Eduard Photo-Etch Louvres

[Trackpad]

Hi,

I'm using the Eduard 1/32nd scale PE set 132056 - Albatros DV/DVa Surface Details. So far, all is going well. However, I'm about to the point where I attach the four louvres to the forward fuselage. They're narrow and flat on the fret, but have to be bent into shape to represent an open side and a closed side, the closed side being the side that attaches to the fuselage. There's very little surface contact available, and the bending goes in two curved directions. Before I cork this up I'd like to know if anyone has a method of getting these little items shaped properly.

Here's the area in question. You can see the two vertical louvres and the required shape:



 TIA for any information. Thanks for visiting! 

[uncletony]

Hi Gary,

1) anneal the parts
2) make a female pattern, either by smash molding off the kit with green stuff (or equiv), or by carefully cutting a groove in sheet stock, or by scrounging something -- this is kind of up to what tools and materials and stuff you have on hand
3) carefully form the PE into the female slot using a flat toothpick

here's the tool I used to make mine from sheet copper; same basic idea:

[lcarroll]

Gary,
    As an alternative you could use the louvres on the fuselage as a "Male" mold and burnish the annealed parts on them, then shave them off and attach your metal ones opening up the vent on the fuselage. I used that method some 7 years back on my first 1:32 Build of the Roden D.III and got reasonable results.







    Or a combination thereof!
Cheers,
Lance

[Trackpad]

Bo and Lance,

Thanks, both. Bo, I've answered your response on your Albatros thread. Come to think of it I probably should not have even mentioned "the question" there: this is where it should have been posted, so I do apologize to you on that score.

Lance. your solution is very close to my "Plan 'B'" option. I'd use very thin dental lead sheets, burnish them around the "male molds" on the fuselage and then cut them out and attach. Years ago I did this to get a vent on the under-wing of a 1/24th scale Airfix Spitfire I. I had a Trumpeter Spitfire V in the cache at the time, so I burnished a lead sheet over its vent, cut it out, then fitted it to the Airfix offering. Voila! A new vent for the Mark I. Here's the result, just to the left of the roundel red circle:



Count on it: one way or t'other, the Albi gets its proper louvres.

Thanks, Both! 

[uncletony]

No worries Gary (after all, I've already hijacked my 'new' build thread with the older build), but yeah, chances are it'll be easier for others to find here. Good luck with whatever method  you settle on.