Heavy Machine Gun Tip

Flat nose pliers for modelers

Flat jaws have two main jobs on a modeling bench. The first is bending: between straight jaws, metal bends in a precise line rather than into a curve, as it would with round nose pliers. The second is straightening, that is returning a bent wire or photo-etched part to flat, which fingers can never do. To that is added the ordinary holding of material while soldering or gluing, when the part has to be held by something other than a hand. The pliers are small, suited to modeling work rather than to a workshop.

Use

• Make the bend right at the jaws; bending a piece held away from them means a curve instead of a crease.
• On painted and polished parts, put a piece of card between the jaws so that no mark is left.
• Do not squeeze all the way, as a thin photo-etched part gets crushed between flat jaws.
• Do not use the pliers as nippers, as they have no cutting edges for it.
• Wipe the jaws after work, as traces of glue and paint spoil how they close.
• Do not leave the pliers squeezed shut after work, as the spring loses its strength over time.

Who they are for

The pliers suit modelers who work with wire, photo-etched parts and metal accessories. They also come into their own when building ships and when making your own detail. They are tools that appear on the bench as soon as you stop building only from plastic. On the bench they go well with long nose pliers and with tweezers.

Store the tool out of the reach of children. Protect your eyes when bending metal, as a part that comes loose flies off fast.