I have the xeuron photo etch cutter and I am looking for something better. The xeuron always leaves a nub that I file down. On larger pieces there is a little labor then all is good. However, on smaller parts, this process often damages the part. Is there a better tool or process?

I basically do the same as you.
First I cut wide from the part,
then I cut close,
then I hold the part with good quality flat nose pliers as close inside of the nub as possible and then I file it down.
/ Robin

it depends on the piece, I also have the Xurons,then I have a pair of small surgical scissors, a gift from a nurse friend, or on small pieces where filing is very difficult I use the Swann & Morton scalpel with a No.22 blade and under a slab of glass, I swing the blade back and forth, clean cut but clearly the blade does not last forever

i cut off with a #11 blade leaving a wide tab and use these cheap scissiors from Hobby lobby to finish it off works 99% of the time for me
https://www.hobbylobby.com/Beads-Jewelry/Tools-Adhesive/Jewelry-Making-Tools/Metal-Jewelry-Scissors/p/12196

#11 blade on a ceramic tile. Cuts clean every time.

I cut the PE sheet close to the part with a Zuron “blue handle” PE scissors. Then I back the PE part with blue painters tape, and place it on a sheet of glass. I then use a Swann-Morton chisel tip blade to nip the part cleanly from the PE “sprue”. I use a wide and a narrow blade, and occasionally sharpen them with a Dremel ultra fine sanding wheel. No further cutting or sanding of the PE part is necessary. The part is neatly clipped right were I want it, no nubs, no fuss, and the part doesn’t fly off into oblivion. This works especially well on very tiny PE parts such as buckles. However, the Swann-Morton blades are long, and if you get them at the wrong angle and apply too much pressure, you can break them in half—no problem though, you can grind each half down and make two!! I’ve used this method for many years, The last PE model I built was LVM studios Cape Canaveral Launch Utility Tower 14 (LUT 14) in 110th scale— an entirely PE model standing about 18” tall and 6” wide with over 200 parts. Couldn’t have done it without using this method, as it had to be soldered and joined, and nubs would have interfered.
VR, Russ

I have other modeling uses of it but I use a sonic cutter, very clean cut and parts don't fly off.

Same here. I then sand the tab off smooth using an emory board.

Scissors.

Same here 'cept I have a large piece of tempered, tinted glass I salvaged from an old stereo/tv cabinet.

#11 Exacto on the old rubber cutting mat. With a newer blade, I usually don't need to do any sanding or other clean-up of the piece.

A newer blade can actually very effectively shave off almost all of the tiny tabs or nubbins others sand or file off of pieces.

Want to keep tiny PE bits from flying away when cutting? I use one of two routes: Route 1 is to stick the PE fret to blue painter tape and then cut loose the desired bits and lift them from the tape when ready to mount on the build. Route 2 is to apply a piece of clear tape over the PE fret, cut loose desired bits, and lift them from the tape when ready to use. Never flung or lost any bit! It's actually the same route I use for cutting loose tiny styrene bits: stick the piece to tape, cut it loose, lift it from the tape when ready to use it.

Bob

I use the Tamiya PE cutter and am pleased with it. The blades are curved so the cut is neat and most of the time no trimming is needed.

Olivier

For working with small PE parts I use the Xuron 440 Precision Shears. Xuron 9180ET Photo Etch Scissors are good too, but I find them harder to control due to their longer blades when removing nubs from small parts. The parts are are usually removed from their runner using a #15 scalpel blade cutting on a piece of styrene sheet. The styrene is hard enough to provide good support for the cut, but soft enough to prevent dulling the blade instantly.

Hope this helps,
Paul H

I have a nice pair of Japanese snips that work very well, and I use a ceramic sharpening stone to remove any nubs left behind. The stone works great and doesn't snag parts the way my files do.

Greg,
I use a E-xacto #10 curved blade or a chisel blade on a black ceramic tile (to ensure I can see where I am cutting) or scissors, if there is a long edge to align with.

I can't recommend enough the Tamiya Diamond File to clean up any nubs afterward. They go for less than $10 on Amazon.

John

I'm in the #11 Exacto Blade camp. I usually use a scrap piece of sheet styrene as a cutting surface. If there's any excess material I either try to re-trim or sand it off.



I also usually only use a pair of tweezers for bending as well. The ones I use have the angled rather than the square tips.

I use an xacto chisel blade on a piece of black acrylic. When the acrylic gets so scratched up its hard to keep anything on it, simply sand it smooth again. I got the acrylic pieces form The Small Shop.

I usually don't have much clean up to do, but if so, I run a jewelers file over it to quickly clean up the nibs.

xuron shears #9180, revlon cuticle scissors, xacto #10 blade on glass plate w/ scale ruler to hold the part i'm keeping. Tamiya diamond file or foam #240 grit sanding stick to polish cut if needed.

I use a cheap polycarbonate cutting board from Ikea and a razor blade.
Place the blade right up next to the part and there is a perfect cut every time.

Well I now have some experimenting to do. Thank you all for the advice. Chisels, tile, Razors and shears. The Tamiya file looks good.

#11 exacto blade and one of those popular green work bench cutting pads. I buy one of the small, inexpensive 4" x 4" cutting pads and sit it up on a heavy block of wood I have on my work bench. This gets the delicate work up close where I can get my hands and a strong work light on the process.

Final clean up is with a flat needle file if necessary.

Swann & Morton scalpel blade holder and a #11 blade and final clean up with a needle file works a treat every time.