TAMIYA America, Inc Mini Bending Pliers for PE Part, TAM74084

Typical Tamiya, excellent

High quality tool

Fantastic bending plyers built very well and work great

This is a very handy tool for working with Etched Brass parts.I have other bending tools, but many components are too small for those and this works perfectly.

I use them daily for model making

This tool is really good at folding small nibs for photo etched models. Currently using them on some MU Art models and it's working great.

Of the various photo etch bending tools I've used, this is the simplest and best. I've found it superior to a flat nose plier because the angled cross section of the jaw allows for bending a little past 90 degrees, to compensate for the natural spring of the metal. Clamping the part in place precisely has been easier than using my folding jig, because I can adjust pressure with my hand, allowing the part to be nudged just so, until its lined up. I have also found it is less prone to losing its grip on the part. Also I can see and access both the top and bottom of the part; the folding jigs I've used clamp the part on a flat table and only allow a top view. Note this tool, with its small jaws, is ideal for bending very small parts. A larger jaw is available for bending longer parts.NOTE with both these tools, there is some lateral play in the alignment of the jaws (this is less of a problem with these short jaw pliers). In order to place a bend precisely where you want it, make sure the jaws are pefectly aligned with each other before folding the brass. I have taken a star off for this reason. Also the edge of the jaws is not perfectly straight, when viewed under magnification, there is a very minor curvature.

I prefer these mini plyers over the longer ones. The longer ones do not close fully thus making it difficult to manipulate the photo etch. These smaller ones are excellent to work with.