trimming trees

[Phadeout]

Ok, so I've been doing some kits lately that come on sprues... Usually I use a really sharp pair of wire cutters (small ones for delicate electronics), and then use a scalpel to shave off the tiny bit of left over plastic.

Now, is there a tool that anyone has used that will save me from this process, and just be able to cut and be done with it? (I've seen tools for sale that look like they might work for modellers, but do they _really_ work?).

thanx

[Ghadrack]

They make Sprue cutters for cutting parts from sprues, there are a couple companies that make really nice ones, like Fiskars, but the question is do you really want to eliminate that extra step.

Lots of people intentionally leave a littel extra mold/sprue material on the model and carefully remove the excess with an Exacto or skill knife to be sure that they don't damage the part with the less delicate sprue cutter.

So to answer your question, yes the do make cutters specifically for removing parts and some of them are very good at the job, but by cutting that close on the part with any scissor-like tool you risk cutting into the part a little bit and perhaps damaging your part.

[Phadeout]

That's a thought...

I find that my wire cutters are near perfect, leaving very little extra on the part. The thing is, it takes a long time to perfectly trim them afterwards... I guess even with the right tool, I will either still be trimming, or I will be filling....

Edited February 15, 2005 by Phadeout

[David Hingtgen]

AFAIK, no sprue cutter will make a "perfect" cut. You will ALWAYS (well, 99.99% of the time) have to shave/slice/sand off that last little bit yourself.

Sometimes, if you try, you MIGHT get a "perfect" cut. When building MG/PG Gundams or Zoids etc that I don't intend to paint (AKA, not "real" modelling) and I just want to snip 900 parts off quickly, I might get ONE "perfect" cut out of the thousands needed to free every part. (I think it happened twice on my PG Wing Zero) But the risk of gouging out the part is much higher if you try to make a flush cut. For every 1 part that comes out "perfect", 20 will have a gouge/tear in the plastic from attempting a perfectly flush cut.

Since you have to finish it up anyways, it's best to snip a small distance away from the part to make sure the plastic doesn't tear/splinter.

PS---if you attempt to snip a clear part, it'll shatter or at least get BIG cracks. Always simply use an Xacto and slice slice slice until it's free. Yes, it takes forever, but nothing's worse than ruining a large clear part by attempting to snip it.

Or in summary: Phadeout, you're already doing it the best/recommended way, keep doing it. It's a lot easier to shave/sand extra bits away, than to go back later and fill in spots with putty.

Edited February 16, 2005 by David Hingtgen

[kanata67]

dremmel with a cutting wheel.

just be real carful

I normally use radio shack nippy cuts myself, then trim with an exacto if required.

a "fret" saw [basically an exacto saw blade] works well if you are patient.

[Stamen0083]

For fart's sake.

If you're too lazy to trim and sand sprue marks, you should not be allowed to build models.

Goddamn snappers.

[broadshore]

Harbor and Freight has a set of Needle Nose--Wire Cutter set for 1.99. These are the mini types. I have used them for a few months now and I have no problem with them.

[HWR MKII]

look up the Xuron corporation they specialize in plastic and photoetch snipping tools.