Photo Etch

Measure TWICE, bend ONCE, TEST FIT TWICE, and apply with CA.

IN all seriousness, precut PE parts for a kit are easy to deal with if you take your time. Just remember to have a good grip on the part when you cut it from the sprue. If you think plastic parts can fly off into oblivion, you should PE parts go!

PE is great for parts that are too small or thin to be cast in plastic. Keeping that in mind, remember that PE parts are usually small and delicate. Handle accordingly. In most instances, PE replace will replace or augment a plastic part. This means that they're usually not mandatory.

Jeff

The best suggestion I had for cutting the PE off the sprue is to cut it while it's still in the plastic. No chance of loosing anything that way.

For some of the smaller PE parts, I'll fold over a piece of tape & roll a #10 (curved blade) over it. Do this on a hard surface, such as glass, to prevent the attachment point from bending. By holding the edge of the part with broad, flat-end tweezers, I remove the burr from the part with a file, travelling along the line of the part, rather than front or back. This also prevents it from bending. Fold the parts on a hard surface with tweezers holding the part, and an Xacto or straight edge razor blade. I try to always apply the CA to the place where the part will be located, to prevent glueing it to the tweezers.

Hope this helps.

Gluing it to the tweezers!!! Oh, the humanity. . . .

If I had a nickel for every time it's happened, I could own Tamiya.

Hey guys, im thinking of buying that tool for photo etch "etch mate" is it worthy?
Does anyone have it?

Hey guys, im thinking of buying that tool for photo etch "etch mate" is it worthy?
Does anyone have it?

Lito
Since you live in Portugal, you could consider buying another make; it is produced by Mr Finn Brynildsrud and would result cheaper than an american product, as there is no custom fees; the URL is http://www.atlas.no/~finnb/ ; have a look and think of it.

Wade,

Couple of ideas on keeping the parts in the general area when you cut them from the fret.

1. Place the fret on the sticky side of some low tack masking tape, cut the part from the fret with an exacto knife and then gently remove the part from the tape by working the knive blade under the part - friend of mine uses this method very successfully.

2. I put the fret in a 1 gallon baggie and remove the part with a set of Xuron flush cutter which have long thin nose.

Hope these might help.