I have been modeling for a number of years but always with plastic this is my first encounter with PE parts. I was hoping that someone out there might be able to help me in regards to the folding of PE Parts mainly the process of compound folding. By this I mean which one to you fold first and should the scribed line be the one you fold towards or away from. These items are expensive and I don't really want to blow a lot of money just to learn what I should or shouldn't do.

Thanks for any and all assistance in regards to this matter.

Compound folding is definitely one of the tougher aspects of PE. Straight away you have to mentally unwrap the finished product and plan your steps ahead of time. There's no right way to do it, as every piece is different. If you're having a particularly tough time with a piece, you can always cut out of rough approximation of it in paper and then test fold it to make sure you won't fold yourself into a corner.

As for the scribed lines in the PE, you should fold towards the line if you can; i.e. if you had a basic flat piece of PE with a single fold, you would keep the fold line facing up as you fold one side up. This will give you a stronger edge, and will look better in the end. Some parts require folds in both directions though, so some parts will have the fold on the outside edge. Again, plan ahead and decide which direction you fold will give a stronger edge and a better looking edge in the end.

You can always make this easier on yourself by purchasing a PE folding station, such as the offerings from The Small Shop. These are custom made jigs that have a base and clamping surface with various metal "fingers" and edges that you can fold your PE against. It makes working with PE quite a bit easier. You just select the edge or finger that suits the size of your fold, clamp your PE underneath it, and then use a utility straight blade or longer straight edge to fold your piece. The fingers are also angled to make those compound folds even easier.


(click the pics to take you right to the official product page)

The Bug, perfect for small jobs:


The 8" Hold-and-Fold, good for long fenders:


The 5-Speed Hold-and-Fold, their most popular unit:

Thanks for the info. Am I correct in assuming that I should fold from out to in?

Yeah. It's hard to describe in words, but that's it. This should totally clear it up:

Another thing you can do to fold PE thats cheap but effective is to take two single edge razor blades and a bit of good quality packing tape or equivalent and tape down one of the razor blades onto a cutting surface (one of those cutting mats we use is perfect), but you tape it across the handle to where when its taped down, theres a bit of a pivot up and down. Use this to hold the part and the other blade as the folder. It works well with a bit of practice and wont cost you $30-70. You may, however have to buy a box of bandaids if you are not careful. Good luck!

Kevin has given a lot of good advice. I use The Bug for 90% of all my PE folding needs. When I started out with PE, though, I bought a pair of smooth jaw needle nose pliers at a discount tool store for $3 and you can really fold most PE for years without needing anything else.
Xuron also makes a pair of micro smooth jaw pliers for about $15 that are excellent for tiny folds.
You always fold toward the scribed line.

how about rolling?

I have a detail kit for a 1:48 P-61 Black Widow and am trying to figure out how to roll the gun barrels for the turret.
I have access to .002"-.750" pin gauges at work, so the shape is not the problem.... it's how to actually do it!

Ugh, rolling PE. That is probably one of the hardest things to do with PE and make it look right. Quite honestly, rolling tubes of PE is one of the few things I usually refuse to do, as it's very hard to get the right radius, and then to glue/weld it without tons of glue or solder showing. I would just scratch the barrels out of something like syringe needles or brass tubing, or just buy some premade brass barrels.