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Purpose
Hold and Fold is designed to assist modellers achieve precise angles when shaping etched metal parts. The ability to precisely bend etched metal pieces is important for obtaining the best results from etched metal and thus presenting your models to their maximum potential.
Contents and use
The Hold and Fold is a high quality hobby vice made from aircraft grade aluminium. The base has a compact footprint (4"x 3") making it easy to place on a workbench. A spring-loaded plate (tool-head) secures the etched metal in place and acts as the template to shape the etched metal parts.
The plate has two edges:
1) one side has a straight edge and is well suited to bending long panels such as AFV side fenders.
2) the other edge is shaped with both:
i) cut-outs to act as templates when folding multisided items such as boxes and stowage racks
ii) edges on a slight gradient to provide a continuous range of heights for making U shaped folds.
A double sided instruction sheet showing how to achieve the different types of folds: right angle, "U", "Z", and 3-dimensional (box) is included. Step by step photo instructions are available on the manufacturer's web site. Parts are folded by placing them on the vice and folding them with the aid of a Stanley knife blade (included).
I found the Hold and Fold easy to use and I was able to achieve pleasing results immediately. I completed my first item the 8 sided periscope from Aber's King Tiger set in a couple of minutes.
Since then I have found the Hold and Fold very advantageous. It lets me consistently and efficiently make neat and accurate angles without having to either anneal the parts before hand or experience the unwanted bends and frustrations that can result from using tweezers and pliers.
The Hold and Fold's ability to quickly fold small and complex parts makes it well suited to folding the many small detailed parts included in the more recent etched metal sets, which like many people I had often left unused.
I also found the Hold and Fold beneficial when scratch building a periscope cover for an older Tamiya kit. Since the clamp plate has a continuous range of heights I was able to use it as both the vice and also the template, thus enabling me to complete both folds neatly and expediently.
Summary
I am very pleased with my Hold and Fold and keep it within easy reach on my workbench. I found it to be both easy to use and capable of making precise folds for a wide range of shapes. I recommend it to other modellers wishing to improve the results they achieve from etched metal.
Thanks to Pete Forrest of The Small Shop for the review sample. The Hold and Fold is available directly from the www.thesmallshop.com
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