"Darren Harris" wrote in message
om...
I have some K & S "shim brass" sheets. The kind you get from a hobby
shop.

I need to cut it into thin strips and don't think that a paper cutter,
snips, heavy duty kitchen shears, or a nibbler would be suitable for
making strips that will need to be either 1/8th or 1/4th of an inch
wide.

Special shapes, www.specialshapes.com sells brass strips from 1/64 (015) to
3/16 (.188) in widths from 1/32 to 1/2 -- all 36" long -- prices range from
$1.50 to $4.00 depending on size. They are very reliable and have the best
range of shapes and the best prices I have found anywhere. They supply K&S
who repackages for hobby shops.
How to best cut strips from shim stock. The short answer is
"don't." For small quantities, I would never start with shim stock. I'd
just anneal a brass wire and tap it flat with a small jeweler's planishing
hammer. But if you insist on doing it the hard way, it depends completely
on how much you need, how long the piece has to be, and how accurate they
have to be. For larger quantities, assuming I foolishly insisted on
doing it from shim stock, I'd use a pair of jeweler's tin snips. You can
cut strips that thin or less with it, in fairly heavy material -- but --(1)
it takes a lot of practice till you learn the hang of it --- and (2) good
snips are very expensive -- about $50 -- and don't expect to cut that fine
with regular sized tin snips -- even good one. Buys a hell of a lot of
strips from special shapes inc.

Boris

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