RB Productions Photo-Etched Pico Saws

[Mike]

Pico Saws
RB Productions

We've seen razor saws before, and even Photo-Etch (PE) razor saws, but these Peco-Saws reduce both the size of the teeth, as well as the projection of the blade in order to saw very small things and in very tight spaces.

The little Fret of nickel or stainless steel contains four blades that are attached by four part-etched "gates". To use the blades you need to cut these off, which is best done with a pair of PE scissors, although it can be accomplished by pressure on a hard surface with a curved blade. Just be careful not to fatigue the blade in case it flies off, or slips. Once removed from the fret the blade can be fitted as-is into the jaws of an X-Acto style handle, or you can bend it along a fold-line that is etched in, flexing it back and forth until it snaps off. This allows you to mount the blade in a pin-vice chuck if you don't have (or don't like) X-Acto handles. As it happens, I have a few spares lying around the workshop, so I've mounted a blade in the shaft of that. You have to nip it up nice and tight, as both of my handles will give the impression they are closed about half a turn before they clamp the blade firmly enough.

In practice they are simple to use, and cut quickly as long as you don't try and force the blade to cut quicker than it should. The cut is very fine, and is barely any wider than the 0.1mm of the blade itself, so very little (if any) making good of length will be needed after the cut. As well as the curved saw on one side, the backside of the blade is also lined with etched teeth, so it can be used inverted to prolong its usefulness. Its short length is great for tight spaces, and I can see plenty of uses for it in the future. The metal is strong, but if you force it you will end up bending it, and if you drop it on the floor like I did, it will definitely bend. I wish I hadn't done that, but that's one of the X-acto handle's main faults – it rolls on anything other than a flat surface. Tape or glue a piece of styrene rod to one side to avoid that sort of thing.

Conclusion
Radu is good at adding tools to the modeller's arsenal, and this is one that will come in useful time after time. A small instruction sheet that accompanies the set removes any queries on usage, and at €4 a set, they won't exactly break the bank.

Very highly recommended.

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