AFV Modeller 10-5

7/31/2019 AFV Modeller 10-5

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Basic BrassContinuing our occasional series on techniques we take a

look at working with etched metal detail sets. Love them or

loathe them, these detail sets have revolutionised thehobby and are guaranteed to drive even the most

proficient user insane.

The first rules of working with etchings are

dont expect to use every part on the fret -

som e parts are just imp ossible to bend to

the required shapes and always check that

the part you are about to m ake could not

be m ade m ore quickly and easi ly from

plastic - it is easy to begin trying to fold

everything from f lat sheet when i t isn t

always necessary.

ToolsBasic requirements for wo rking w ith

etched sets are standard m odel l ing tools.

A scalpel, tweezers, dr i l l bi ts and wet and

dry sandpap er and goo d qual i ty fine nosed

pl iers. I was able to f ind a long nosed pair

which are good for bending longer parts.

For a m ore advanced approach you m ay

consider a ho lding too l to help w ith folding

parts and a soldering iron for a m ore

robust assem bly.

To o l c l a s p sThese little clasps consist of just 3 parts

but they encapsulate al l the frustrat ions of

working with etched sets and they can

have you pul l ing your hair out - just when

you think you have them assem bled they

explode into their com ponent parts - oneof which wi l l becom e lost. This step by

step sequenc e should help eliminate these

problem s.

1 Cut the p arts from the fret on a f i rm

surface, scrap plast ic card is good for this

as i t prevents the parts from distort ing. Cut

the sprues as t ight as po ssible and clean

any excess with wet and dry.

2 - 3 Hold the base p late with the pl iers andbend with your f ingers.


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1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8


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4 Fold the handle into a U shape and

locate the p ins on the strap into the

handle. Once they have located , cr im p the

handles together using the p l iers so as to

hold the strap firmly.

5 Flip the strap ba ck so i t rests on the

handle and hook one of the arm s of the

handle onto the pin on the b ase plate.

6 Hook the other arm onto the b ase plate.

7 Crimp the handles together between the

two p ins to secure the hand le f irmly.

8 Flip over the strap and close the clasp.

W o rk i n g t e c h n i q u e s

We assemb led a mudf lap f rom the

awesom e Aber 1:16th Tiger 1 set to

dem onstrate a variety of techniques.

9 The part is tr im m ed a cleaned up with

wet and dry.

1 0 To rol l the hinge along the top ed ge,

dri ll bi ts make a convenient former, com ing

in consecutive sizes. The steppe d edg e of

the folding tool provides a handy supp ort

to push aga inst.

1 1 Once the rol l is roughly form ed the

correct sized hinge pin is inserted and the

rol l is cr im ped around the p in for a snug f it .

1 2 - 1 3 to fold longer edges c an be dif ficul t

with short pliers so a folding tool is used. A

cocktai l st ick is rolled under the part to

push the m etal to the desired angle.

Alternatively a punch and die set can be

used to ho ld a part w hi lst folding.

1 4 The basic part after rol ling and folding.

1 5 - 1 7 90 b ends in long thin parts are

best hand led by a folding too l. The

Etchma te used here com es with a folding

blade which locates into a V shap ed slot

9 1 0

1 1 1 2

1 3 1 4


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1 5 1 6

1 7 1 8

1 9 2 0

as you bend the part up.

1 8 You can glue parts togethe r with

superglue but soldering provides a m uch

stronger join. Flux is brushed onto the joint

area

1 9 Low m elt solder spreads easi ly along

the joint with the aid of the flux.

2 0 Any excess is cleaned away using a

f ile, wet and d ry or by scraping with a

scalpel.

2 1 The r ibs are f i t ted in the sam e way

2 2 Assem bling hinges is a f iddly process, I

begin by c utt ing an oversized pin and this

is laid o n top of the inter leaved hinges.

2 3 Bend up the f ingers of the hinge so as

to hold the pin making sure that the two

parts of the hinge dont m ove apart.

2 4 Bend the f ingers f lat and c heck the

al ignm ent.

2 5 Use tweezers to tuck the f ingers under

the hinge pin and cr imp them t ight around

the pin using pliers.

2 6 To avoid the risk of solde r running into

the hinge a sm all spot of solder is adde d

to the und erside of the hinge and this is

put in posit ion before being heated by the

Iron. When the solder m elts the hinge

drops dow n to be f lush with the surface of

the m udguard and the heat is removed.

Ro l l i ng2 7 This tr icky procedure is ma de m uch

easier if the pa rt is annealed by hea ting i t

in a gas f lam e and al lowing i t to cool


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2 1 2 2 2 3

2 62 52 4

2 7 2 8

2 9 3 0before repeating several t im es.

2 8 Once i t has cooled, rol l the part round a tub e and repe at this

with tubes of de creasing size, making sure that you rol l the part

sm aller than the f inished diam eter to ensure a good join.

2 9 Open out the tube so that the edg es can be joined - this part

which w i ll be an S m ine launcher, has a stepp ed l ip to help the

jo in ti ng p ro cedur e

3 0 With the joint soldered tog ether you f ind that the tube is st i l l

far from circular so Roll the tube around a simi lar sized form er - I

f ind a paintbrush handle w ith i ts gentle tap er is ideal for this task,

unti l a perfect shap e is obtained.

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AFV Modeller 10-5