Beardie Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 After having lost several small bits of Eduard PE in a current build I was wondering if anyone has a foolproof way of handling the teeny tiny bits such as the little PE switch knobs for Instrument panels etc. I find that they are so small that the CA tends to get drawn up into the tweezers more often than not and sticks the part to them way easier than it sticks them to the model and, if this doesn't happen the part usually pings out of the tweezers to instantly disappear into the ether. I do wish Eduard would put a number of extras of these tiny parts on their frets for the cack handed like me to be able to have a fair chance of getting one in place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bangor Lad Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I use what I suppose you'd describe as wax pencils.I bought some from a local craft store which described them as rhinestone pickers. The 'wax' is firm but slightly tacky with enough grab to hold small PE parts until the CA takes hold. They're just like a pencil and can be sharpened into as fine a point as you need. I've only being using them for a couple of weeks and so far so good. Hope this is some help. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Hmm that does sound very intersting, is there a brand name for them? At this point I am willing to try anything as I am getting tired of losing these little fellows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinnerboy Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 http://www.umpretail.com/collections/building/products/ultimate-photo-etch-placer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Needle nosed tweezers, or a cocktail stick with a tiny blob of blutak on, or if you're posh, one of those pick-up pencils... the waxy ones. I must be posh, as I have an Ultimate pencil. The cheap ones are crap... bought three off eBay a while ago, and they were all broken inside, with poorly formed (and glued) wooden shells - they refunded me immediately though. Buy cheap, buy twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Heath Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I have one of the sticky pencils from RB Productions, highly recommended for small PE parts. I also have some plastic tipped tweezers which are also good for some jobs: Hope that helps. Nigel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 (edited) All the responses are much appreciated particulary Mikes' one about the ebay pencils as I was about to buy some as they seemed a steel at a quid including postage for 3. I have a pair of top quality watchmakers/jewellers needle nosed tweezers but even with these the tips are just too close to the glue and tend to wick it up. The wax pencil is a superb idea I wish it had occured to me as this has been a nuisance for as long as I have used photo-etch. I think to myself that these bits are so small that they are pretty much invisible (especially once in place in a zipped up cockpit) but at the same time I have that old syndrome that, should I leave them out now I have them, they will haunt me and the model will never be as detailed is it could've been. Edited March 30, 2015 by Beardie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DannyB Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I have a similar problem, you know, tweezers made by 'Ping'!! I had a jewel picker upper tool (one of these - http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/jewel-picker/567712-1000 ), which was fantastic for a bit but the tip lost it's 'tack' quite quickly and I've never been able to get it sticky again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Has anyone tried the solid wax crayon type ones rather than the pencil type ones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mirageiv Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I usually use a tacky (long cure superglue) cocktail stick to initially position. lost too many etch HUD's with tweezers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 Yup the tweezers just seem to become super springy the smaller the PE. Just received some wax "magic crayons" through the post so going to see how well they work. I like the fact that, being wax, any residue is not a problem when it comes to painting bare PE with my preferred solvent based enamels 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Has anyone tried the solid wax crayon type ones rather than the pencil type ones? Won't they let you have the sharper pencils in there? Go see Lee @ Ultimate Products - they sell a highly capable pencil (or did... I can't see them listed now), and you'll probably want to pick up some sanding sticks and some airbrush thinner, and some airbrush cleaner... Just while you're there, don't you know Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CedB Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Just received some wax "magic crayons" through the post so going to see how well they work. Let us know how you get on Beardie. Are these the Ultimate ones? Mike, 'sinnerboy' posted the link to these http://www.umpretail...oto-etch-placer. They've hidden them on their website in with the sanders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 (edited) Nope it's not those ones. It is ones that I got from a company that do the rhinestones nail art stuff on ebay. They look just like your traditional "Crayola" wax crayons except they are plain clear wax. Five of them cost me £1.75 including the postage. I figured that, with a bigger surface area, I could keep a blunter tipped one for larger bits and use a sharper one for fine pieces. PS Mike they do allow me sharp objects though the wife worries about just how many sharp objects I seem to end up sticking in myself on a regular basis. I try to stay away from specialist model supplies as I spend money I don't have too often. I manufacture my own sanding sticks from various fine grades of finishing Wet/dry paper fixed onto self adhesive cork sheeting or wooden tongue depressors or a combination of both which means I can make them any shape I want and as soft or as hard as I want for pennies. It helps that I just happened to have a roll of self-adhesive cork (meant for making notice boards) and a box of 1000 tongue depressors lying about the house. That is the magpie in me coming out again Edited April 2, 2015 by Beardie 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted April 22, 2015 Author Share Posted April 22, 2015 Just to report I have been using my "magic crayons" for my PE and they have been working very well. They are basically paraffin wax crayons without any colour in them designed for picking up rhinestones for sticking on your fingernails and elsewhere. I suspect that ordinary kiddies crayons will work just as well. The only thing is that, if you are a user of acrylics I would recommend that the PE is thoroughly cleaned with solvent prior to paintings as the wax left on the PE will stop the acrylic adhereing. With enamels this is not a problem as the wax will be dissolved by the thinners and mix harmlessly with the paint. I am now wondering if my old Chinagraph/Hectograph pencils might not be handy as well if I can remember where I put them. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Knight Posted April 23, 2015 Share Posted April 23, 2015 Just to let you know that the wax in the pick-up pencils is bees' wax. If you get yourself a block of that you can make your own pick-up tools for different sized parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardie Posted May 12, 2015 Author Share Posted May 12, 2015 Thanks Fred, I will pick up a stick from the hardware store when I am down in town tomorrow. It had occurred to me that beeswax would be "tackier". The crayon type pickers I have are that cheap candle wax colour and not terribly tacky so I am guessing that they are paraffin wax (serves me right for buying cheap ) Beeswax is used as one of the constituents of a few oil paints (particularly Rowney artists quality paints) so I am guessing it will do no harm when it comes to painting with enamels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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