Cutting techniques
Cuttingpartsout and trimming themwill take lotsoftime.Don’t rush
this step. If youget frustratedortiredof theprocess, remember that
youcanworkon somethingelse forawhileandcomeback. Keep
inmind that cuttingout small
partsgetseasierwithpractice.
Manymodelers swear by
spruenippers, and someuse a
single-edge razor blade. I find
that a sharphobby knifewith
a freshbladeworks best for
cuttingdelicateparts cleanly.
Whatevermethod youuse,
make sure theblade is sharp,
and that youdon’t force the
cut. In theend, youwant to
have a clean cut, andnot leave
any of the gate (theplastic nib
that holds thepart to the larg-
er sprue) on thepart.
If cuttingwithaknifeor razor
blade,make sure thepart is
supportedunderneath.Often
the spruewill hold thepart up
atinybit off thework surface,
and thepartwill breakas it is
cut off. Usually I canmaneuver
the corner of aboard intopo-
sition so it supports thepart
while cutting. Thismay take
patiencewith littleparts such
as grabirons and stirrups.
36: The arrows indicate
the different levels of
the part on the sprue. A
cutmade on the leftmost
arrow in this positionwill
likely break the part as it
is unsupported.
36
37: Ablock of wood
under the sprue gate
provides a solid surface
for the cut.
37
