Tweezer launch (the life of a photo-etched part)

Outstanding idea! May have to try that one again, if I get brave enough to use PE again. - Ed :)

In spite of all the excellent advice already given; once the part has fallen into the clutches of the shag carpet all might not be lost. Get some pantyhose (how I leave up to you ...) and put it over the end of the vacuum hose. Vacuum the rug or whatever and the part will be captured and held by the pantyhose.

I tried this when my wife lost a diamond from her ring and it worked!

That's a good one Upnorth.......I also remember that kit very well. I remember doing the giant Tarantula (spelling?) and the big Praying Mantis models too.

Ah the good ole days...

This reminds me a bit of something that happened when I was a kid in primary school.

We had some option classes on Thursday afternoons for a while, most were craft or hobby related, one year I decided I'd go for the model building option. The instructor was a volunteer from the local IPMS chapter and I was new to the hobby, seemed the place to pick up a few pointers, except how to locate run away parts.

I was building a monogram (ex- Aurora I think) model of Godzilla. It had a sprue of glow in the dark parts, so I thought I'd have fun an use them.

No sooner to I get the glue onto one of the glowing parts then it slips from my fingers. Well, we all get down on our hands and knees (instuctor included) and start looking under desks and tables. We called off our search when there was a power outage and we couldn't see sanything, except for a glowing piece of Godzilla stuck to the front of my pants!

Needless to say we had a good laugh over that one.

Well, while I don't have parts launch on me often, I DID have a rescriber launch!
See, my panel scriber used to be a bent needle stuck in a cruciform locking hobby knife handle. Well, I was scribing away, and, SHINK!! I hear this loud sound of metal snapping, and I feel something hit my eyelid!
The panel scriber had snapped in half, and barely missed going straight into my eye!
Since then, I've learned to wear safety goggles, even for painting! No more risking blindness!

Gregers: Those are the ones. I think the best thing about them is once they are locked you can turn them any way needed without dropping the part or even set them down if something on the honey-do list becomes urgent.

Take a piece of masking tape and lay it over the piece to be cut. Turn it over and cut the piece. The piece sticks to the masking tape and does not go flying.

Keep your work area floor clean. If a piece drops on the floor, simply take a flashlight and lay it down on the floor. The resulting shadow cast even on some pretty small parts will make them stand out.

A buddy of mine works on a library cubicle. This is like working in a box but he has never lost a piece. Anything that does happen to go flying usually bounces off of one of the three cubical walls and lands back in the work area.

I f you take some spray glue (3m 77 or similar repositionable spray mount) and just make the tweezer ends a little sticky the piece will adhere to the tweezers. You want just enough tack so that the piece will adhere to the tweezers long enough to get it into position. Not tackier than the glue you are using to adhere it to the model.

Mike

Hi Derek. Are they the ones that lock shut with a small rachet near the finger holes? if so they are the ones that i have. If so now that i know what they are called i can get some more. Thanks....Greg

Try using a surgical (Kelly) clamp or hemostat, They should lock onto the part

Here is my problem .. I don't like to be disturbed when modelling so i leave my mobile phone downstairs and put my radio on . when the shrapnel starts flying i can't hear it land. my fault i know but its the price i pay. One tip though, I cut the parts off inside a clear plestic bag. when it goes flying it don't go far. Also i have a tool that looks like a pair of scissors with a gripping end similar to small pliers. i don't know where to get these from because i got mine from a car boot sale = like a big yard sale( translated for our American cousins) .....Greg

This gives me an idea!

How about a photo etch launce at model contests.
You know to fill those long pauses during the judging and such.
It could be graded in three catergories.
Distance.
Speed.
and style.

We could have fun doing something that usually terrifys us.
We could also explore methods of preventing "tweezer launch".

Just my thoughts.

When the launch happens, I quickly pray to hear the faint clatter of the part landing somewhere on my bench. When there's no sound after launch, then I know that it's fallen into the parts-eating carpet and will never be seen again. . .

One thing that is funny (and for those of you that are married, will really understand)

Your wife (or husband for our female modelers) can call your name hundreds of times and you can't hear them.....Just let 1 piece fly across the room and ricochet off something, you hear it clear as a bell!

1. Was building with my brother when he launched a piece. Next thing I know he is "discreetly" undressing in the den. Knowing he's not a total pervert, I was relieved when he announced it had fallen inside his underwear!

2. I launched a small PE piece right into my hobby box ( I use a large tackle box for all my stuff when I want to be mobile.) Had to empty the entire box before I found it.

I agree with erush...Having it launch and fall on the floor is one thing, but when it starts to ricochet, you know you're in trouble.

Gip Winecoff

I've had the same thing happen too. The part went into a fold on my shirt and I hunted it for ever it seemed. When I finally gave up and sat down, I streched real big to relieve the stress I'd just built up and glanced down and saw it hanging.

Of course I was relieved and then I got mad that I wasted all that time and quit for the day

What I hate is when you hear it bounce off something and you think it's right there, but it in fact launched another 5 feet off the object

Eric