A beginner's photoetch question

Mike,

I have The Bug. Can't say it's really all that different. It holds a piece while you bend it. I think the differences are mostly cosmetic in addition to size. The Etch Mate looks like it's plastic whereas The Bug is metal. Other than that, I dunno. Hell, as long as it bends the PE like you need it to, I would say get whatever one is the least expensive. I don't bend any long pieces of PE so The Bug is perfect for my needs.

Regards,

Jeff

Gigatron wrote:

I use PE on most of my builds and there are only 3 tools you really need - CA (thin and medium), very fine tweezers and The Bug.

OK, how is the "Bug"  different from my Etch Mate 3C besides being more compact?

Hey GS,

Welcome to the wonderful world of PE.  I use PE on most of my builds and there are only 3 tools you really need - CA (thin and medium), very fine tweezers and The Bug.  Yeah you can fold PE with a straight edge and a razor blade (and you probably should for your first time), but there are some complex pieces out there that can only be done with the propper tool.  You don't need any sort of solder, thin CA will be more than useful for holding PE together.  And use the medium stuff for when you're attaching it to the kit so you have some time to work it into position before it dries.

-Fred

Thanks for the welcome cardshark! I appreciate the tip, my dense head wouldn't consider actually clicking on the search button lol. Much appreciated.

I dig your handle, are you a poker player? or do you do any card manipulation? I'm a huge fan of both!

Thanks Cardshark that was very imformative for a newbee on p-e, I want to try them soon. Been modeling since I was like 12 or something but mostly outta the bax or mild scratchbuild in plastic, hopefully this will work for me..

John

Should answer all your questions...

http://www.planetarmor.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3789

Cheers,
Alex

Thanks Boba I figured super glue. But wanted to double check before I messed up lol on the solder I was wondering if rosen core or solid core solder...

John

ALWAYS use super glue aka cynocrylite (excuse the spelling). Anything else won't hold. For solder, I have no clue. I would guess getr some high-quality stuff and use plenty of heat-sinks.

These question may sound simple to most but..... What do you use to glue the p-e to the plastic model and what kinda solder do I need to solder pieces together?

thanks again,

John

Tyler, 

First off, to the forums!  

As for the search function on the forum...Like most forum software, there is an annoying bug in the search. If you type your search in the box, and hit enter, rather than submitting your search, it refreshes your page.  If you want to search, you have to actually click the search button.  

HTH!

Cheers,
Alex

Great, thanks for all the help jeff-- I'll go ahead and order that kit then. Hopefully Santa will bring me a camera for christmas and I"ll be able to take pics of the building process. Happy holidays to ya.

 Tyler

Tyler,

Just the weight of your finger should be plenty. Remember, you are talking about a piece of metal that is like a couple of hairs in thickness. You really need something with a squared off end for those 90 degree bends to turn out right though.

Regards,

Jeff

Jeff--

Thanks for the response. So I wouldnt necessarily need to clamp down the "square piece"? I could get away with weighting it with something? I guess I'm imagining the bend taking some omph.

Matt--

Cool! Thanks much for the heads up, I'm looking forward to the new issue then :)

Tyler

Mr Usher thank you for answering one of my Questions. I was gonna ask if any back issues had that info as I have never messed with photo-etch either but really want to try it. Thank you for the heads up, and hope you have a wonderful holiday and New Years,and please keep up the great work here and in the magazine..

John

Tyler,

We have an issue with two photoetch stories on the way. Both Aaron Skinner and I wrote stories on how to work with PE, what tools to use, etc.

I'll be on its way shortly!

Matt Usher @ FSM

Tyler,

I use the Bug and a Hold and Fold myself. These are not neccesary, just a convenience. A nice flat surface and a square piece of whatever to hold the part down plus a razor blade to bend it will work fine for right-angle bends. For curved/rounded pieces, try a piece of sprue or maybe a pen and bend it around that. Anything round will work, just find the right size for what you need.

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Jeff