Start Making Your Models Stand out with Photo-Etch
Transcript*
Intro
Hello all. This is David from Sunward Hobbies and today I’m going to show you how to tie a tie. Let’s get started. So, first you you do. Let me show you how to work with photo-etch. Let’s go.
What is Photo Etch?
So photo-etch is essentially razor thin sheets of metal used to add intricate and minute details to your models. Uh they can be added onto a variety of subjects such as tanks, planes, ships, cars, just about everything. They uh are basically designed to add further detail to your models. They can be used um as like um folded up boxes, uh ammunition, uh instrument panels, whole variety of things. Now, many people are a little intimidated by these. And when I first started off, I was one of them. In fact, I I used to hate photo-etch and now I absolutely love it. So, uh, allow me to show you how to properly work with these.
Tools Needed
So, as you could see, I’ve got some Eduard photo-etch and these guys are basically the leaders in this industry. So, I’ve got that ready. Some tools you’re going to need are a hobby knife, but most specifically one with this curved broad blade on it. I’ll explain why in a moment. You will need a photo-etch bender here. I’ve got the small master tools one. If you were doing something like lawn ship railings, then you would need a larger one, but this suits my needs just fine. You will need some CA glue to attach it onto whatever it is the photo-etch will be going on. And the last thing you will need is basically a strong metal surface to cut the photo-etch on. Uh don’t cut it over plastic or wood. It’s got to be metal. And I will show you why in a minute.
How to Remove/Cut Photo Etch
Some people may use scissors or specially made sprue cutters to remove these. I do not like using those at all. I will basically show you my method for removing photo-etch. You’ve got these tiny little I guess you can call them sprues that connect to the fret and photo-etch because it is a very thin sheet of metal. It is very flimsy and can bend really easy. So this is where your metal surface comes in and your curved hobby blade. What you want to do, put your blade up to where the photo-etch part meets the sprue and just press.
Because you’re on a metal surface, nothing will bend. And there you go. You’ve removed the photo-etch fret or photo-etch piece. Very clean. Now, you might still have a little bit of sprue left over on there, but you can take a metal file and just sand that off. Now, I’m going to show you how to bend photo-etch.
How to Bend Photo Etch
I kind of glazed over this in the advanced tools video I did not long ago, but uh I mean, it doesn’t hurt to explain it all over again, right? So, you’ll notice this side of the photo-etch is just plain. Nothing on there except that little etching right there. But if you flip it over, you’ll see all these lines here. This indicates that these areas can be bent in this direction.
So you want to bend towards the side where the lines are, not the other side. So here is your photo-etch bender. You unscrew this to open it up. You place the photo edge here. You try to align it with the line. And you want to give it a little bit of space. As you can see, you you see the line there and a little bit of space here. Now, you can take tweezers, uh, anything flat and metal really.
So, I’ve got a regular hobby knife here. Want to place it underneath. Yeah. I notice and push it up. So, as you see, that’s one piece bent. So, I’m just going to quickly bend everything else and we’ll move on to the next step.
Adding CA Glue
So, I’ve got the box all folded up. Now, as you can see, folded up photo-etch doesn’t tend to close up that nicely on its own. So, in this case, you want to take some CA glue and apply a very small amount. and just close that up. And within a few minutes, that should be completely enclosed and ready to go. I’ve got this Spitfire wing here as a guinea pig to attach this photo-etch to. So, you’re going to want to again take your CA glue, get a small amount.
Now, you can either apply the glue to where it’s going or to the photo-etch itself. That’s your preference. To uh to make less of a mess, I prefer to put the glue where the photo edge will be going. So, now the glue is on there. And here comes the photo-etch. And that’s on there. Now, again, I mentioned in the advanced tools video that you can’t use plastic cement with photo-etch. It won’t do anything. So, it has to be CA glue.
How to Roll Photo Etch
And that’s pretty much 95% of how photo etch works. But I do want to show you one more trick. How to roll photo etch. So this tactic is used for like uh you know how some machine guns have those holes in the barrel? Well, that’s impossible to achieve fully with plastic, which is why you got to do it with photo etch. So, I’ve got this sheet here with nice little holes in it, and we’re going to roll it up to resemble a machine gun barrel.
Now, depending on the desired diameter of this cylinder that you’re going to create to roll it, I mean, ideally, you could use a specially made photo-etch rolling set, but uh we are out of stock on those. Sorry. But what I like to use is either a toothpick or you can take uh a cotton swab and trim off the actual cotton buds. Or if it’s really small, you could even use a pin. But uh this should suffice for what I’m doing here. So you’re going to put it right in the middle over your photo edge. And you can take tweezers or your hobby knife and lift.
David’s Conclusion
You just need to lift it a little enough for your fingers to fit under there. The table is not exactly the most even surface, so this is a little tricky, but I’ve got it I’ve got it wrapped around the Q-tip and I’m basically just pressing it into there. So, this was a little too big, but I can just continue pressing. And there you go. Now, you can roll your own. Smoke them if you got them. And that’s it really. As long as you know how to properly use photo-etch, it can make all the difference.
Can add some great detail to your model as well as make some of the surfaces more true to scale. Nothing scary about it. I mean, the only scary thing about photo-etch is having a tiny piece and you’re really into your work and then it just drops onto the floor and you never find it again. I mean, I still have bad dreams about that, but okay, let’s wrap this up. In conclusion, photo edge is great. Uh, you can get some at Sunward Hobbies in store and online. Thank you very much for watching. Remember to like, comment, subscribe, follow us on our socials, and until the next one, adios.
Oh, where is it? Where is it?
About the Author:
David Peckam has built scale models since he was 12, specializing largely on military aircraft. He is a makeup artist and background actor for films and TV. He enjoys watching hockey and of course, movies. He has an excellent knowledge of hobby products and if you have questions concerning scale model airplanes.
*Video by David Peckham
Video Edited by Daniela Castellano
Transcript generated by youtube
Edited by Angelo Castellano
French