Flat Blade Knife 2.5 mm

The U-STAR Flat Blade Knife 2.5 mm flat scriber

A flat scriber is a tool with a straight edge, drawn across plastic rather than cutting like an ordinary modeling knife. The edge width of 2.5 mm is given directly in the designation of the tool and sets how wide a cut the scriber has: the wider the edge, the better the tool holds its direction along a longer straight surface and the less it wanders in the groove. A scriber of this type is made for hard kit plastic, not for hard metal parts.

What it suits during a build

• Restoring engraved lines that have disappeared after sanding or filling a joint.
• Cleaning up the straight edge of a part and removing a sprue remain where a knife would easily run off.
• Scraping a mold parting line and small nubs off the surface of a part.
• Clearing a clogged engraved line before paint or a panel line wash is applied.

What to watch out for

You work in repeated light strokes always in one direction, not by force. The scriber picks up fine plastic swarf as it goes, which has to be blown or swept away, otherwise it gets under the edge and scratches the surrounding surface. Before work it is a good idea to set the line out with tape or a template, because a straight edge is hard to correct in a groove that is already under way. The point is the working part of the tool, so it is stored away from the other tools so that it does not go blunt. Put the engraving stage before the base color, so that a fresh line can be checked at once under the primer.

Who it is for

• Modelers who sand and then re-engrave panel lines.
• Builders of vehicles and aircraft, where the engraved lines carry the whole final shadow.
• Anyone for whom improvising with a scalpel is not enough for cleaning up edges.