How to use photoetch

[Guest]

hi lads,

i received my Studio 27 PE upgrade kit today for a future Tamiya Yamaha M1 moto gp kit, but as ive never used one of these before i need some advice.

Firstly, im assuming a need special cutters or a chisel type blade to cut them from the sprue? Im also assuming that they need filing smooth..any advice on this, as i dont want to mar the front faces of the etch, or scrape/bend the pieces..any tricks of the trade here?

some of the parts, such as the clutch cover, have two versions. the first uses the existing plastic part and covers it (with some folding), the other, uses entire etch parts, but these appear flat and not 3 dimensional..if you need a pic let me know.

Are there any tricks for folding and curving the metal? ive seen various tools online but can i use for instance a steel ruler as a straight edge?

Finally (for know) im assuming regular super glue is the way to go on these parts?

If you have any other advice or ways of avoiding/covering mistakes then im all ears!

Cheers

Simon

[geegad]

The only advice I can give just put photo etch in YouTube and there will be plenty of vids..I'm doing a build on here with plenty of pe and the YouTube helped me no end..oh one tip look on the shop on this site and he has got what is called a bug that will give you all the bases covered

[Ian M]

Here is a quick reply, When I have time I will try to assemble all the threads about PE in one place. It seems there are quite a few, but the search process is not finding them...

First off, cutting. Different brands of PE have different ideas on how the part is attached to the fret. Some are very fine; Eduard for example, others are not so fine and require quite a heavy blade, Typical are the frets that are included in a kit.

For the fine ones, I use a new fine blade scalpel. Always cut the part on a hard surface. The best being either a ceramic tile or a piece of thick glass. A dark colour tile of under the glass makes it easier to see what you are doing. It can be a good idea to put clear cellotape on the back of the fret. This will help prevent parts flying off with a ping, when it separates from the fret. I have also used a fine pair of scissors to cut parts off, but this is only for large parts and with sharp scissors. It will knacker them so don't use the wifes!!

Should the part need smoothing I use a fine needle file and hold the part in a pair of pliers. WITH SMOOTH JAWS. very important that bit.

Glue. You can use Super-glue aka CA. Or also as many others do an acrylic glue called Gator grip glue.

CA glue is fine but I find that when you need it to stick instantly, it does not and when you could use a second or two to get things in place it sets immediately!! You can get CA that sets slower and an accelerator that make it cure on contact.

Gator glue is acrylic water based and you get a fair time to adjust the parts and get them in place. How long depends on how much you use....

As to which is best? I use both depending on how and where its is fixed. Very large parts that hold things, I get the soldering iron out.

Folding: You can fold PE with a couple of flat strait blades, but if you are going to do loads and what that nice crisp fold, I can only recomend that you buy a couple of tools. Hold and fold is one brand that I am very pleased with, and the other....Tamiya PE pliers. many dont like them but I find them OK.

As for rolling PE I hate it!!! Buy a tool for the job. it will make it much easier. At the moment I use the plain end of a drill bit as its a good hard rod and comes in many sizes :-) It can be a great help to soften the PE to be rolled first. Just heat it to a dull red and let it cool down on its own. Then roll it.

Hope this helps.

Ian M

[Guest]

Go to the shop Simon.

I got a couple of folders. Rather like pliers but they have smooth faces.

Think that John was also stocking a contraption which is more sophisticated for folding.

Yes I used a steel rule to get the fold. Used a Morton Blade for cutting form the sprue. The blade that is very chisel looking. Could have used a sprue cutter but thought it better sense to ruin the blade than the sprue cutter. Used a smooth small file to file the edges where it was bitten from the sprue. Used one of the folders every time to make sure it was held firmly during gently filing or as all things it can go wrong & the metal is kinked. Also filed along the cut not across to minimize kinky of the metal.

Make sure you watch the cut edges as they are like razor blades.

Laurie

Edit. Ian posted at the same time. Think this is a better explanation.

[Guest]

great advice from Ian and Laurie , another little tip - when trying to form a curve heat the part with a lighter flame it will help a little with the flexing.

[Ian M]

great advice from Ian and Laurie , another little tip - when trying to form a curve heat the part with a lighter flame it will help a little with the flexing.

some one wasn't paying attention was they!! :laughing:

Ian M

[Guest]

LOL sorry mate , missed that bit .

[stona]

I've nothing to add to that except to say obviously don't heat up pre painted PE unless you want to paint it again !

I hate the bloody stuff. I was admiring a ship model at a show some time ago and the guy told me it had more than 600 photo etch parts attached......Holy Cow,it would have driven me mad. Thing is he looked quite normal

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

Just a couple of things to add

1st, I go through the PE instruction sheet with a highlighter pen and mark off all the parts that are replacements of the plastic parts, then I go through the kit plans and mark them on there too, this prevents me from sticking on the wrong bit. As I'm building I also highlight parts as I use them as it's very easy to get lost between the two sets of instructions or miss bits completely

2nd, don't feel that you have to use every part of the photo etch, some parts are better in plastic and some of the tiny, dust sized PE are too small to hold with tweezers

[Guest]

You are right Andy Only used them a couple of times & both minimal amounts. I found some pieces look stupid & they have obviously just been added for maximum effect by the manufacturer.

Laurie

[stona]

I agree,discussed this with dave (Gern) the other day. What is the point in folding a closed box in PE when a plastic part looks better? Definitely use PE for parts that can't be represented in plastic but otherwise leave it on the fret.

Cheers

Steve

[Guest]

You are right Andy Only used them a couple of times & both minimal amounts. I found some pieces look stupid & they have obviously just been added for maximum effect by the manufacturer.Laurie

Well it seems to vary from kit to kit, the Challenger II I used about half the parts but the Hotchkiss H39 I used almost all of them

Eduard for instance are one maker that seem to make plenty of parts that are totally unnecessary, they make good stuff but quite a lot goes in the spares box

[Ian M]

Agree about the boxes, but one thing, It's a lot easier to dent/crush a bit of brass than it is a moulded plastic box. Also a lot of boxes and the like that are cast in plastic are often tapered. Its a part of the manufacturing process. I have had some that was 2mm smaller at one end than the other. Don't sound much but 2mm on a box about 10mm x 30mm it looked real bad.

Cutting off handles and catches to replace them with PE also sounds a waste of time. Until you have done one side and then compare it to the one you have not.

Sorry we are getting a bit off the subject, Which was not why we use it but How to use it. sorry funky

Ian M

[Guest]

Agree about the boxes, but one thing, It's a lot easier to dent/crush a bit of brass than it is a moulded plastic box. Also a lot of boxes and the like that are cast in plastic are often tapered. Its a part of the manufacturing process. I have had some that was 2mm smaller at one end than the other. Don't sound much but 2mm on a box about 10mm x 30mm it looked real bad.Cutting off handles and catches to replace them with PE also sounds a waste of time. Until you have done one side and then compare it to the one you have not.

I don't think anyone would dispute that Ian, what I meant to say was why discard a plastic part when the etched replacement is inferior? PE is wonderful for representing many items on a kit but sometimes plastic is better

[Guest]

is it also customary to remove parts from the original plastic moulding?? ie, small pieces of bike frame to accommodate footrests etc??

The instructions in the set are very basic to say the least.