Bending your photoetch correctly is a big deal, and bares some review before you begin.

It’s important to (almost) always bend your photoetch INTO the fold lines, not away from them.  There may be times when you need to bend the opposite direction, but make sure that’s what you really want before you start bending.

I’ve put together this photo to demonstrate why you want to almost always bend into the fold lines:

You almost always want to bend INTO the fold lines, and not away from them. (Click photo for larger view)