Movable Hinges and German Tool Clamps

These are the harder to make components in 1:35 scale, but if made well, they really help your models to stand apart from the rest.
They are not hard, just require some practice. And we're not talking about weeks or month, just a few hours and you will be able to do them. Success rate probably won't be all that high at the start, especially on the tool clamps. But it will come in time, and you will be able to shape them better, make them look nicer.

There are many ways of constructing these, here are just my methods.
The tools you'll need are:
Jeweler's 10-15X eye loupe
Good pair of needle nose tweezers, with sharp tips.
Etch bending tool (Small Shop 5.5 inch hold n fold) and 32 gauge wire for the movable hinges.

Movable hinges
These are actually very easy, but require precise execution. You'll definitely need your eye loupe on.
I have to stress this over and over. Jeweler's eye loupe is a must. Table top magnifiers don't have enough magnifications. Unless you want to pay few hundred dollars for a stereo microscope with a boom arm, then the single eye loupes are your best choices. They allow you to focus from a very short distance (an inch or two).

Figure 1:
1. I always use 32 gauge wire. Cut them to sections of hinge width, but I usually insert those later, and use a longer section of wire to assist building the hinges.  
2. Clamp the hinge down with the bending tool. Use one of the fingers towards one end of the tool so you get a more sturdy grip. The hinge should be clamped in so only a length of around 2X diameter of the wire is exposed.
3. Use a modeling knife to flip the hinge up, and use tweezers to force the hinge around the wire. You will only wrap around portion of the wire on the first roll.
4. Loosen the clamp and slide the hinge forward by a length of about 2X diameter of the wire again. Clamp the finger down.
5. Bend the hinge upward again with tweezers while holding down the wire with your other hand. Then use your tweezers to force the hinge so it wraps around the wire.
6. You will need to try pushing on the forward end of the hinge so it's wrapped around the wire tightly.
7. AM-Works hinges are always designed for 32 gauge wire so the loop portion of the hinge wraps around the wire slightly over 360 degrees.  Longer loop portions will require more wraping.
8. Repeat the previous steps if the loop part of the hinge is longer. The goal is so the loop part sits outside of the hinge base.  The hinge should be free to rotate when both halves are joined.

If the hinge has more than 1 set of loops, you'll need to do them simultaneously so they are even.
After inserting the wires, squeeze on the loops slightly to tighten them up, so the wires won't fall out.
If construction calls for soldering hinges to metal plates or door panels, then they should be individually soldered then joined together.
A good pair of straight needle nose tweezers would give you the better control when wrapping the loops. Avoid Tamiya tweezers (OEM from Anex), they are made of soft materials and the tips aren't suited for exerting pressure. General Tools, among many other brands, makes very decent beveled straight tweezers.

German Tool Clamps
There are actually quite a few different types of German tool clamps, and their modern clamps are also of similar designs.
As far as of WWII modelers' concerns, there are two types . The base on one type has a C shaped end for clamping in the bar at rear of the top piece. And on the other type, the rear of top and base are folded and clamp into each other over a line of contacts.
Usually we see 3 sizes of clamps. Large ones for wire cutters and the wide part of axe handles. Medium ones for shovels, hammers, etc. And of course small ones for track tool and starter cranks.
Then, there are multiple types of handle.  Some longer, some shorter. The easiest ones to construct are those long handles where the 2 sets of holes are further apart, for reasons that will become apparent shortly. AM-Works products usually feature medium length handles, but multiple types are given in our German Tool Clamp Set (LW35046).

Now, there are two ways of constructing tool clamps. The most common way is to put the top into the set of holes away from bottom of the handle, and the base into the other set of holes. Evidently, some clamps were constructed the other way around, with the top into the near holes and base into the further ones. You will need to shorten the top piece by rolling the forward bar 180 degrees in order to construct this type of clamps. This article will only show you how to make them the common way.

Figure.2
EYE LOUPE!
First bend the 3 sections. The top needs to be curled slightly so you don't have to adjust that later when the clamp is constructed. Try to avoid touching the clamp too much when it's done...
I'm right handed, so I use my left hand to hold the clamp. I use my middle finger, because it has a better angle of contact against my thumb.
Hold the handle upside down like indicated in the picture, and grab the top piece with your right hand via tweezers, then get the bar into the left set of holes.
To plug the bar through both holes, the handle needs to be slightly open. This is the tricky part that will require some practice. You want to hold the handle  and not squeeze it "closed" before plugging the top piece into it.
The other trick is to bend the portions of the handle with the set of holes near its bottom slightly outward before plugging in the top, so the end of the handle is still open for the base to go in after you squeezed it "closed".
Insert the base, and use tip of your fingers to pressure the end of the handle so it locks the base in place. You can also use the tweezers to help closing the ends up. While doing that, sustain pressure at the main contact area (where the top piece is), so the top piece doesn't fall out of the handle. Like shown in the picture, let the bar ends of the top piece bite into your fingers slightly.
Don't let go of the handle until you're sure that the top and bottom are both locked in place. From this point on, as long as there isn't pressure to move the handle from side to side, the clamp should be quite sturdy, and you can adjust shape of its base and handle.
You can also glue the handle in place from the bottom, it won't show. I usually do this after the clamps are fixed onto tool handles, then I can move the whole tool around instead of touching the clamps.

Don't  expect 100% success rate at the get go, but sooner or later you'll be able to make a tool clamp in couple of minutes. It's a hurdle to get over, but well worth the efforts.