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how do you hold small/tiny parts when they need to be sanded?


DD_Crash

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My very old and very rubbish Bismarck kit has lots of tiny guns that have flash that needs removing. What is the best method?

Thanks in advance.

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First off, I mostly use Swiss-pattern needle files for cleaning up and shaping parts. As these are small (1.5mm thick x 5mm wide x 70mm cutting length also 1.2mm x 3mm x 50mm), they are easier to wield in close combat. They're also easier on my fingers when I'm holding those itty bitty parts in my fat fingers and end up filing both part and finger.

 

For larger parts, I have a some vises that can be useful, more for a solid hold than for the really small parts.

tools3.jpg

The left tool is a standard PanaVise; this is a vise head mounted in a vacuum-base ball mount. I frequently use this to saw resin parts from their pour plugs.

The middle is a vise for odd-shaped parts modified to mount in the PanaVise base.

The right is good for disc-shaped objects, but less so for model wheels with their rounded sidewalls.

 

HTH

-- 

dnl

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I use a set of parallel faced locking pliers lined with cork.

 

As has been said first class abrasives also help a lot, I use Valorbe files, (various cuts as needed) exclusively for this and any other filing task.

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47 minutes ago, dromia said:

As has been said first class abrasives also help a lot, I use Valorbe files, (various cuts as needed) exclusively for this and any other filing task.

I use those too, they are indeed first class. While not cheap, they are so very much better than "hobby" files. 6-cut files will produce a perfectly smooth surface

My most-used files are equaling, crossing, round, and square.

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