Small detail angst

JohnnyK

The blu-tack on a toothpick is a great idea! I'll have to give that a try.

 

That's the trick that works for me. I was using it on the end of a piece of sprue but someone suggested the toothpick and it works much better.

Tojo72;

 You think 1/72 is small? Someone asked me if I wanted some Armor kits. "Sure", I said. Well, how about an M-8 Greyhound that is 5/8 of an inch long? Or a Chieftan tank just slightly over 7/8 of an inch ?

Great set of tweezers,someone here recommended them,sorry can't remember who.

https://www.amazon.com/Precision-Anti-static-Non-magnetic-Multi-standard-Electronics/dp/B06XXXQHS8

I agree,I have been modeling for almost 40 years and I can't handle the really small stuff,PE tool clamps and padlocks,and the like.I recently started a 1/72 armor kit and I can't believe how small it is.

Hi Trebor357:

          Unlike most here. I developed a very sensitive degree of feeling for tweezers. Having done Consulting for Both a Watch Company and a Laser mfgr. What I have taken to doing is as I have said in reply before. I etch the inside face of the tweezers if they don't have teeth.

     What I mean is this. I take the tweezers and I close them, one side at a time of course, over a fresh piece of 320 grit, Nothing coarser, sandpaper, and gently but firmly slide the paper sideways out of the jaws. This gives a little "Tooth" to the surface. make sure to do both sides.

      Note: many folks don't realize that they squeeze to hard with tweezers. It's a normal thing. It's like shaving, brushing Your teeth or driving a car. You gotta practice. The best way I've seen is this. Take a Flat toothpick ( they are slightly Wedge Shaped) and pick it up with a pair with or without teeth. Hold the toothpick a lightly as you can , as long as you can.

     This will train your muscles in your hand to respond accordingly. Muscle memory is the key. Most of us don't have to handle tweezers very often. Our  Muscle groups in the hand and the skin thereof are not trained in the subtle pressures required. THIS IS NO GARUANTEE! I commited a launch last night of a replacement Radar antenna for a 1/350 ship. Haven't found it yet!

   You'll get the hang of it though. One or two parts M.I.A. in say a year, ain't to bad!

All tweezers are not created equal.  I finally found a pair I love.  It has not reduced launching parts to zero, but close to it.  They were a bargain price, to, from Amazon.  They have a brand name of Pixnor, and they are shaped as a very sharp icoseles triange, so they are very stiff in the direction that prevents twisting.  I think it was eight pieces (a couple of spares for the most used ones) and very reasonably priced (I think it was about ten bucks or so).

I learned about them from a post in one of the other forums (maybe the tools forum).

Chinagraph wax pencil's work well.

The blu-tack on a toothpick is a great idea! I'll have to give that a try.

Don't know whether you guys are talking regular tweezers or cross-lock ones...but I wouldn't tackle PE without (2) good pairs of pointy cross-lock tweezers. The sureness of grip (and the ability to take hands off, if necessary) are a great help. As Greg pointed out, quality is the key, particularly with cross-lock ones -- if the tips aren't perfectly aligned, things will indeed launch like a catapult.

The 'sticky pencils' (or the homemade blu-tack on a toothpick versions) are also incredibly useful for positioning the tiniest PE parts. Nothing 'flies' from them.

I’ve only been modeling for 6 months and have lost 3 pieces with the tweezer small part fiasco.  2 of the parts I miraculously found.  the one that I lost was replaced by Revell of Germany.  Excellent customer service and they didn’t charge me.  Since this episode I use the blue tac on toothpick trick too.  

I know.

For me, tweezers are a last resort for PE. Things are always launching about as you say. I make little transfer tools by sticking a tiny ball of Blu Tac (or poster tack or Silly Putty) on the end of a toothpick. It is a do it yourself version of these Grabit-Stix, which work great and I really like.

If you have to use tweezers, it's worth the expense to buy a good set. It'll help some.

I'm sure folks will have other good ideas for you.

In time you will be able to tear down, clean, and reassemble your Badger in minutes. No worries, just a bit of practice and patience.