Tool Improvement - make UMM-USA benders easier to use.

 After my post of “Ladders - photo etched” I learned  that Peter Aue, Germany had offered ladder jigs for assembling photo etched ladders in prior years.  I contacted Peter Aue to see if he still had any in stock that I could purchase.  When I contacted him regarding the photo etched ladder assembly jig I enclosed a link to my blog “Ladders - photo etched" that included the UMM-USA benders I was using to bend stiles for photo etched ladders.

UMM-USA 60 mm bender
(Click or tap on this photo or any photo to enlarge)

UMM-USA benders are available with an attached bending bar in  60 mm or 150 mm lengths.  The UMM-USA bender requires you to insert the ladder stiles into it, tighten the ladder stile in the bender with screws with hexagonal sockets in their head with enclosed Allen wrench (hex key), and the attached bar is moved upward against the style bending it into a right angle.  It works like the “bending brake” in a metal fabrication shop.  It bends the stile correctly each time.

UMM-USA bender with bending bar.
Photo from UMM-USA website.

Peter responded he did not have any ladder assembly jigs to sell.  That was the bad news; however, he also had good news.  He was also using an UMM-USA bender but it was an early model without the spring-loaded jaws of the later benders; however, he had made it easier to use by spring-loading the upper jaw and adding star knobs to replace the screws with hexagonal sockets in their head requiring an Allen wrench to tighten the bender once a ladder stile was inserted for bending.

UMM-USA bender with Peter's improvements.
Peter Aue photo.

I felt Peter had a great tool improvement that I quickly shared with George Toman.   George as I liked the star knob improvement and began the search for star knobs to replace the benders tightening screws with hexagonal sockets in their head needing an Allen wrench.  George found the knobs and notified me he had done so.  And, how many did I want since you have to buy a bag of 20?

George"s UMM-USA benders.
George Toman photo.

After star knobs arrived, I removed the tightening screws with hexagonal sockets in their head needing an Allen wrench that came with the benders I own and replaced them with the star knobs obtained from George.

UMM-USA 60 mm and 150 mm benders I own
with star knobs installed.

After taking the above photo I sent a copy to Peter and George asking their permission to share the UMM-USA bender improvement with the railroad modeling community on my blog.   Both George and Peter agreed it was a good idea to share the tool improvement.   In addition, George contacted UMM-USA to inform and provide photos of the star knobs improvement.

If you own or purchase a UMM-USA bender and want to upgrade your bender with the star knobs.  The star knobs are M6 x 25 x 10 mm. The exact size and length as the original ones.  George’s cost was only $ 5.88 for the bag of 20 on Amazon.  The link is provided below:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07X9Q2DGH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

More good news.  Peter had more photo etched ladder assembly jigs made so I was able to purchase two jigs to use to assemble photo etched ladders.

Thank You for taking time to read my blog.  You can share a comment in the section below if you choose to do so.  Please sign your comment with your name if you choose to leave one.  Please share the blog link with other model railroaders.

Lester Breuer

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Ladders - photo etched

Since I wrote the post on ladders which included photo etched ladders, I have found several tools which make the assembly of photo etched ladders easier for me and maybe could for you as well. Before we view the new tools I want to show you a few of the photo etched ladders available from Yarmouth Model Works and Plano Model Products.  The difference between the two is as follows: Plano Model Products have rungs attached to the stiles you bend while Yarmouth Model Products have stiles you bend and insert photo etched or wire rungs into.  Plano Model Products has a few ladders with rung spacing available while Yarmouth Model Products has a much  greater variety of ladders with different rung spacing available.

A few of the photo etched ladders available.
(click or tap on this or any photo to enlarge)

Before bending stiles you have to cut them from the frets.   I have a Xuron #440 cutter that I use and another Xuron #91980 cutter I found I like better.  I like the longer nose on the Xuron 91980 cutter as it is easier to get it into the fret area to make a cut.

Xuron 440 cutter #440

Xuron shears #9180

After you have the ladder stiles cut from the frets you have to bend them into an angle to use.   In the past I used a bender from the Small Shop.  The Small Shop bender requires you to insert the stiles into it, tighten the stile in the bender, and then run a provided bar along the inserted stile to bend it into the right angle.   It works; however, after moving the bar along the stile I did not always get a good stile.

Small Shop 4" bender

A new bender I am using that I like better is the UMM USA bender which I was made aware of by George Toman.  The UMM USA bender requires you insert the stiles into it, tighten the stile in the bender, and then the attached bar is moved upward against the stile bending it into a right angle.  It works like the “bending brake” in a metal fabrication shop.  It bends the stile correctly each time.  Pulling up the bar to bend the stile on the UMM USA bender for me is easier than pulling the bar along the Small Shop bender.

UMM-USA  bender

Once I have the stiles bent I insert the rungs into one of two jigs I have made for assembling the ladders.  I hold the stiles in the jig with a piece of resin or styrene placed on top of them and a clamp to hold the added cover over the stiles.  I like using rungs bent from wire rather than photo etched rungs.  My wire choice for bending rungs is Tichy Train Group #1101, .010” diameter phosphor bronze wire.  Of course, bending a ladder rung is the same as bending a straight grab iron.  I think wire rungs will hold up better on an operating railroad.  You will have to try each and decide which you like better or maybe use both.

Jigs made from styrene for assembling photo etched ladders.

Yarmouth Model Works photo etched rungs.

I use CA (in the bottle cap in the photo)  to to attach the rungs to the stiles. I hold the jig pointing down toward the workbench with the rung to which I apply CA two rungs from the edge of the jig. ( in photo below I would apply CA to the second rung from the edge of the jig or third rung from the top of the ladder).  However, the jig should be held with ladder pointing down to the workbench and not up as in the photo as then CA can run back into the jig attaching the stile to the jig.

I learned that by allowing it to happen.   I was able to pop out the stile and clean up the jig slot with an UMM USA due to the thin kerf it makes.

Yarmouth Model Works ladder stiles in my styrene jig
with Tichy #1101, .010"phosphor bronze wire being installed.

I am including a photo of the tools except shears cutter (photo above) that I use to assemble photo etched ladders.

Tools I use to assemble photo etched ladders.

I have included below photos of assembled photo etched ladders with stiles bent with both benders and applied to freight cars.

Ladders bent with UMM-USA bender.

Ladders bent with Small Shop bender.

Ladder bent with Small Shop bender.

I hope this update with a new cutter and bender will be helpful when you need to choose tools to bend photo etched stiles for freight car ladders.

Thank You for taking time to read my blog.  You can share a comment in the section below if you choose to do so.  Please share the blog link with other model railroaders.

Lester Breuer