# Photo Etch Questions



## soundhd (Jan 7, 2015)

Just getting back into modeling after a very long break. Have some questions about the use of photo etch products (never had them back when.....)
I have been looking at videos on U-Tube about the use of photo etch products
but still have some questions.

1. Can photo etch pieces be applied to a part over paint or do you have the "mask" the area on the part to keep paint off that area for the photo etch piece to be "attached" correctly to the part.

2. If you can "glue" a photo etch part to a painted part what type of glue or adhesive do you use with acrylic paint vs enamel paint? (I saw a video that said you can use a acrylic clear "paint" to "glue" a photo etch part).

3. Do you need to apply any type of "top coat" to the photo etch piece once it is in place?

4. I have a model I am getting ready to start (B17G 1/32) that I can get a "two step" photo etch piece for the cockpit instrument panel...one gets placed over the other....how do you do that?

Steps that I have seen so far for using a photo etch piece are (and please correct me if I am wrong here)
1. Clean the PE part.
2. Remove from sprue
3. Trim if needed
4. Test place the part and bend if needed so it fits correctly.
5. Glue the PE piece into place


Any other information or tips would be appreciated.

thanks


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

I would recommend gluing it directly to the bare plastic with CA (super glue) then prime over with the rest of the model. Just remember, once stuck, it's stuck! No moving it around. I've also heard some use epoxy putty which would have more adjusting time. I've never tried this but sounds good but seems it could make the part stand off because of the 'thickness'. Most common is CA.

Some use Future floor polish (under a new name now, don't' recall what it is), this too might give you a bit more 'work' time.

Hope this helps.
Carl-


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Photo etch is pretty easy to work with IF you have the right tools. I highly recommend the Xuron photo etch scissors. Yes you can cut them out with a knife or other ways, but the scissors are the smoothest and easiest. You can clean off any burrs with a small file or emery board.

Some parts require bending. A pair of squared, smooth jawed, pliers will do well to start with. You can get nice sharp bends that way for things like boxes that have to be folded from the flat metal.

Usually the parts don't take much stress so strength in the bond isnt critical. CA glue will be strongest but also tends to stick the parts INSTANTLY. I do find Gorilla GLue Super Glue to be thick and slow(er) drying so you can position the parts better. Gator's Grip acrylic glue is excellent too. Its water based but very sticky and tacky. You can move the parts around before it sets, and also thin it out and flow it around the part to seal it in place.

You will want to glue most of the parts BEFORE painting, and paint them along with the rest of the model. There is no benefit to gluing them on last since you will have to touch up the glue and paint the detail anyway. 

The instrument panel is easy. Paint the etched metal face, then glue the various inserts in place with clear glue like Gator's Grip Glue or Micro Crystal Clear.


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## soundhd (Jan 7, 2015)

Thanks for the replies but I guess I am really confused here.....I really do not understand the part below about gluing the photo etch piece to the "bare" plastic part and then "painting over it with the primer"........am I missing something here? Why would anyone want to paint over a photo etch piece....I thought the photo etch piece goes over everything else...the last thing to do?

thanks
confused




Quote: I would recommend gluing it directly to the bare plastic with CA (super glue) then prime over with the rest of the model.


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## Sgthawker (Apr 20, 2012)

For example:

You have a submarine model with a porthole. The impression in the plastic may have poor quality. You cover it with a PE porthole. It is fine metal that really holds the detail and edges more like the real thing. The porthole is still painted the same color as the sub. So... after you glue it to the sub bare plastic, you prime it as well and then paint the whole sub for a nicely finished product.

Now, you mentioned an instrument panel, sometimes they are produced with a fine multicolor finish of the actual gauges. Those do not get primed or painted. They are put on as needed in the assembly process, but masked if any other painting of the cockpit area is required after their installation. Multi layer panels are sometimes used to get added depth, so are placed as needed and glued as normal PE parts would be, with the final finish in mind, such as a fine liquid glue in small amounts so as not to leave visible marks to the final finish. You may add clear glue, or future products to the round gauges that would have glass covers, so as to represent the depth of the gauge with the glass cover. Some even strive to add backlighting to produce a very real effect as the original might have looked at night.


