RB Productions Photo Etch Bending tool
RB Productions Flip R10 Bending Tool
by Timothy Dike
Here's another new tool that will help you make near perfect bends in your photo etch details. This one is the little brother to the Flip tool we reviewed here. We all spend a lot of money on photo etch details, so it could be argued that we should also spend some on our tools. Well, good news, this new tool retails for only 12.5 Euros making it very affordable. 

The tool is etched from Stainless steel just like the photo etch that you already use. It is composed of three parts that are easy to assemble. The holding plate is reversable so you can use ether the centemeter marked side or the side with various fingers to do complex bends. In most cases you can just clamp the parts using finger pressure, but  a simple set of paper clamps can be used as shown.

There are angle marks on the ends that hold the swinging bed in place. This will allow you to do several repeat bends at the same angle by just bending to the same marker each time, a pretty neat feature. For quick bends you can also use a separate blade to do some bends. I would imagine that once you get the hang of it, that the flip up bed will be the way to go. 

Click images
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For more precise bends you can use paper clips like those shown above to hold the part while you line it up and bend it. Those clamps can be purchased at most any office or discount store.
INSTRUCTIONS
The instructions show the assembly of the tool and some typical uses.
CONCLUSIONS
This is perhaps one of the coolest photo etch tool I have seen yet. It's a miniaturized version of what real world sheetmetal workers use in production. Having worked many years as a sheetmetal worker, I used similar tools and it is nice to see a miniature version available for our hobby. This tool is available for 12.50 Euros (about 18 U.S. dollars at today's exchange rate)  and that includes Airmail postage to anywhere in the world. Optional registered airmail, trackable, signed for receipt, insured is available for an extra 5.40 euro. Click the logo to visit RB Productions online store

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