Best tool for removing small PE?

Trust me, you just dulled the edge of said sprue cutters.

You can either

1) saw/file them off with a fine saw, and or file. Works on small parts, AFTER you get the hang of it, and makes a nice clean edge with no material warpage IF you supported the piece properly during cutting/filing. File generally is easier. (small triangle file seems to work best)

2) Tape the part down to a flat piece of aluminum, or glass will do in a pinch. Then with a SHARP round blade X Acto knife, cut through the attachment point. If you are lucky, you can get an almost clean edge that needs little dressing with a file. At worst, you now have an equivalent of a sprue gate that you again, have to file down.

I generally go with plan 2, as there is less likelihood of deforming the part, and or having the part fly off into part heaven because of the saw/file motion used to cut the part. Plan 2 eats the hell out of blades, so have them around,, they save you time. Same with a good needle file set. A set of fine needle nose, or better a quality pair of parallel jaw pliers is helpful. Double sided tape to hold the parts in the jaws is a good idea :)

Not surprising, since sprue cutters are designed to cut, guess what, sprue...

• method 1: put the PE on a piece of flat glass or glazed ceramic tile, press a sharp cutter blade on the metal to cut, file any excess;

• method 2; small scissors, the smallest you can get (eg. SQ-10401 from Squadron). Cut, file. Easier than method 1, but the blades tend to warp slightly the PE parts;

• method 3: Xuron, or someone similar, makes tiny cutters specifically designed to cut PE. Or so they say. Never tried that, too bloody expensive.

If you're really careful, and can get a good grip on the part with needle-tipped tweezers, you can use the cutting wheel edge of a Dremel tool, or even one of their 180 grit sanding drums. The advantage of the cutting wheel is that the cross section is so small that it minimizes the chance of grabbing the part instead of abrading the nub. However, it takes a steady hand, good magnification, a speed of about 5000 rpm, and practice.

Mark Schynert

A #17 X-Acto blade and a small hammer...seriously. Makes very clean, precise cuts. Use a sheet of plxi on a hard surface as a backstop for striking against.