Working with PE Parts

I'm currently working on an Eduard 1/48 Sopwith Triplane -Black Flight, and I've never used PE parts before.

What kind of glue do you use to attach them?

I assume you can paint the PE?

How about the adhesive to attach the parts...does paint adhere to that also?

I'm leaving for a week's vacation tomorrow am, and I'm still trying to figure out what kit to take with me. The Triplane, or the EE Brandenburg W29. ???

TIA.

john ernst

[StephenLawson]

Greetings jernst: I like working with photoetch and its one of the best 'gimmicks' that the model industry has ever introduced. We can thank model railroaders for that. (And the inimitable Harry Woodman!

Use cyanoacrylate - super glue. Gel type gives you more time to position the piece. Thin type will lock down the whole piece very quickly.

I use hobby black ( a mild acid) to patina the surface of bare brass to prep it for painting.

Eduard and Dragon Nickel covered photo etch is another 'gimmick' that gives these pieces strength but I will usually pass these over heat source (candle) to break the temper and give it the surface (no hobby black required here) and bendability I require. It just makes them easier to work with.

Tom's Modelworks bare brass pieces are very thin in profile and don't require a large amount of time in the hobby black to patina it.

The early Eduard bare brass etch metal is usually thicker and requires more time submerged in hobby black.

Prepainted photoetch will require less work. But may not bend as readily

[Mudbug]

This is something I’m dreading as well—I’ve been strictly a plastic and resin guy with a lot of work in *lead and pewter on non-aircraft subjects, but now I’ve got a lot of unbuilt Eduard ProfiPaks staring at me. (Including the Sop Tripe.) *Here are some sites: *

Aircraft Resource Center:
http://www.aircraftresourcecenter.com/TnT_.../Photo_Etch.htm

Dutch Armor Association:
http://www.twenot.nl/photo1.htm

This one’s intended for ship models, but some of the same skills and handling advice applies. *You’ll need Adobe Acrobat for this one: *
http://www.okclive.com/flagship/etch.pdf

There are many more. *Just do a Google/Yahoo search on “photo etch” and see what comes up.

Enamel paint will adhere to PE parts but I doubt acrylics will. *I always prime metal parts--paint covers better and colors truer, but if you're gluing metal to metal, I'd scrape off the primer/paint from the area to be glued for better grip. *If you're doing any shaping (e.g., rolling the jacketed barrel of a Spandau) you should shape the part first, then paint/prime and remember to paint the inside of the barrel which may be visible in larger scales.

Ron

[StephenLawson]

Mudbug: In 1/48 and smaller. I like painting the inside of the Spandau cooling jackets a slate grey to give it some definition from their outer semigloss surfaces of black. Under the topwing in the shadows it give it an almost indescribable but prominant definition.

Stephen L

Amen

Photo etched parts are only a way for the Kit manufacture to raise the price of an enexpensive kit.

Lead foil works just as good. and is easier bto work/bend.

[Scimitar]

Jernst,

Eduard proposes some tips on its site:

http://www.eduard.cz; go to "Info" then go to "How to work with photo-etched parts"

HTH

Greetings from Belgium

Daniel.