Heather Kay, the only person I know, with two pairs (at least) of hands...….
Unless you've borrowed one of dearly beloved's..... ?
Hi thanks for that summary - in this instance my milage does vary. I must have a softer cutting mat as I find the etched components can distort a bit. Although it's usually the 2mmFS etches which are often paper thin anyway. I just use a bit of scrap etch underneath when cutting out with the scalpel.I find the standard self-healing cutting mat good enough to use knives and scalpels against when cutting parts out. Your mileage may vary, of course.
I love it when a thread wanders off course!
For what it’s worth, and basically reiterating what the others have said, I use different tools depending on the job. Here’s my current armoury:
View attachment 117831
I, perhaps heretically, will say that I find the Xuron snips singularly hopeless. Unless used with extreme care, more often than not the cut will fail, with the component flipping up and between the blades. I tend to avoid them when I can. The end cutters are used to snip back long tags on thicker etch material, once extricated from the fret, where other snips can’t get to it without bending or distorting the material.
View attachment 117832
This is a pretty standard brass etch fret from our own David J Parkins. It comes from his Flightpath range of 1/72nd scale vehicle kits. This one will, one day, when I think my eyesight can stand it, be a Humber general service truck. With the parts economically and tightly packed on the fret, the safest option is a reasonably new No10 blade which can be rocked across the tag, close to the required component's edge, to break through the very thin material. If necessary, tags can be carefully trimmed back with the Fiskars scissors once the part is free.
View attachment 117833
I'm not sure what they make their blades from, but this pair of Fiskars scissors has been through about five brass and nickel-silver kits and are still keen. In this case, I’m using them to free the component from the etch, snipping away from the part as there is a healthy gap to get the scissors into. Sometimes, it’s necessary to attack - as Mick said - from outside the fret and cut through the supporting material before you can free the part you want. On hefty etches, that’s where the Draper snips come in. If the tags are thin enough, the Stanley knife will do the job well enough.
I find the standard self-healing cutting mat good enough to use knives and scalpels against when cutting parts out. Your mileage may vary, of course.
View attachment 117834
Here, I’m using the Fiskars again, this time aligning the blades with the edge of the part to trim back the remains of the tag. On this thick etch material, I’ll finish with a file, as there’s also a nice cusp to be dealt with. Small scissors like this can’t always deal with tags in awkward places, such as concave edges. In such case, if a knife can’t deal with it, I have to find a way to support the part and carefully file the tag away. The short length of the Fiskars blades also cause problems with leverage, where it isn’t always possible to snip off something using the extreme end. My generally weak and feeble fingers and thumbs don’t help there, either.
I hope that’s of interest. Like many of us, I’ve picked up tools and techniques as I’ve developed skills with kit building. Every modeller has techniques they like to use, and those above are just mine. I never profess to being an expert.
I love it when a thread wanders off course!
For what it’s worth, and basically reiterating what the others have said, I use different tools depending on the job. Here’s my current armoury:
View attachment 117831
I, perhaps heretically, will say that I find the Xuron snips singularly hopeless. Unless used with extreme care, more often than not the cut will fail, with the component flipping up and between the blades. I tend to avoid them when I can. The end cutters are used to snip back long tags on thicker etch material, once extricated from the fret, where other snips can’t get to it without bending or distorting the material.
View attachment 117832
This is a pretty standard brass etch fret from our own David J Parkins. It comes from his Flightpath range of 1/72nd scale vehicle kits. This one will, one day, when I think my eyesight can stand it, be a Humber general service truck. With the parts economically and tightly packed on the fret, the safest option is a reasonably new No10 blade which can be rocked across the tag, close to the required component's edge, to break through the very thin material. If necessary, tags can be carefully trimmed back with the Fiskars scissors once the part is free.
View attachment 117833
I'm not sure what they make their blades from, but this pair of Fiskars scissors has been through about five brass and nickel-silver kits and are still keen. In this case, I’m using them to free the component from the etch, snipping away from the part as there is a healthy gap to get the scissors into. Sometimes, it’s necessary to attack - as Mick said - from outside the fret and cut through the supporting material before you can free the part you want. On hefty etches, that’s where the Draper snips come in. If the tags are thin enough, the Stanley knife will do the job well enough.
I find the standard self-healing cutting mat good enough to use knives and scalpels against when cutting parts out. Your mileage may vary, of course.
View attachment 117834
Here, I’m using the Fiskars again, this time aligning the blades with the edge of the part to trim back the remains of the tag. On this thick etch material, I’ll finish with a file, as there’s also a nice cusp to be dealt with. Small scissors like this can’t always deal with tags in awkward places, such as concave edges. In such case, if a knife can’t deal with it, I have to find a way to support the part and carefully file the tag away. The short length of the Fiskars blades also cause problems with leverage, where it isn’t always possible to snip off something using the extreme end. My generally weak and feeble fingers and thumbs don’t help there, either.
I hope that’s of interest. Like many of us, I’ve picked up tools and techniques as I’ve developed skills with kit building. Every modeller has techniques they like to use, and those above are just mine. I never profess to being an expert.
Sorry, I'm a bit late to this party, but can I add that if it's possible I use a fine tooth razor saw to cut as many tabs as I can, it makes cleaning up quite a bit easier and no distortion if the piece being removed is held firmly on a flat surface.
Coming along nicely, Heather!
Just my Tuppence worth in the 'etch cutting'- I use a pair of toenail clippers, as shown. Very tough and good leverage. Slim as well. Only problem, I can't remember where I bought them!
View attachment 117955 View attachment 117956
Regards, Deano
No problem, Jonte. It’s one of the nice things about WT, that members are happy to share and learn from each other.
View attachment 117882
A classic lash-up, with cocktail sticks to hold the crossheads to the conn rods and no slidebars! Yet, it proves the point that once properly set up this will run as expected. I won’t say "well" just yet, because we all know what I’m capable of!
I spent some time making scrap etch shims to ensure the cylinder block is a good tight fit without any chance of moving about. The next job will be to fit the slidebars, work out the location of and fit the motion bracket support, and the lower motion brackets. Before that, I think it might be prudent to begin construction of the upper works so the top half of the motion bracket can be aligned with the lower part.
It's taken a while to get here, but it feels like progress.
RCTS Part 9 indicates 4567 had outside steam pipes from the start.