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## hal9001 (May 28, 2008)

soundhd said:


> Thanks for the replies but I guess I am really confused here.....I really do not understand the part below about gluing the photo etch piece to the "bare" plastic part and then "painting over it with the primer"........am I missing something here? Why would anyone want to paint over a photo etch piece....I thought the photo etch piece goes over everything else...the last thing to do?
> 
> thanks
> confused
> ...


No, treat it like a plastic part. Glue it on first then paint it with the rest of the model. Now there are different situations that call for different procedures. Just use common sense here. Let's say you have a 'black box' of sorts and it can be added later over a silver, OD, blue, etc., then yes paint it as a separate part and _then_ glue it in place, that sort of thing. 

There are no absolutes here, but most pieces are glued in place _before_ painting. Of course anything pre-painted doesn't get paint, again, common sense rules.

There are lots and lots of build threads on HT and other chat groups you can follow and you'll see most parts generally are glued on first.

Carl-


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## Dave621955 (Aug 22, 2010)

soundhd said:


> Thanks for the replies but I guess I am really confused here.....I really do not understand the part below about gluing the photo etch piece to the "bare" plastic part and then "painting over it with the primer"........am I missing something here? Why would anyone want to paint over a photo etch piece....I thought the photo etch piece goes over everything else...the last thing to do?
> 
> thanks
> confused
> ...


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

soundhd said:


> Thanks for the replies but I guess I am really confused here.....I really do not understand the part below about gluing the photo etch piece to the "bare" plastic part and then "painting over it with the primer"........am I missing something here? Why would anyone want to paint over a photo etch piece....I thought the photo etch piece goes over everything else...the last thing to do?
> 
> thanks
> confused
> ...



The rationale behind photo etch parts is not to give your model little silver or brass colored details, but rather the media is a way to reproduce thin, small or crisp detail that can't easily be replicated in plastic. The parts should be painted along with the model. For example, airplanes don't have silver colored seat belts and instrument panels... 

This tank model has etched parts for the smoke candle brackets. The metal part will be painted the same color as the rest of the vehicle.



The same is true for this chassis... there are some small metal parts that will be painted the overall color


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## Dave621955 (Aug 22, 2010)

DJ is right, photo etch gives a dimension of realism that is hard to get with molded plastic. I love the stuff. These are for Trumpeters Bismarck:


















And as you can see the detail in the radar units and such is fantastic. And there is a lot more brass to go on....in time. I've found most "brass" parts are brass but some are a copper alloy and some sets for a couple of battleships I have are stainless steel.
However lately I have found that Eduard along with a few other companies make a pre painted photoetch that to me goes one step further, like these sets for the HK B-17:










These are pre painted, self adhesive and you layer a few parts which gives it a depth. But some of these parts also have to be painted. The following is the dash panel from Eduard for the A-10 I'm finishing up, it looks shiny in the picture but it's actually a dull light gray and black:










The tools I use most often are the flat square jaw pliers, with NO RIBBING on the face of the jaws (red handle). Brass nippers (blue handle). Brass scissors, (I'm holding them) notice the curved jaws. Very fine tip tweezers, pointed and angled. 










Glues are :










And for big brass projects:










No I'm not kidding.. Actually there are times when soldering brass to brass is handy. Like this BR-52 German WWII train engine:










I hope this helps. I guess the general rule is if it's brass, copper or stainless steel color "paint it" if not just glue it on. But this is modeling so I should follow up that statement with a "maybe".


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Pre painted photo etch is something I forgot to mention. Its fairly new and I have not used much of it. The pre colored stuff obviously doesn't need painting. Oddly though, the one set I used from Eduard for the Focke Wulf 190 had some panels that should have been a charcoal grey color in a funny light blue grey, which was totally wrong. So, I had to repaint a lot of the stuff anyway because the printed colors were not accurate.


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## myk (Oct 5, 1999)

Thanks to everyone's input...it was a nice refresher coarse for me.


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## kk4mds (May 8, 2015)

I have also been a long time modeler. However, I've been an out of the box builder. Now that I'm retired I though that I might try photo etch. This thread has been a good primer. Maybe I'll give it a try on some of my more extensive models like morser Karl and Leopold.


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## SteveR (Aug 7, 2005)

Scroll down for the second Honey on this thread to see finished, painted photo etched parts.

http://airfixtributeforum.myfastforum.org/Academy_1_35_M3_Stuart_Honey_1399__about31019.html


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