Special Tool or Special Skill/Technique?

[Signet]

I've run across this before, but I'm about to run across it many, many times with my current Granado build. How do I hold small parts, with glue on 2-3 surfaces, while inserting it into the proper location in a hull structure or other area? Like what I'm trying to do here:

I can kind of get the piece in place, but of course it's at an angle instead of horizontal. I can't get my fat fingers in place to hold it, so need pliers or tweezers or something to do it. But, everything I have holds it an an angle. Bent end tweezers and pliers bend the wrong direction - sideways in the above picture. But to do it right, I need a tool or method to hold and position the piece in the exact position to secure it with glue. I've tried double-sided tape and sticky putty to no avail.

So, is there a tool or method I don't know about to do this? I'm certain this is a pretty common need in model ship building, so many/most of you have found some way of doing it. Please enlighten me!

 

[Roger Pellett]

Piano wire? Drill a small hole in a hidden area of the
part. Using a piece of stiff wire, bend it into a shape that will offer the piece with the required orientation. Press the end of the wire into the hole. When the glue dries remove the wire.

Roger

 

[Signet]

Piano wire? Drill a small hole in a hidden area of the
part. Using a piece of stiff wire, bend it into a shape that will offer the piece with the required orientation. Press the end of the wire into the hole. When the glue dries remove the wire.

Roger

That's a thought. Drill the hole underneath, make a U-shaped wire bend to insert from above. Worth trying, thanks.

 

[paul ron]

Piano wire? Drill a small hole in a hidden area of the
part. Using a piece of stiff wire, bend it into a shape that will offer the piece with the required orientation. Press the end of the wire into the hole. When the glue dries remove the wire.

Roger

exactly!
sometimes we have to invent tools n ways around problems.

 

[Short John Bronze]

A common problem! I have sometimes inserted a pin into a pre-drilled hole (push fit) in a position that I can grip with pliers or tweezers. I, too, wish I had some angled pliers with the bend in the other plane from the usual. Perhaps I may try wrecking a cheap pair of tweezes.

 

[Y.T.]

How about placing a part into a final position and only then applying the glue?

 

[Signet]

I think I solved my problem. I made a simple tool out of some brass rod and plastic tubing scraps. The finished "tool" look like this:

Taken back apart, it looks like this: and it's use in the above situation is shown here:

I used a scrap of brass rod about 3mm round, threaded one end to 4-36, heated, flattened and bent the other end to hold the piece.
The housing is made up of 3 different sizes of telescoping plastic tubing, cemented together, with a flat piece added to hold the item at the end.
I used the spring from a ballpoint pen, and made the adjusting and assembling "button" with 3 pieces of tube, tapped to 4-36 (finally used my 60 year old set of dies and taps).

These are close-ups of the assembled unit:


It actually works quite well, holding all manner of pieces and sizes securely, without need to press the button:

The spring holds the part in place, the top housing can apply pressure down to position the part, and pressing the button releases the part and allows removal of the tool.

It's not pretty, and I'm not sure how long it will last, but I think it will work just fine for my purposes. I considered designing a better one for my son to make a 3D print of for the housing and button, but I'd still want to use brass for the moving rod. And, thanks to my clumsiness and fat fingers, I have a new tool to use!

 

[Signet]

How about placing a part into a final position and only then applying the glue?

Regardless of how the part is positioned, I'd say that depends on the location, type of glue, etc. On the parts I'm now placing, glue first on the part, then placing it with the tool, and adjusting the position slightly works very well, with all glue hidden. In other areas, especially if using CA glue, adding it later makes sense to me.

The tool works great to position the part to check fit, etc. and then glue with whatever method desired.

 

[Thanasis]

I use bent tweezers for stamps. when is need it, I adjust the angle.
Thx

 

[Masters Mate]

I sometimes glue a toothpick onto the part at such an angle that I will be able to place the part correctly. When glue is dry, nip off the toothpick.