Bending pe step ladders...

[Rob-UK]

I don't know if this topic's exhausted now, but I've always bent all my 1:700 photo etched parts with a small pair of long nosed pliers with square (90 deg) edges and flat inner surface (ie not serated as most pliers are). I grasp one part of the p.e. part firmly in the flat grip of the pliers (eg. the step handrail along its lengh) and fold the ungripped part up through the full 90 deg along the square edge of the pliers just with the flat of a finger nail or other flat object. It's worked every time for me with a minimum of fuss, and has always provided good sharp folds for all kinds of applications.

[Timhan]

Best way to bend any PE is as follows :
Obtain sheet of tempered Glass. Using a steel ruler and a single sided scraper blade,
place the ruler over the area to be bent, press down and slide the blade under the part to be
bent and bend upwards. You will get the sharpest bend you little heart desires.
Hope this helps.

[coaster]

Best way to bend any PE is as follows :
Obtain sheet of tempered Glass. Using a steel ruler and a single sided scraper blade,
place the ruler over the area to be bent, press down and slide the blade under the part to be
bent and bend upwards. You will get the sharpest bend you little heart desires.
Hope this helps.

Works for me. It's also rather simpler and you can see what you're doing better than using a bending jig.
Fraser

[swager]

Hi my friend.
Yes I do have the answer. After trashing several sets of sets here's what I have come up with,
Use a pair of small but strong bulldog clips and grip the steps parallel to, and as close to the stair treads as possible on each side.
Using a pin or point of scalpel bade etc push the treads out into the desired position.
Lay the steps down on a hard surface with the bent up treads facing up toward you.
Using a pair of those razor blades with the safety backing I bend up the railings into position by holding down the steps with one blade positioned as close to the treads as possible and sliding the other blade under the railing and using it to bend the railings up into position.
Works perfectly every time.
No more wrecked stairs
Kind regards
Colin Swager
Auckland
New Zealand

[ubekistano]

nice work!!! ... i like know what music is in your videos?

[DKMkarl]

Heres how I do my ladders/Steps.
What I use is a cocktail stick and push back one step at a time but make sure you leave them on the PE sprue.
It took me about a minute to do 11 steps/stairs,but when your ready to cut them off make sure you turn the sprue over or you will push back all the steps.




Regards
Karl

[robertmelvin]

Let me first say that I work in 1/350 and larger. 1/700 ladders like this are beyond me. That having been said, I've found that for me the best way to do them is to first get the railings in place. I usually use my bending tool, the EtchMate 3C, to do this. Once the railings are in their proper place, I simply use a fresh sharp scalpel blade to slide in between the steps and bend them into place, sliding the scalpel into the space to use the full available width of the blade that will go between the railings. A bit tedious and time consuming, but well worth it in the improvement in the ultimate look of the model once you get them on.

For larger scales, like the 1/144 Fletcher I'm now working on, I still get the railings in place first, then I take a pair of tweezers that have a nipper type of tip and grasp the rungs, then bend them into shape. For all PE, including ladders, I've found that it helps to paint the piece on the fret first. It seems to give it a bit more strength, though this may just be my imagination. Also, you need to experiment and find the brand that works best for you. Some PE is softer and less tolerant of being manipulated than other brands. I've found Eduard, LionRoar and FlyHawk are more tolerant of being manipulated than some other brands. And with PE generally, I seem to have better luck with the kind that does not have the bends indicated with thinner sections of brass. These seem to me to be much less robust than those that don't have this.

