Photo Etch Bender

[John Allen]

Please advise which bender is suitable for most jobs keeping in mind cost. Do not want to spend $ 100.00 when I can use a less expensive bender that will do most jobs. (I just butchered 2 hangers for the torpedo to the USS Picket Boat.)

 

Help an old man out whos getting long in the tooth.

 

John allen

[Jack12477]

John, I recommend The Bug  Hold and Fold by The Small Shop, inexpensive,, easy to use,, works well with PE brass.  I have one and used it a lot.

[Landlubber Mike]

Agree with Jack - it's what I have been using and I really like it.  Well made, and very versatile.  I have one of their larger hold and folds but haven't had the need to break it out yet.

[BobG]

1 hour ago, Jack12477 said:

I recommend The Bug  

 

1 hour ago, Landlubber Mike said:

Agree with Jack

 

That looks like a good photo etch bender. I'm going to order one.

 

I noticed they also have Photo Etch Cut Off Sets for cutting out the photo etch parts. Do either of you use anything like this or do you just use some sharp, photo etch cutting pliers?

Edited November 9, 2021 by BobG

[Jack12477]

I just use the plastic/acrylic holder they make and a single sided razor blade like the one in their photo.

Edited November 9, 2021 by Jack12477

[John Allen]

Thanks all, bug it is

John

[Landlubber Mike]

17 hours ago, BobG said:

 

 

That looks like a good photo etch bender. I'm going to order one.

 

I noticed they also have Photo Etch Cut Off Sets for cutting out the photo etch parts. Do either of you use anything like this or do you just use some sharp, photo etch cutting pliers?

 

I have their large PE cut off set and really like it.  The black acetate really helps to set off the color of the brass PE, making it easier to locate cut-off tabs and find pieces that might have moved.  

 

Those plastic hold downs can be helpful as well.  I stopped using them on my 1/700 scale model because the PE was too thin and I found it did more harm than good.  I ended up just using the tip of my finger to hold the PE in place.  You definitely want to hold the parts down as they can ping off the fret when the last cut-off tab is cut - has happened to me more times than I care to admit!  I similarly mostly use my fingers on my 1/350 PE, but have on occasion used the hold downs.

 

I think I mentioned earlier that I have one of the larger PE benders as well.  I have a few larger kits (1/72 Snowberry and the 1/200 Bismarck) and some of the PE looked like it was on the larger side so to be safe, I picked it up.  Thus far for me, the Bug has worked for all my PE needs.  You probably could just get one of the larger sets and call it a day as it looks like it has some of the smaller bending fingers like the Bug, but I think it's nice to have both the Bug and a larger one as the Bug doesn't take up much room on the bench. 

 

All in all, I really like the Small Shop products.  I have their rolling set (very helpful when you need to roll PE into cylinders) and their Wrangler, which I think I've only used once.  Do you "need" these products?  I would say that with most things in modeling, there are multiple ways of accomplishing the same result.  These products though are very well designed and make it much easier.

 

Hope that helps!

[Jack12477]

@John Allen you might want to order their Small Cut-Off set to go with the Bug. It's a 8x10 sheet of plexiglass and acrylic holder. Works very well for cutting PE loose from sheet and the holder keeps it from flying off into never-never land

[Landlubber Mike]

Two other tools that might be handy are the Tamiya PE bending pliers.  There is a small one and a larger one:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-Tools-Bending-Pliers-Photo/dp/B001HBJ2YG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=tamiya+pe+pliers&qid=1636555835&sr=8-1

 

https://www.amazon.com/TAMIYA-America-Bending-Pliers-Photo-TAM74067/dp/B01LX200XY/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=tamiya+pe+pliers&qid=1636555835&sr=8-2

 

You can use these to bend PE and they do a good job.  I used them a lot on my 1/700 build since the PE was so small and thin I didn't think it was as critical to get 90 degree bends.  On my 1/350 build, I almost exclusive use the Bug to get the bends going, and sometimes, like with box-type shapes, will use the small Tamiya pliers to finalize the bends since they have more surface area than tweezers.

 

Where these pliers really help, especially the long one, is where a piece of PE gets twisted or is otherwise no longer flat and needs to be.  This could happen on fret removal, mistake in construction, the PE fell on the ground and in looking for it you accidentally stepped on it (yes, has happened to me a couple of times), etc.  Put the piece in the pliers and you can get the piece flattened out.

[BobG]

I watched a video about working with photo etch and the reviewer used the Tamiya Diamond file to clean up the photo etch after cutting it out and he recommended it. I don't have any diamond files since I'm working with wood 90% of the time. Anyone using diamond files?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-Diamond-Photo-Etched-Parts/dp/B000E7ONQQ/ref=pd_ybh_a_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6A0MX74A51P7BF0HQXMR

[Landlubber Mike]

22 hours ago, BobG said:

I watched a video about working with photo etch and the reviewer used the Tamiya Diamond file to clean up the photo etch after cutting it out and he recommended it. I don't have any diamond files since I'm working with wood 90% of the time. Anyone using diamond files?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-Diamond-Photo-Etched-Parts/dp/B000E7ONQQ/ref=pd_ybh_a_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6A0MX74A51P7BF0HQXMR

 

I have this, but haven't used it much.  I usually just try to cut the tabs as closely as possible, or use the knife to trim off any extras.  I found that at 1/700 scale, attempts to clean up parts could do more harm than good given the thin brass.  For 1/350 maybe a little less risk, but you have to ask yourself if you will be able to see the little tab, and weigh the risk of cleanup versus the risk of ruining the part or even losing it if it happens to ping off the tweezers.  One place I found, however, that you want to remove the tabs is when building box-type structures as tabs will interfere with having clean joins.

[Jack12477]

I only have metal files, no diamond files. For the PE I just used a strip of 400-600 grit Emery paper glued to a Popsicle stick to smooth rough edges.