Clear Part manip

Well, even If I make model for over a year now, I still have a newbee question

How do you cut cleanly clear part ? No matter how I try to cut it (with cutter, knife, sand paper) I always get a small white glitch where the sprue was conected.. it's very noticable for light..

Thanks for help

I usually try to cut very carefully about 1mm away from the part then use a medium sanding stick to sand back to the part.

I have also heard that using a heated #11 blade about the same distance from the part and then sanding back to the part is equally effective.

Either way, removing clear parts from the tree is an art.

Originally posted by freakray
Either way, removing clear parts from the tree is an art.

I want to learn this art :biggrin: Clear part is my dark side :icon16:

Like Ray said, I use side cutters and leave a little flash to be filed down. I use a 4-way filing stick made for fingernails that works great...

As Ray and Jay said the trick is to 'sneak up' on the join, by by cutting well back and sanding. Doing this you have to be really careful not to get any stress fractures, in the brittle clear plastic. That's the white stuff you get if you cut up close with sidecutters. I use a rotary tool with a circular cutting blade that spins so fast it melts the plastic away.

Once the surface has been roughly sanded or filed flush, use finer and finer grits and finally some polishing compound to bring the shine back.

I wonder why the model companies haven't developed a plastic that is crystal clear yet still has a bit of regular styrene flexability to it?