www.tamiyausa.com/product/item.php?product-id=74084

Thanks Pete, I took your advice and ordered the smooth pliers. Your method made total common sense to me. It's about time I got these with the added PE I've been getting lately.

2" Mini Hold and Fold

Thanks for the comments on the Hold n Fold, gbk1. I've seen than and you answered some questions I had on it.

[my80malibu]

You might try Anealing that part before you try and bend it. Anealing is obtained by briefly holding the PE part up to a flame, Allowing it to get red hot then let it cool. this changes the properties of the metal making it more flexible. Some care must be used as to not allow the part to sit in the flame too long PE is so thin it can melt away but if you do it quickly you will be just fine.

Gabriel

[Harry P.]

I have a pretty simple rule: If the detail is so small that you can't see it without a magnifier and a strong light, I don't bother!!!

I'm working on a 1/72 scale WWI bomber. Each Rolls Royce engine (there's two) is approx. 1/2" long! And each engine has over 30 parts!!!

Needless to say, I'm never buying such a small scale kit ever again!

[dwc43]

I'd get some Hemostats from Northern Tool and Equipment or a medical supply store along with several sizes of small forceps too. They are stainless steel so you can use them to hold parts by hand when painting and just wipe them off with thinner. The hemostats also lock in a closed position too and come in different sizes. You can use these to hold the parts at the bend and then use another tool to bend the part.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...matchallpartial

[Foxer]

I have a pretty simple rule: If the detail is so small that you can't see it without a magnifier and a strong light, I don't bother!!!

I'm working on a 1/72 scale WWI bomber. Each Rolls Royce engine (there's two) is approx. 1/2" long! And each engine has over 30 parts!!!

Needless to say, I'm never buying such a small scale kit ever again!

I hear ya, Harry! This simple engine is getting WAY out of hand, but it's being displayed outside the car and deserves some "texture". This piece is probably too much, but I found myself calculating scale on the generator wires/nuts last night and placed myself under house arrest.

[Foxer]

I'd get some Hemostats from Northern Tool and Equipment or a medical supply store along with several sizes of small forceps too. They are stainless steel so you can use them to hold parts by hand when painting and just wipe them off with thinner. The hemostats also lock in a closed position too and come in different sizes. You can use these to hold the parts at the bend and then use another tool to bend the part.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/sto...matchallpartial

I have 3 or 4 hemostats (my wife is a RN) but never seem to use much. They all have grooved faces like pliers and would turn PE into corrugated siding. Maybe it's just the one's I happened to steal from my wife. They have a tenacious locking grip and with a smooth face would have some value. I'll have to sneak into her medical bag again...

[FujimiLover]

Sometimes I wish I was modeling on one of those lighted tables that you see on CSI! How handy would that be?

[dwc43]

. They have a tenacious locking grip and with a smooth face would have some value. I'll have to sneak into her medical bag again...

Well, you could always sand or grind them down and get some clean jaws if you need too. Just another thought.

[dwc43]

Sometimes I wish I was modeling on one of those lighted tables that you see on CSI! How handy would that be?

That would be cool as long as you could vary the power of the light too. I don't need to go blind ... lol. I wanted one of those lighted magnifying glasses too. I looked at some at local stores and none of them start off less than $100 bucks. I don't want one that bad.

[Pete J.]

I have 3 or 4 hemostats (my wife is a RN) but never seem to use much. They all have grooved faces like pliers and would turn PE into corrugated siding. Maybe it's just the one's I happened to steal from my wife. They have a tenacious locking grip and with a smooth face would have some value. I'll have to sneak into her medical bag again...

Smooth jawed hemostats are generally refered to as clamps. My wife is an ER nurse and they throw these things away by the buckets. When she brings them home I sort out the smooth jawed and toss the rest. I still have my PE bending tools though. The Tamiya pliers are precision ground and have very thin edges cut at an angle so you can go past 90 degrees. Very helpful.

Edited April 4, 2009 by Pete J.

[dwc43]

I just bought two new pair of Hemostats from Northern today. And the reason is I noticed a difference in first pair I bought the other day. On the link I posted they show a 5" and 12" pair. Both of mine are 5" length. One has a narrow longer needle nose and the other one is shorter nosed, clamps stronger and has smooth jaws where the more needle nose pair has groves. So I went back and bought another pair of ea type. So if you want these, you should look them over at the store or ask before you order online cause my local store had both types of jaws just tossed in a bin together.

[crazyjim]

Those "lighted tables" like CSI has are very similar to those we use in making stained/leaded glass and are called light boxes. We use them to layout different colors of glass to check for color and transparency. Check this http://www.glasscrafters.biz/Merchant2/ord...;Category_Code=

I made my own light box from 1 x 4 pine with a 24" florescent fixture inside. The cover is a Morton product. http://www.glasscrafters.biz/Merchant2/ord...egory_Code=mort

[FujimiLover]

That would be cool as long as you could vary the power of the light too. I don't need to go blind ... lol. I wanted one of those lighted magnifying glasses too. I looked at some at local stores and none of them start off less than $100 bucks. I don't want one that bad.

Could probably make our own lighted table. Get a nice large glass table, put a couple of florescent lights underneath, and a dimmer switch! Might not be as fancy as what we see in the show however. But it's an idea!

Just like the guy ^^^^^^^^ said!

Edited April 5, 2009 by FujimiLover

[mountaindewd]

I don't think you can dim florescent lights as they are a tube filled with gas. You can't really light part of the gas, it's all or nothing. But, I have always wanted one also. It might be a nuisance for modeling though. Your work would be backlit making everything on the table a silloette.

Les

[mountaindewd]

lighted magnifying glasses......none of them start off less than $100 bucks.

If you have a flea market around, you might find one there. I picked one up at a local flea market for $25 new.

Les

[dwc43]

If you have a flea market around, you might find one there. I picked one up at a local flea market for $25 new.

Les

Did not even think about that. They have some around and there's yard sales too. Seems like only time I have it on my mind is when I am a store though. I guess I'll just have to make it a point to go searching at some point.

[mountaindewd]

lighted magnifying glasses

I was at Hobby Lobby today and they had one for 39.99.

Les

[dwc43]

Really? Mine has them starting out at way over $100 bucks. I aint talking about a hand held type either. I'm talking about the floor type that has the adjustable arms and the glass is about 8" across and has a circular FL tube in it. I'd take a smaller type to fit on a desk with a clamp if I could find one of those on a the cheap.