Cutters/nippers

[Thrusterhead Jones]

The cool tool I have found for cutting soft copper or aluminum wire (up to 10 guage) and parts off of plastic sprue is the offset flush-cutting end nipper.

The advantage of this little gem is that when you cut a piece of wire one end will have a flush, square end- the other will have a chisle-shaped tip. A standard pair of wire cutters will give you a chisle tip on both peices of wire.

The offset feature of this nipper allows you to get into hard to reach areas.

Not the easiest thing to find, flag down a MAC or Snap On tool truck. A bit pricy, but if it breaks they'll replace it.

[Pat Amaral]

I've been using one of these for the past couple years now. Probably the same thing. Even though you're supposed to be ABLE to cut wire with them, if you plan to use it to cut sprue, I recommend using it ONLY to cut sprue. Cutting wire eventually dulls the blades but mine is still shiney and sharp since I only use it to cut parts off the parts trees. For parts that are hard to get to, I select something from this set. These things are wonderful!

[Thrusterhead Jones]

I've been using the same pair of flush-cutters on copper wire for the last 20-odd years, and they're still nice and sharp. I got them from a Snap On truck, and a back-up pair from a MAC truck- the quality of both are excellent. The cheap Chinese pair wore out pretty quickly. They must have been cast from the finest cottage cheese...

All non-ferrous metal wires and plastics have never presented any problems, though anything of steel or stainless may knick the cutting surfaces.

Those grip saws do look interersting, though.

[Kylwell]

I use flush cutting bead wire cutters. They work great on damned near anything, tho' I'll admit the Xuron sprue cutters I have ae worth it.