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.

Since the thickness of these wheet will range from .015 to .032, Is it
plausible to score the metal with a Stanley knife or something
simular, and break it apart by hand?

If so, any recommendations on the best knife for this purpose would be
appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Sounds like you need a lazer kutter

Darren Harris wrote:

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.

Since the thickness of these wheet will range from .015 to .032, Is it
plausible to score the metal with a Stanley knife or something
simular, and break it apart by hand?

If so, any recommendations on the best knife for this purpose would be
appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Or a shear - Di Acro makes a nice that will probably run $300 or more for a
12" shear and more for a larger one. The import 3in1s run about the same, I
think, and might be acceptable for this kind of duty.


"jerry Wass" wrote in message
...
Sounds like you need a lazer kutter

Darren Harris wrote:

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.

Since the thickness of these wheet will range from .015 to .032, Is it
plausible to score the metal with a Stanley knife or something
simular, and break it apart by hand?

If so, any recommendations on the best knife for this purpose would be
appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

The strips will likely curl, due to the bias cut of a shear blade. (Just
about guarantee it)

RJ

--
"Have no one say it, and say it to your shame, that all was well here, until
YOU came."




"Mike Henry" wrote in message
...
Or a shear - Di Acro makes a nice that will probably run $300 or more for
a
12" shear and more for a larger one. The import 3in1s run about the same,
I
think, and might be acceptable for this kind of duty.


"jerry Wass" wrote in message
...
Sounds like you need a lazer kutter

Darren Harris wrote:

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.

Since the thickness of these wheet will range from .015 to .032, Is it
plausible to score the metal with a Stanley knife or something
simular, and break it apart by hand?

If so, any recommendations on the best knife for this purpose would be
appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Mcmastercar has it 1/4 inch wide 1 foot long .032 thick, 15 peices for $12
http://www.mcmaster.com/
page 3421

Darren Harris wrote:

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.

Since the thickness of these wheet will range from .015 to .032, Is it
plausible to score the metal with a Stanley knife or something
simular, and break it apart by hand?

If so, any recommendations on the best knife for this purpose would be
appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Clamp a straightedge to guide your blade. Several light passes will work
nicely. Exacto, box cutter, or utility knife will do.

mj

I usually mark it with a narrow maker and cut it with my aviation snips. It
does curl. I usually hammer it flat or pull it over a smooth rod.
Karl

"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.

Since the thickness of these wheet will range from .015 to .032, Is it
plausible to score the metal with a Stanley knife or something
simular, and break it apart by hand?

If so, any recommendations on the best knife for this purpose would be
appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.


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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.686 / Virus Database: 447 - Release Date: 5/15/2004

"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

--

-------------------------------------
Boris Beizer Ph.D. Seminars and Consulting
1232 Glenbrook Road on Software Testing and
Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006 Quality Assurance

TEL: 215-572-5580
FAX: 215-886-0144
Email bsquare "at" sprintmail.com

------------------------------------------

You could cut brass into strips manually with a Stanley (or quality utility
knife copy) and a special purpose blade called a scoring blade.
Stanley has 2 versions of these scoring blades.. a double-ended short
version, and a longer, angled single-edge version.

The scoring blades work great for most sheet materials where you only need
to make straight cuts. I've used them for years on all sorts of rigid sheet
materials.
They produce a narrow V cut, the edges won't be square, but it's an
effective cutting method. Start the cut with light pressure, and increase
the pressure after a few passes.
Using a lot of pressure will raise a burr along the edges of the cut.

You'll want to use a straight edge for a guide. If you use a steel rule (for
example), putting masking tape on the bottom side of the rule will make it
less likely to slip around.

WB
...............

"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.

Since the thickness of these wheet will range from .015 to .032, Is it
plausible to score the metal with a Stanley knife or something
simular, and break it apart by hand?

If so, any recommendations on the best knife for this purpose would be
appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

(Darren Harris) wrote in message . com...
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.

Since the thickness of these wheet will range from .015 to .032, Is it
plausible to score the metal with a Stanley knife or something
simular, and break it apart by hand?

If so, any recommendations on the best knife for this purpose would be
appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.

Making inlay strips?

You might want to try clamping your shim stock between two hardwood
blocks when you try it. You should be able to score through material
that thin with repeated cuts, maybe alternate sides to avoid a really
large turned edge. You might also be able to adjust the width using
the same method and a block plane to do the trimming. As to what
knife, whatever you've got that's sharp. A utility blade should work,
a hooknose might work better.

I've found that Lenox makes bimetal utility knife blades, these are
really superior stuff and available at the regular home improvement
places, not just industrial suppliers. Bulk packs of 50 were about
$12. Outlasts the cheapies(and not-so-cheapies) 2 or 3 to 1. Get
them while you can, if I like them, it's a sure sign they'll be
discontinued, soon.

Stan

Thanks for all the advice.

I think I'll go wioth scoring the brass with a knife and then breaking
it.

I also assume that those places mentioned are good for picking up some
phosphor bronze to use for my pupose also.

Thanks again.

Darren Harris
Staten Island, New York.