Sunna Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 I have come back to this hobby recently after a long hiatus and one of the things that I have discovered is photo etch parts. When I was building kits years ago, this wasn't heard of. At least by me anyway. I took an interest and bought some for a U boat model I was building. I had mixed results. The bits I did manage to fit looked great and added so much detail, but I struggled with other pieces and couldn't form them correctly or get them to fit neatly. As I am now tackling more and more random kits I am getting more interested in buying after market photo etch to make the kits stand out a bit more. This is when I noticed that you can get p.e. bending tools. These vary from £20 to around £70-£80. I was wondering if any of you have used these and if so, are they are worth it? Is it better to buy an expensive tool or will cheap and nasty do the job? Maybe they are a complete waste of money and you just use a straight edge. Also I was wondering about gentle bending of large pieces (like the flood holes in the U boat kit) Do you anneal the p.e. in order to make it more giving? Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 They are good for the larger bends and keep things straight while bending. I have one and don't use it that much as I'm 1/48 mostly. What I would advise is get the larger bending tool as you can still bend the smaller bits with that without wishing you'd gone for the larger one when you need to it 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntPhillips Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 To answer both questions, I would suggest a bending tool is invaluable, particularly if making box structures or crane jibs etc. as Colin already mentioned I would get the biggest that you can afford, I also use a pair of flat nose pliers that have no internal serrations, these are again invaluable and can be bought fairly cheaply. With regards to annealing, in my experience, for pieces that just just require a simple straight bend there is no need to do this, but if you have a piece that needs a subtle compound curve or even just rolling in to a circular section, annealing the part just makes the brass so much more pliable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Hewitt Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 I agree with the above, there some etching that needs a bending tool ,I don't use it alot ,but there has been etching that would have been ruined without the bending tool,there is two types,a small one and large one I would go for the large one ,they use cost a fortune,not any more,I bought one for only £35 at a show. Look for Mastertool . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pin Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 I have fold&hold 5 speed etch bending tool. Definitely very helpful when dealing with delicate parts 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunna Posted November 12, 2020 Author Share Posted November 12, 2020 1 hour ago, Chris Hewitt said: I agree with the above, there some etching that needs a bending tool ,I don't use it alot ,but there has been etching that would have been ruined without the bending tool,there is two types,a small one and large one I would go for the large one ,they use cost a fortune,not any more,I bought one for only £35 at a show. Look for Mastertool . Good to know that you can get them for around £30, as all the ones so far that I can find are a good bit more than that. I don't mind spending but am a bit loathe to spend lots on something I won't use much. I will shop around. Cheers for that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 I swear by the little RB Tools bending tool, very neat and simple to use. I also have one of those costly Hold and Fold tools but rarely use it. I used to anneal stuff until we got rid of our gas hob. Now I just bend it very carefully 😊 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 17 minutes ago, Alan P said: I used to anneal stuff until we got rid of our gas hob. Now I just bend it very carefully I just use a cigarillo lighter, playing it over the surface until it's discoloured. You have to be very careful not to evaporate very thin parts though, as that can happen. You'd have to prize my gas hob out of my cold dead worktop, although I'dd be interested in trying an induction hob sometime. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 22 minutes ago, Mike said: I'dd be interested in trying an induction hob sometime. It's possible I suppose 😂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Just now, Alan P said: It's possible I suppose 😂 It's new(ish) technology - I can't help it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dnl42 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 I like The Small Shop's The Bug Hold and Fold for most PE. They have larger units that may be better suited to ships. I've also found their rolling sets to be very useful. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 On 11/12/2020 at 2:31 PM, Mike said: I just use a cigarillo lighter, playing it over the surface until it's discoloured. You have to be very careful not to evaporate very thin parts though, as that can happen. You'd have to prize my gas hob out of my cold dead worktop, although I'dd be interested in trying an induction hob sometime. Induction hob won't pick up a part that small Mike, and has to be ferrous material anyway 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadway Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 The delights of photo etch await me, but I did find this on youtube which went into dealing with photo etch without going into folding. It would be interesting to hear what people think of his methods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 4 hours ago, colin said: Induction hob won't pick up a part that small Mike, and has to be ferrous material anyway I meant for cooking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 4 hours ago, Mike said: I meant for cooking Now were a modelling site how was I supposed to know that, but you'll miss your gas hob for annealing the bigger etch though 😄 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinnerboy Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 yep, very useful tools, have a small "bug" and a larger 5" which I use the most. Don't tend to anneal straight folds as I've found it can make the metal a little too soft and so is easy to deform inadvertently, however, as Ant said, essential for curves gun jackets etc. Induction hobs are brilliant! so much better than gas...for cooking of course 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 20 minutes ago, sinnerboy said: Induction hobs are brilliant! so much better than gas...for cooking of course They seem fancy, but you can only use ferric metal pans I guess. What're they like for energy use? Do they sip the electrickery, or gulp it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sinnerboy Posted November 14, 2020 Share Posted November 14, 2020 very efficient in terms of power consumption in normal use, plus if you use the boost function you can boil a pan of cold water in about a minute. Much easier to adjust temperature than gas, can't leave on accidently and also cool to touch apart from right next to the pan.. That said, they are pricey to buy. When we had our kitchen renewed Adolph wanted one as no buttons, nooks and crannies so easy to clean. I wanted gas....she won! but i was blown away by it, it was that good, yes you do need Ferrous pans and wok cooking is not as good. We've since move and now have gas again ( big Range so too expensive to renew the whole thing for an induction range ) but I do miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torbjorn Posted November 15, 2020 Share Posted November 15, 2020 Induction stoves are standard issue here, you’ll struggle to find a (new) home without it nowadays. And for good reason, can’t recommend it enough. For cooking that is, annealing PE is difficult 😕 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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