Hints & Tips

Using Photoetched Parts

Photo-etching is a chemical process where a "master" is reproduced in a piece of metal, similar to printing a photography from a negative. From our hobby's point of view, "photoetched" refers to detailed parts reproduced in a thin metal with the mentioned process. There are several metals used for this like brass and nickel alloys among others. Photoetched parts are used in armor, aircraft and automotive scale modeling to accurately represent a wide range of detail parts like trim, emblems, mirrors, scripts, bezels, grilles, hatches etc. A whole new industry has evolved from this, and now there are several companies dedicated exclusively to this aftermarket segment of our hobby.

Focusing in the automotive area, companies like Detail Master and Model Car Garage among others, are continuously bringing new products to the market. From grilles to emblems, from battery terminals to scale CDs and pulley faces, the range of these products gets bigger and better every time.

Model Car Garage produces Corvette specific photoetch sets like the '53-'55 (used here), '66-'67 and '68-'71 just to mention a few. These sets include among other things; emblems, scripts, pedals, and many other nice parts.

Working with these parts require care and patience. Not only the parts are delicate, but also extremely sharp and dangerous if not handled properly.

Once you have your photoetched set, study the parts before removing them. Not because there are twenty or more parts in the set means that you need to use them all. Plan ahead which ones you will use. This is important because you want to remove molded details to be replaced before painting. Sand them smooth and finish the paint job as usual.

When removing a photoetched part, put the set in a piece of masking tape. This will prevent the part to fly and disappear or worst, to fly into your eyes. NEVER REMOVE A PHOTOETCHED PART IF YOU ARE NOT GOING TO USE IT IMMEDIATELY.

Cut the part using a sharp #11 blade, cutting as close to the part as possible. Some modelers use pliers. That's your choice. Carefully remove the set, and the desired part should stay in the masking tape.

Examine the part to see if it needs trimming. If so, trim it with the blade while still in the tape or carefully lift it with the tweezers and file down. Remember, these parts are very thin and bend easily, so be careful (patience is the key).

With the part ready for placement, grab it with the tweezers and "test fit" the final position, just in case it needs some bending to conform to any curvature. Once ready, the parts can be attached using several methods. If the part is big enough, like a round nose emblem, you can use a drop of superglue. Make sure the superglue doesn't get into any visible painted surface. Clear 5 minute epoxy is also used, and it is a little more forgiving than superglue on painted surfaces. But I prefer using clear enamel like Model Master Clear Top Coat. This is preferred to lacquer glosscoat because it is thicker (and stickier). To do this, Grab the part with the tweezers and brush some clear top coat to the back of the part.

Carefully place the part in place. You have only a few seconds to adjust the position. Once in place, you can brush a little more clear over the part, as an extra insurance. Not much, just a "touch".

There you go! It looks much better than painted molded details. Now repeat the process for the others. Keep practicing and have as much fun as possible. That's the whole idea!

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Page updated  01/02/00