Photo-etch bending could sound intimidating but it shouldn't, particularly if you have the right tools for it. The Small Shop has designed "The Bug" to be the one-stop photo-etch bending tool. The tool is very well designed; compact, versatile, easy to use and made of aircraft grade aluminum.

The rotating head has a 2-inch straight edge for long bending lines, a "swiss comb" side with 6 "teeth" for boxes, and a variety of fixtures to fold parts of different sizes and material strengths, or for scratch built handles. All of these in a compact 2x2.5 inch base. It should be mentioned that some of hold-down fingers are reinforced for bending thicker brass, while others designed for thinner, more delicate parts. It is a nice touch from the Small Shop to include a razor blade (used for folding) with the tool.

It is very simple to use: It has a spring-loaded knob that will lift the tool-head. Then you can align the part under the head and move down the head by gently applying pressure on it. Finally screw down the knob to firmly hold the part against the base. Don't over-tighten the screw or you could damage the photo-etch part, or even the tool. Make sure you use a dull blade for the folding action, otherwise you could scratch or damage the folding base.

Unless you need a bend line longer than 2-inches for your models, this photo-etching folding tool has all the features you will ever need. The attractive MSRP likely makes it to be the best buy for PE workstations. (At time of writing this review there is a 10% off discount and The Small Shop has had IPMS member discounts in the past.)

Highly recommended for the regular user of photo-etch.

Many thanks to the Small Shop for the review sample.