Done a lot of photoetched kit building in my railway modelling days, from wagon springing units and brake gear to complete coach and locomotive kits. Most of my main construction Work was done with a good soldering iron and Carrs 145 solder with phosphoric acid flux. The strength was needed because railway models tend to be handled a bit. This is not really necessary for plastic models, so unless you are looking at building huge amounts of etched kit in the future you can gloss over this aspect.
In those days I used five minute epoxy to stick on smaller parts because the bond is so good. However, I tend to use CA to glue it on these days, mostly for the convenience. For large parts, like tank fenders etc, I would probably tack the part in place with CA and use epoxy to make the main bond. Smaller parts I would use CA alone, usually gel because it gives a better bond. However, make sure the etch is dry and free from grease to get the best bond, and do experiment because some CAs are better than others when it comes to etch. TET, varnish, etc will not give a satisfactory bond because they do not bond into the surface. With TET the melted plastic will initially grab the part, but will dry harder and harder over time. Eventually the part will ping off, even under paintbrush pressure. Better to use the right glue in the first place.
For bending parts I’ve never owned nor used one of those fancy expensive bending tools. When I started using the stuff they were not available, so I invested in a pair of high quality box jointed fine nosed smooth jawed and round nosed pliers (mine are lindstrom) and make ninety nine percent of my bends with them. They were expensive, but are a long term purchase. For long straight bends I just use one or two good quality steel rulers and the bench. My pliers are well over thirty years old now, by the way, and I expect them to see me out, but I do treat them with respect and use them purely for modelling. Buy a cheap pair of needle nosed pliers for rough stuff around the house….
However, all etch is not created equal, and some parts are far better left in plastic, so assess what you use as you build….box structures are an example. The vast majority of etch boxes simply look wrong when folded because the designers are lazy. To work properly the sides should overlap the ends, so the corners “work”. Most designers just draw the sides and ends out from the base without taking this into account. The resulting etch boxes look for all the world like octagons with four long sides and four really short side. It’s a shape far better made from plastic….. Handrails also look better when made from appropriate gauged wire rather than etch. They are round, not flat, and flat handrails just look wrong…
