Alec,
Everyone has to start somewhere, so don't beat yourself up over having difficulties with PE. It's fiddly stuff to work with and difficult to get just right.
Loren Perry put a
book out on working with PE - he still sells it. Also, Mike Ashely put a book on
ship modeling out through the FSM publishing empire. Both of those might be useful to you.
Do you have a folding tool?
In my opinion, they are essential for working with photo-etch. The two most popular are the
Hold 'n Fold by the Small Shop, and the
Etch Mate, made by Mission Models. I have the Etch Mate on my bench at home, and one of the small Hold 'n Folds in my desk at work. Some folks can fold PE without these types of tools, but a ham handed guy like me definitely needs one. I'd seriously recommend you buy one. It makes working with PE much easier. The hardest part for me is still getting the parts glued together without getting the bloody glue everywhere.
I saw your San Franciso over on the Steel Navy forums (not sure if you posted it here too). It looks pretty good, so, as I said, don't be too hard on yourself. Mostly, it takes time and lots of patience - don't get frustrated, just keep trying.
_________________
Martin"Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday." John Wayne
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