ET Model Fine Craft Saws (T-024)

[Mike]

Fine Craft Saws (T-024)
ET Model

This set of Photo-Etch (PE) saws are designed to be used in circumstances where a fine cut line is required, and the subject matter is somewhat delicate. There are five saws and one scribing tool included in the set, which arrives in ET Model's familiar thick polythene bag with green header card and black backing.

The thick fret of PE is 0.2mm and nickel plated for good-looks, with a core of some kind of ferric metal, as it is vaguely attracted to magnets, lending them to use with a magnetic tool rack if you're inclined. Once removed from the fret using some PE scissors or a sharp blade, the larger straight-bladed saws need to have their tops folded over, which doesn't require any fancy PE bender and can be done with your hands. I glued the flaps down with CA to give them a bit more rigidity, but you may not want to. You will probably want to file down the PE attachment gates, as they are sharp and could do you a mischief if you slip or press too hard on them. A diamond grit micro-file makes short work of them, with a sanding stick taking a little longer due to the strength of the metal compared to brass. Each saw has a line of recesses in the "handle" that will improve your grip in use, and the folded over section will prevent that annoying kink that can happen with PE saws when you apply too much pressure or meet an unexpected obstacle. Where the large saws are folded results in a line of small rectangular blocks along the spine that are just a little bit sharp, which can be made safer with a quick brush of a coarse sanding sponge to round over the edges.

The two larger blades are straight with one cutting surface that would be useful for cutting casting blocks off resin parts or similar jobs. The three curved saws have teeth on the top and bottom surfaces of their sickle-shaped blades, allowing you to cut in the convex or concave. These can be useful to restore panel lines to cylindrical objects such as missiles or fuselages, being careful not to bite too deep. The remaining blade is a simple scribing tool that should have some usefulness, especially if you haven't previously owned such a thing. It is a little short and wide for some uses, but it will come in handy I'm sure.

The teeth are fine, so the cut is commensurately slow, but clean. If you approach the task like it will be over in a flash you'll quickly become disheartened, but that isn't the point. They are precision tools that demand patience with a result that rewards those able to persevere.

Conclusion
A handy part of the modeller's tool kit that will doubtless get used more frequently than you'd think. ET Models are currently looking for a new UK Distributor at time of writing, but you can find their sets on eBay, and from some of the vendors in the Far East, but we'll keep you informed and update you when they have this resolved.

Recommended.

Review Sample courtesy of

[Stalker6Recon]

I am working on a pair of AH-6J's in 1/48 from academy. Anyone who has built these, knows I will say next.

 

The doors front and rear are molded in place, probably because the width is needed for structural integrity.

 

For the AH-6J, these doors need to be removed. I don't have a lot of options for tools and kits where I live in the Philippines but I did buy a set of saws from another brand.

 

Anyways, the first door I removed via a needle in my exacto handle, scouring over and over again. Worked good. Then I tried my saws. Even though its thin, I found it was still too thick, making it hard to cut along the gentle curves of the door frame. Plus, if the blades go caught up, the resulting flex nearly broke the pillar completely. This is when I stopped and grabbed my sewing needle again.

 

Maybe those with more experience can use these for finer detail cuts like those of the AH-6J, but I will probably save these for resin parts and the occasional straight cut on styrene.

 

Hope that helps others from making the near fatal mistakes that I made. Nice review as well.

 

Anthony