Photo Etch tools recommendations

[Yevgeny]

Hi guys.

I'm looking to get some tools for working with photo etched parts and want to have kit to cover most basic stuff.

Any recommendations?
Thank you

[Lee]

[youtube]GKqukvfjkSQ[/youtube]

[Paul]

My most useful tools are

Ultimate Pe placer
Small shop tools hold and fold bender
Small shop tools photo etch cut off set
Tamiya pe pliers
tamiya pe scissors
tamiya pe diamond file
Flexifile ca applicator
Bob smith medium ca glue

Expensive tools and you could use cheaper tools or not as many, for me though thats what it use

[Yevgeny]

Thank you very much guys.
I should have look for the video first I know

I have £100 to spend and need to stick to the budget

[schweinhund227]

What sort of P.E. work are you planing to do ???

Airplanes Belt buckles or Tank Cable Hanger or Long Flat Fenders

Ship Railing or Antenna masts ?

A Nice pair of Tamiya Long nose P.E. pliers or short nose
could make you happy ?

If long flat or complex shape needs done... Then a Mission Model P.E. folding Tool could come in handy ?
either their Cast Aluminum bodies or ABS Plastic ones... all the same ! the price is very different depending on which you pick.

Start small..... and build up on it as needed...
Why buy it all at once and have it gathering dust... just cuz you have the cash ?

food for thoughts !

Happy Modeling....

[Yevgeny]

Just need basic tools really, as currently I don't have even pair of good pliers.
I agree, no point in buying stuff that would not get used.
Thanks

[schweinhund227]

Just need basic tools really, as currently I don't have even pair of good pliers.
I agree, no point in buying stuff that would not get used.
Thanks

If you don't get the Tamiya P.E. pliers... just saying !

Make sure your pliers don't have any sort of teeth ! They must be absolutely Smooth !
to prevent marring the surface of your P.E. parts...



Take care and Happy modeling

[Tomtom12]

Add a good set of magnifying glasses

[Aliktren]

And vodka and a swear box

[countzero99uk]

Im in the same situation myself now, just received through the accessory kit for my Type 10 but I don't have any where near the same budget as you ill have a look at the video and see what I can work out.

From what ive read here the first and most important thing is some good needle nose pliers?

Cheers

[countzero99uk]

Are you better off getting the short or long needle nose pliers as a first buy?

[Tangles]

I am doing a lot of etch at the moment, well I tend to do a lot anyway. I have the folding jig and flat, square pliers (any brand will work as long as they are flat and square), and for rolling PE? Those rolling jigs are way expensive I reckon so I devised a method using a drill bit and a sponge stick. Rolls PE perfectly if you do it right with kit you probably already have. Budget $$$0.
I also have a method of removing PE from the fret that I'm thinking of manufacturing. Somehow. Haven't seen it anywhere else and I need to earn a living eventually. Maybe more on that at the product release!

Here's how I roll. Place the piece on the sanding stick orientated the correct way of course. Roll slowly to start with the break the grain, then you can give it as much as you need to complete the curve. In this case it was a cylinder, and it closed up nicely with enough rolling force.


End result.

[JohnModeller]

Try buying the Trumpeter Master tools PE bending tool. This is under $35 and is just like the ones which retail over 130. I use the larger version of it by Trumpeter Master tools, and have had no complaints. A budget frindly solution
John

[Paul]

Try buying the Trumpeter Master tools PE bending tool. This is under $35 and is just like the ones which retail over 130. I use the larger version of it by Trumpeter Master tools, and have had no complaints. A budget frindly solution
John

I think you will find its not the same quality as the more expensive ones

[JohnModeller]

Try buying the Trumpeter Master tools PE bending tool. This is under $35 and is just like the ones which retail over 130. I use the larger version of it by Trumpeter Master tools, and have had no complaints. A budget frindly solution
John

I think you will find its not the same quality as the more expensive ones

I have used one of the more expensive ones several times, and I am an extensive user of PE, but I have never really felt the difference. anyway, it relaly is up to preference
John

[Paul]

