When cutting very small parts from wood and plastic sprues, apply masking tape, or painters tape to the part. This has two benefits:
It’s less likely to go flying off the mold/template when cut. But if the part does go flying, it’s easier to find.
If you apply too much pressure and snap a section of the part in two, the tape will hold it together so you can glue it. So there’s no worrying about the small part coming off and loosing it.
Or you can use a good pair of sprue nippers and hold onto the part with one hand while cutting the sprue with the other. Works for me.
Bob Boudreau
Good tip. There are sometimes parts so small that there is no way hold them in one hand and snip with the other. Wish you had posted this a week ago, could have saved a lot of bad language around my workbench. [;)]
Don, neat tip, I’m going to use it.
good tip , thanks !
i also go with the hold the part not the sprue (and i’ve never lost a sprue yet !) , unless the part is real small . i’m sure this will save me some time searching the floor for those itty-bitty parts , assuming i actually remember to do it [:)]
I used the same method as Bob. A good pair a nippers does the trick for me. There’s still the rare occasion where the X-acto knife is the only one that will “get into that crack” to dislodge a part…
Tom