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PE Tool Suggestion


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I'm getting into some PE projects to gain some positive experience. I'm building 40mm Bofors quads by Veterans Models.

Even though I have a good selection of tweezers, I wonder if you folks with experience with the tiny stuff have anything

special you find helps handling very small parts without going crazy.

Thanks, Harley 

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Cut a flat angle in the end of a toothpick and lick it. This works well for parts that are a bit small for tweezers.

 

Use one or two tiny drops of PVA glue to position the part, allow to dry for a few minutes, then apply CA glue. A sewing needle with the end of the eye ground off, held in an Xacto handle, makes neat work of applying a small amount of CA.

 

Danny

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Dan’s needle idea works great. 

What I’d like to know is where to get “really great quality” tools.  Most of the online suppliers offer good stuff but not great stuff. For example the tweasers you get from most of them are good but not great. I’m sure a great pair from a good jewelry supply store would cost more but I’d like to have choice to buy great products.....Moab/Allan

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Ken beat me to mentioning UMM-USA.  John was a vendor at the NRG's St. Louis Conference and his tables were always crowded and doing a brisk business.  I have a whole bunch of his tweezers - g\very good quality at a good price.  His tools are all of good quality and he has a bunch related to photo etch bending and handling.

Kurt

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  • 2 months later...

Good sources of quality tools are medical and dental supply houses. Many jeweler's supply houses do carry good stuff, as well, but at a seriously high price. eBay can also be a promising hunting ground, if you know what to look for. Outfits like Micro-Mark have many hard-to-find tools, but sometimes at hugely inflated prices (wait for their sales) and often at a much lower quality. For example, MicroMark sells a cheaply made pair of 6" proportional dividers made by Tasco for around $100, or as low as around $60 on sale, but you can often find a cased 10" German silver Keuffel and Esser "Paragon" model with rack and pinion adjustment (their top of the line) on eBay for the same price, and seven and a half inch dividers of similar professional quality for much less. Notably, the K&E Paragon model 10" dividers have "universal decimal scaling," accurate to, IIRC, .005 using its Vernier scale adjustment.

 

Micro Mark 6" chromed steel:

 

14129_R-1.jpg

 

Keuffel and Esser "Paragon" 10" proportional dividers:

 

post-184-0-44114500-1386635355.jpg

 

 

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I will second Bob's comments.  The Dumont tweezers are beyond compare.  You can keep them sharpened on a stone when necessary and every time I buy one of the cheaper versions I am always disappointed.  They can be bought on ebay for fairly competitive prices.

 

Bob Cleek also mentioned the Proportional Dividers with rack and pinion which are also available on ebay for very reasonable prices at times.  I find myself reaching for these constantly to transfer dimensions for different plans which are not drawn to the same scale.

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  • 2 months later...

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