Help with Photo Etched Brass

Thanks all, I appreciate your help.

Etch Mates are very good, but I rarely even use it. Becuase most parts are not that large.

For larger bends I use a method called annealing...which is putting the piece of brass over a hot flame and heating it . Then after it is hot I dip it in water. This takes the rigidness out of the brass and makes it much easier to bend.

Cheers

Rob

Hi again Jesse.

I only just started using PE so I made my own cheaper tool. A guy in my model club told me he did it, so I tried it too.

I used a piece of laminated board that was an old kitchen cupboard door, the steel ruler and the single sided safety razor blades (has a metal strip on the side opposite the blade so you don't cut yourself - unless you slip hey Sherm.

I cut the ruler in two and then drilled a few holes in one end and part way along one edge of the ruler. Then I cut from the edges to the sides of the holes with a hacksaw and filed the edges smooth. Looks just like the holes in the PE tools, but a bit shallower and placed a little wider).

I placed the ruler piece on the board about 50mm in from the edge. Then I drilled a few holes through the ruler and through the board, so I could insert bolts through the hole using a wingnut to secure each bolt when the PE is inserted between the ruler and board. I put 4 rubber door stoppers under the board so I could use the wingnuts underneath - leaves clearance to bend the etch on top. Works well on bends no thinner than the ruler.

For the smaller bits I just screw down another utility knife blade (these ones have 2 holes in them already) over a strip of brass I glued to the board. The strip is toward the back of the blade so it screws down at an angle to help keep the cutting edge level with the board. This isn't perfect, but works okay for me.

Benefit to me is that the board is heavy enough that I don't need to hold it, letting me use two hands on the lifting blade for even pressure. You can also turn the board around to use whatever angle you need.

The other bit of ruler I use to help bend the larger PE bits after I have raised them enough to slip it under. This helps keep the bent edge straight and stops the brass from being twisted.

Another of the guys in my club also suggested bolting a bit of aluminium angle to the board for the final lift on larger pieces. He reckons that it gives him the perfect 90 degree angle - I have not tried this yet.

Happy Modelling

Peter

Also a piece of bathroom tile can be used in place of a piece of glass. Walk the aisles of your local home improvement store.

A Hold & Fold or Etch Mate are fairly expensive tools. I own a 4" H&F and it ran around $40, EM is much more. I don't recommend investing in one as a beginner, who knows, you may feel PE is not worth the hassle in the long run.

Also pick up a 6" steel ruler from the store. It helps bend longer items and only costs a couple of bucks.

I do Like Robert said. On a piece of glass I use a blade from a utility knife to hold the PE firm on th glass, then I slide a single edge razor blade under the part and bend it up. That method has served me well.

I haven't built this set before ... but there are a couple of different products on the market for folding PE. Hold + Fold is one, and Etch-Mate the other. Both of these are not cheap though, but if you are going to do a lot of PE in the future, they might be worth it.

Another method I've used in the past is to use 2 safety razors on a flat surface to bend the PE. Keep a good supply of band aids handy though in case you slip.