for Radu: what to use to cut RB Prods 109 grills from the fret?

[nmayhew]

they are made of some soft steel or something and my knife on hobby mat which works for every other PE I have used is a no go

 

what do you / people suggest?

 

i ended up not using them because i just became too frustrated at trying to remove them, but since they are quite nice, I'd like to know for next time

 

thanks

 

nick

[Lothar]

These work for me for years now - I've also used them on RB parts:

Etched parts cutter

 

Lothar

[nmayhew]

thank you both 

 

amusing and helpful in equal measure 

[Radub]

4 hours ago, nmayhew said:

they are made of some soft steel or something and my knife on hobby mat which works for every other PE I have used is a no go

 

what do you / people suggest?

 

i ended up not using them because i just became too frustrated at trying to remove them, but since they are quite nice, I'd like to know for next time

 

thanks

 

nick

 

Hi Nick,

The parts are made from stainless steel. Steel is harder than brass. If you wish to use a knife, use a curved blade and place the part on a relatively rigid surface. I have an old piece of perspex for that. A cutting may is too soft and it will "give" enough under the pressure of the blade to cause the part to bend rather than separate. 

Also, sometimes I use a scissors - I cut through the supporting frame and then through the tab.

I hope this helps,

Radu

Edited November 2, 2019 by Radub

[LSP_Ron]

I use a rounded blade scalpel on an old 1/4" thick piece of glass.

[LSP_Kevin]

The single-best tool I have for working with photo-etch is Xuron's 9180ET scissors, designed for cutting PE:

 

 

 

They turned removing PE parts from their fret from a tedious nightmare to a breeze. These photos are from my review:

 

https://www.largescaleplanes.com/reviews/review.php?rid=1444

 

And their product page:

 

https://xuron.com/index.php/main/consumer_products/4/80

 

They're expensive, but worth every cent, and I won't touch PE without them.

 

Kev

[chrish]

Big +1

[Wegener]

I cut stainless steel etch as Radu describes, either on a ceramic tile or some other stiff - but not harder than steel - surface (old CDs work too).  The cut is then cleaned up with a fine sanding stick.

[LSP_K2]

1 hour ago, Jennings Heilig said:

Not sure what Xuron charges for them, but you an get iris scissors pretty cheaply.

 

If it has the word hobby attached, probably twice what it should be.

[LSP_Ray]

I typically use the same method as Radu for all PE, be it brass or steel, but I also sometimes use the Xuron cutters, which work really well, too.

[scimitarf1]

Tamiya also make a very nice pair of scissors that are curved so good removing any of the fret attachment points that escaped the initial cut. 

Will

[nmayhew]

thanks guys for all the responses

 

very helpful

[LSP_Mike]

I discovered some years ago that they throw away the scissors and tweezers when you get stiches(sutures)

I use those since I've acquired a few sets. Work good. Chisel tip xacto works good too, on plex.

[thierry laurent]

I'm using a combination of Tamiya scissors and surgery ones.