Tweezer aid

[LSP_K2]

It occurred to me while looking at a photo today that I'd meant to tell you folks about an idea I had years ago, and have been using that idea ever since. I was adding some tiny pre-painted parts to a model using tweezers, but kept scratching/marring the paint.

 

My solution was to plunge the tweezer ends into hot candle wax, let cool, then use the waxed tips to grab the small bits. This also had/has the side benefit of allowing the soft wax to grab the part easier, as the wax is ever so tacky, but not so much as to mar the surface of the part being handled. Once finished, I just slip the wax tips off, and throw them back in with the candle wax that's already melted, for reuse on another day.

[Daywalker]

Damn, fantastic idea Kevin!

 

Thanks for sharing it with us, I will give this one a try.

[DoogsATX]

Very nice!

 

For small parts I've actually turned to small pliers instead of tweezers. Seems to be less slippage (or unplanned cross-garage launches) with the pliers, but that wax tip should work regardless.

[Old Dog]

I've also lined the tips with Tamiya tape. Will give the wax trick a try, thanks for the tip !

[KOTR]

Another possibility is shrink-on tube.

[Nick32]

Great idea Kev, this is going to save me a lot of cussing..

NIck 

[Out2gtcha]

Cool ideeeer K2

 

 

Ill have to give that a go w/my candle I have on the bench for melting/stretching sprue

[NavyMech06]

Has anyone tried Plastidip? or is it too thick?

[LSP_K2]

On 1/30/2015 at 7:40 AM, NavyMech06 said:

Has anyone tried Plastidip? or is it too thick?

 

That's actually not a bad idea at all; I'll have to give that a whirl.

[Shawn M]

i thought about small dia. heat shrink as well

[Gazzas]

Kev,

    Great idea.  I had a piece of PE fly off into the ether yesterday.  Next time, I'll be using the wax!

 

Gaz

[themongoose]

I used liquid electrical tape but i like the wax idea better. The liquid electrical tape is really stringy and makes a bit of a mess, which was unexpected since i was just dipping a fine pair of tweezers into it! It was a fiasco on my modeling bench lol

[blackbetty]

how about using masking fluid?

[Radub]

Notoriously, nothing sticks to wax. This method risks contaminating parts with wax residue in the areas where glue or paint is to be applied. 

In the past I used heat-shrink plastic for electrical cable insulation over the tweezers tips. Just slip it over, heat it and it will settle snugly over the tips. That usually provides a lot of "grip". 

Radu 

[LSP_Matt]

On 12/12/2018 at 12:00 AM, Radub said:

Notoriously, nothing sticks to wax. This method risks contaminating parts with wax residue in the areas where glue or paint is to be applied. 

In the past I used heat-shrink plastic for electrical cable insulation over the tweezers tips. Just slip it over, heat it and it will settle snugly over the tips. That usually provides a lot of "grip". 

Radu 

That sounds like an evolution of the idea.

 

Very nice.

 

Matty