Try buying the Trumpeter Master tools PE bending tool. This is under $35 and is just like the ones which retail over 130. I use the larger version of it by Trumpeter Master tools, and have had no complaints. A budget frindly solution
John

I think you will find its not the same quality as the more expensive ones

I have used one of the more expensive ones several times, and I am an extensive user of PE, but I have never really felt the difference. anyway, it relaly is up to preference
John

They are not a precise and don't clamp the pe parts as well as the likes of a small shop tools bender

[JohnModeller]

Thanks for that. Perhaps I should upgrade to the more expensive ones later on. At the moment, I have found it to work fine and I really don't see the difference at the moment. Maybe when I start getting really advanced in PE construction, I might invest in one of the smaller ones by the smallshop
John

[Homerlovesbeer]

Far out the expenses just keep rolling on for me too. PE stuff eh? I've got a heap of watch tools that may fit the part hmm

[JohnModeller]

I now use the Small Shop 4" Mk IV RTH (Rotating Tool Head) Hold and Fold Workstation. This is an excellent piece of kit and very worthwhile expenditure. I used to use a cheaper bending tool, but this has clear advantages due to it having clean sharp folds and easy use over my old one.
John

[Paul]

I now use the Small Shop 4" Mk IV RTH (Rotating Tool Head) Hold and Fold Workstation. This is an excellent piece of kit and very worthwhile expenditure. I used to use a cheaper bending tool, but this has clear advantages due to it having clean sharp folds and easy use over my old one.
John

Nice one John, you think its a better tool than the trumpy one then?

[DaveTheMinion]

I now use the Small Shop 4" Mk IV RTH (Rotating Tool Head) Hold and Fold Workstation. This is an excellent piece of kit and very worthwhile expenditure. I used to use a cheaper bending tool, but this has clear advantages due to it having clean sharp folds and easy use over my old one.
John

Nice one John, you think its a better tool than the trumpy one then?

I got to get me one of them, all I have is a modified set of needle nose pliers that I grinded the teeth off, it kind of works but not well

[JohnModeller]

I now use the Small Shop 4" Mk IV RTH (Rotating Tool Head) Hold and Fold Workstation. This is an excellent piece of kit and very worthwhile expenditure. I used to use a cheaper bending tool, but this has clear advantages due to it having clean sharp folds and easy use over my old one.
John

Nice one John, you think its a better tool than the trumpy one then?

I sure do. Thanks for the help in the purchase of this one Paul.
Cheers, John

[JohnModeller]

I now use the Small Shop 4" Mk IV RTH (Rotating Tool Head) Hold and Fold Workstation. This is an excellent piece of kit and very worthwhile expenditure. I used to use a cheaper bending tool, but this has clear advantages due to it having clean sharp folds and easy use over my old one.
John

Nice one John, you think its a better tool than the trumpy one then?

I got to get me one of them, all I have is a modified set of needle nose pliers that I grinded the teeth off, it kind of works but not well

It is a very worthwhile investment, and it gets a full thumbs up from me.
John

[Hawkins6685]

I have the small trumpy bender. And I have to say it does the job but clamping it parts down straight can be a pain in the arse. IMO for what it's worth is if you cab afford something get it. Why spend $35 on one tool to only upgrade in few months to the $130 tool. You could get yourself a really nice kit for $35 and have the decent tool instead of a decent tool and one you'll never use again.

[jelliott]

And vodka and a swear box

I highly second this comment!!!

[Avgas]

I'm only a beginner with the photo etch but this tool-Small shop tools photo etch cut off set- has been a Godsend.

[RobertK]

I have a neat little trick for picking up small, flat PE parts. Grab a toothpick, snip off one end so it's flat, the area should be just a bit smaller than the PE part you want to pick up.
Now, first dampen (well, it should be quite wet) the freshly cut part of toothpick, use water or saliva (hehe) and then just pick up the part with the toothpick and place it on your model, done.
I learned this at work, we used to pick up small foil flags to solder on PCB's, the toothpick was just so much easier to use than anything else we tried.