Finally Bought A photo etch bending tool

Eaglecash867

I have a Small Shop Photoetch Bending Tool.  Bought the MicroMark one first and hated it because of the inexplicable groove they have cut in the base along the blade axis.  Really small parts were always falling in there.  For most of the small stuff now though, I use Tamiya tweezers and a set of smooth-jaw hemostats I bought from a guy selling those on Etsy.  Those hemostats have been the best thing ever for photoetch.

 

Well, Hello! 

      Say, that curling thing is easy. Large curls in a tubing bender and small ones with a smooth straight jaw pliars and either wood or steel dowels. I personally like the Punches from my micro Mark punch set You know, the one with the Lucite parts.

I sat in a bar back at the 2001 IPMS Nats with the inventor/patent holder of the Hold-n-Fold.   Regretably he has since passed & also regretably I cannot remember his name.   He told me of how the HnF came about and taught me how to use it.   You are at an advantage that you have been folding with a pair of opposed razor blades,  you understand the mechanics.   You need to think above and below the plane of the tool base, how you want to make the sequence of folds.   The suggestion of photocopying the PE and practicing the fold sequence is a good one.    It takes practice to use the tool efficiently.    Its good if you are doing a lot of exacting bends.    But if you are doing a one-off fold it may be quicker and just as effective to pick up a pair of pliers or a pair of razor blades.

I bought a small hold n'fold one about twenty years ago. It was a great help when I used to build a whole lot of 1/72 scale armor complete with PE and aluminum barrels.

I'm more of an OOB 1/48 scale armor builder now with more sci-fi (Star Wars) kits than anything currently.

Eaglecash867

I have a Small Shop Photoetch Bending Tool...

Yeah, I think the Small Shop tools are pretty good and recommend them.

I have a Small Shop Photoetch Bending Tool.  Bought the MicroMark one first and hated it because of the inexplicable groove they have cut in the base along the blade axis.  Really small parts were always falling in there.  For most of the small stuff now though, I use Tamiya tweezers and a set of smooth-jaw hemostats I bought from a guy selling those on Etsy.  Those hemostats have been the best thing ever for photoetch.

I have the Tamiya phto etch pliers but they are only good for tiny parts But most Parts are too big for them and thats whene I had to struggle with the  two razor blade option and its just a pian to bend parts that way.  Tamiya Photo etch was the worst for me when using the razor blade method It was so thick that I had to use a micro saw to score it before bending.

I have the micro mark thing. It has its uses. Also do the razor blade.

I often make a photo copy of the fret. Then I cut out the print of the part and practice the sequence of folds.

Bill

I can highly recommend the tamiya , small jaw photo etch pliers,  very easy to use .

I've been thinking about something like that but I think I need one of those tools that help you make round photo etch first.  Lately I keep running into areas that are circular instead of straight angles.  Who knows, I might end up with both at Modelpalooza.