Bob

[Redwhiteandblue]

My days of 1/700 photo etch are long gone to many times hunting the floor for parts that vanish into the carpet monster so i stick to 1/350 builds these days sadly i still spend time on all fours hunting for another piece of photo etch i have dropped! its just 1/350 are a little easier to locate.....sometimes!! Regards Alan

[Guest]

I've used the following method with fair success for doing stairs. First cut the stair from the fret and do any cleanup. Then take a straight edge of plastic card stock the same thickness as the width of the interior portion of the staircase. Place the stairs with tread side on the edge of the plastic, then fold the two rails down on either side of the plastic. This should give you even and square railings. Now push the piece so that the stairs are slightly clear of the edge of the plastic. Bend the steps using an exacto blade and holding on to the railings with the other hand's thumb and forefinger. For me, this is both quicker and more consistent than any of the methods previously discussed.

Jamie

[Zoomy 1]

When I was young I could do 1/700 without aid. After doing the military thing and owning a few business I became a jeweler?watchmaker. Horologist sounds better for the watchmaker thing though!

I now poses the skills to do PE. I was scared crapshy the first time I bent a set of stairs but I was using M�LDERS vid when I did it and it came out great! M�LDERS you have created a monster!!!! I not only bend the parts on the trees but I use the trees to make parts...it is great.

Also for those of you who complain about youth faded and left you with two hams and no eyesight...there is a solution. Get a jewelers visor. You can get them in several strengths , I use 60 power and with 100 power you can see amebas on the parts! Then get yourself some locking tweezers. You can not only hold your parts you can see them. Check out some of the many jewelry and watch making tool sights. You can get everything from a multitude of parts holding devices to miniture lathes to make barrels and such with!

And thanks to all who share their tips and tricks. It is a great hobby.

[subhunter1]

I've got a pretty fool proof method of making the ladders. I hope I can post pictures on this site....

1) Clean, prime and paint the brass when it is still part of the sheet.
2) Detach the ladder using an old CD (black ones help you see) and a knife.
3) I use a hold and fold and fold the railings staying as close to the side supports (away from the treads) as you can. In short you are making the widest ladder that you can. Do this just out of uniformity.

Here is the new trick:

1) Create a jig.... Mine is a piece of flat stock that is about 2" long, 3/8" wide, and sanded down to slide fit in between the folded rails. Mine that I use for Tom's Model Works set #3535 is sanded down to .071". On one corner cut a 45 degree angle that takes off about 1/8" of an inch.
2) Slide the folded rail ladder over the plastic jig.
3) Slide the ladder towards the notched corner until the BACK of the step (tread) is even with it. The tread should be sticking out in space.
4) Take the point of a sharp Exacto knife and push the tread down until it is stopped by the 45 degree notch.
5) Slide the next step/tread to the notch in the jig and repeat.
6) Do this until all but the last step/tread are bent.
7) Remove the ladder from the jig, and using tweezers, bend the last step into position. This is the easiest one to do.

I had never worked with PE ladders until this project. I have made 8-9 perfect and uniform ladders without any losses or rework.
This method is fast, uniform, and works great for people with big hands.

I can't figure out how to post photos..... If someone will tell me, I will add them.

[Timmy C]

To post photos, please read this thread: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1261

[Guest]

lets see if this will work.....
http://imgur.com/a/2DVMj

[Timmy C]

That worked! Thanks for showing us!

[MM2CVS9]

WoW, great method. I used it on 1/700 and 350 as a test and it works great.

Thanks for posting.

EJ

[Subhiunter1]

Glad it works for you.

My next trick is to master hose reels...... is there a thread for that by way of a pointer?

[biggles2]

My technique is slightly different. Instead of levering the step up with the flat of the blade, I slip the tip of the blade between steps and rotate the blade (direction doesn't matter, just make sure that the stair case is facing upwards so that you bend the steps in the right direction). This also levers up the step, only with the edge of the blade. You can do this either before or after removal from the brass fret, only they are a little more delicate after removal and bending the side rails. I then fine-tune to ensure each step is more or less level to each other.

[MatthewB]

I am now scared of running into a PE Fret with ladders that have steps that need to be bent outward.

All of the PE ladders I have seen so far have not had "steps" that required bending outward.

I wonder if I can manage these things with the little bending rack I bought?

MB