Photo - Etch Bending Tools .

I have read the thread with much interest . I have five different P.E. bending tools .One has over twenty parts to use .The rest are two different types of Etch - Mate tools and one is a thing with a groove and two somewhat dull box cutter type blades of different lengths . The rest are things I picked up here and there for different uses . One allows me to make Bowl shaped objects .

  Now all that said here's my list of the most effective folding tools available to me that I use most .

Needle Nose pliers ( small Bead Making style ) Smooth jaw

Needle nose Round pliers (small Bead Making style  ) For those cone shapes

 Needle Nosed pliers  very long jaws . ( For Wire Art ) Smooth jaw

 1 pair of Large Duck Bill Flat Pliers  (For glass work )Flattened  on the jaw ends for small section folds

 1 Pair of pliers Small  ( Xuron .For P.E.) Thin Nosed

 Two Sharp Box Knife Blades .

 One or two Bamboo Skewers , Cut to length of 4 inches each Drill hole in rounded end for wire  .( for making tiny round parts and springs) make sure it's the pointed end you keep .

 And lastly , a good selection of rod and tube sections of brass .( for those round parts )

   Lastly a pair of Grozier pliers .( they have one curved and one straight jaw , toothed ) Plus they are so square at the jaw ends they are great for small folds in ship work .( They are used to break and clean glass edges in stained glass work .)

   Seems like a lot doesn't it ? You know what though .The whole mess cost less than most specialty tools out there except the " Etch Mate " and the " Bug " They were all purchased at Hobby lobby except the Long nosed pliers which  were purchased at a model train store years ago .

    I still go back to basics when I am under pressure . Funny , That . All the tools out there and the simplest are the best .The " Bowl making " tool is neat for 1/200 and 1/350 and 1/400 and of course 1/700 bowl shaped radars .

   Now , even there I have six dowels rounded on the end and a 1'x1' piece of craft foam 1/8 " thick for that job . I also forgot , one pair of square jawed ( toothed ) pliers which I ground perfectly square on the end .Great for many uses and then last Six different sizes and types of tweezers , with the stamp tweezers      ( ground square ) for the neatest little square and box folds you could ever do .

     There , I've said it . Now understand , My first go - round with P.E was on the U.S.S. North Carolina by Trumpeter eight years ago in 1/350 . So I found what works since then and stick to that  .Good luck with your selection !  Tanker - Builder       P.S.  Although " Metal Earth " says it ,  You cannot bend a lot of their tabs and parts with tweezers !