Decent tin snips for stainless

[GraemeVW]

Wiss then, as Shox says. I don't think anyone makes a better pair.

Ill get some ordered up and see how they last.

The Milwaukee ones start off sharper than the irwins, initially keep their edge a little longer, but then seem to not struggle on as long as the irwins do.

 

[brightspark]

gilbows will cut up to 2.5mm sheet steel. aviation snips wont i have left hand and right hand sets of both

 

[GraemeVW]

gilbows will cut up to 2.5mm sheet steel. aviation snips wont

I need them specifically to cut flue liner. They will do no other job.

The gilbows look wonderful, but won't fit where I need them to go. The jaws/blades aren't pointy enough.

 

[Hitch]

gilbows will cut up to 2.5mm sheet steel. aviation snips wont

If we ever meet, I'm not shaking your hand.


I've a set of BluePoint ones for years, which I believe are manufactured by Wiss.

 

[GraemeVW]

Wiss seem to be the next step then.

Just to check though, am I asking too much of any aviation snip to be cutting 904? Even if its very thin 904?
Stainless plays havoc on them.
Even new Stanley blades cut it easily, but access wont allow for it all to be cut with a knife.

 

[brightspark]

If we ever meet, I'm not shaking your hand.

most folk couldnt even pull the clutch in on my norton i could do it with 3 fingers. couldnt do it now mind

 

[Paul.]

I've got the bluepoint, snap on ones too, must have had them best part of 40 years and they still cut like new, the grips are colour coded, green cut left, and red to the right.

 

[Maker]

The jaws/blades aren't pointy enough.

"Heavy duty" Gilbows might be better, they're a shallower (but thicker) blade.

Heavy duty would seem to imply they're for thicker material though, so perhaps no good for 100 micron stainless, I'd assume a pair made for thicker material would have more clearance between the blades.

You can dismantle Gilbows (The ones pictured are riveted but all mine are bolted) and sharpen them on a wetstone. Freshly sharpened they'll cut paper.

 

[brightspark]

"Heavy duty" Gilbows might be better, they're a shallower (but thicker) blade.View attachment 391133

Heavy duty would seem to imply they're for thicker material though, so perhaps no good for 100 micron stainless, I'd assume a pair made for thicker material would have more clearance between the blades.

You can dismantle Gilbows (The ones pictured are riveted but all mine are bolted) and sharpen them on a wetstone. Freshly sharpened they'll cut paper.

i presume you part them and just rub the mating surfaces up to sharpen them just grinding the cutting edge doesnt work if there worn

 

[GraemeVW]

"Heavy duty" Gilbows might be better, they're a shallower (but thicker) blade.View attachment 391133

Heavy duty would seem to imply they're for thicker material though, so perhaps no good for 100 micron stainless, I'd assume a pair made for thicker material would have more clearance between the blades.

You can dismantle Gilbows (The ones pictured are riveted but all mine are bolted) and sharpen them on a wetstone. Freshly sharpened they'll cut paper.

I'd probably want to cut a 1/3rd off the handle length too. Might be worth a try though.

 

[Maker]

No, it's the bevel I sharpen, the mating surfaces are hollow ground and have a bit of a curve to them (like scissors) so there's only one point along that blade that makes contact at a given time. You could grind the mating faces, but you'll have to take care to make them mate up properly afterwards.

Just like garden shears, its all to easy to bugger them up trying to sharpen them.

 

[Maker]

I'd probably want to cut a 1/3rd off the handle length too. Might be worth a try though.

You get shorter gilbows, maybe 7" long, not sure about the pointy HD version though.

 

[GraemeVW]

No, it's the bevel I sharpen, the mating surfaces are hollow ground and have a bit of a curve to them (like scissors) so there's only one point along that blade that makes contact at a given time. You could grind the mating faces, but you'll have to take care to make them mate up properly afterwards.

Just like garden shears, its all to easy to bugger them up trying to sharpen them.

I think less clearance between the blades might be good for what I'm doing. If the blades aren't freshly sharp it has a habit of just bending the material and pushing it between the blades.

I cut some rough, more aggressive, serations into the blades of a pair today to see if they grip better and therefore cut.

 

[brightspark]

heres one of my pair that were well worn on the faces and would twist on cutting .the faces were ground flat on my disk sander and re assembled and cut perfectly look here on post 20 https://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/threads/avation-tin-snips.49570/#post-557372

 

[DAPPH]

@James1979
I just looked up the bread knife type thing. I think that's what the suppliers use to cut it to length.
It looks like they have used a trained beaver to chew it in half!
We need quite a neat cut in order to then get the adapter on the end. The merrier the cut, the more hassle it is getting the next pieces to fit.

Have you thought of trying a cheapie Lidl plasma cutter with integral compressor , using a hardboard guide profile ? Shears are so last year in my book as I found I can flap wheel slitting disc clean up or diamond impregnated fine file to scribed lines easily.

I have a Wiss left & right hand cut pair they didn't like me cutting up the stainless steel linings out of old dish washers . I'm rather strapped for time at present . making 300 small bottom less seed growing tubes and am behind on seed sowing as well as discovering at 18.15 hrs. tonight there is a water leak on plastic push fit stuff in the glasshouse ... it's isolated for tonight . Happy to mic some of the ss up and see how it cuts as well as popping up some photos on Sunday afternoon or Monday

 

[GraemeVW]

Have you thought of trying a cheapie Lidl plasma cutter with integral compressor , shears are so last year in my book as I found I can flap wheel or diamond impregnated fine file to scribed lines easily.

I have a left & right hand cut pair they didn't like me cutting up the stainless steel linings out of old dish washers . I'm rather strapped for time at present . making 300 small bottom less seed growing tubes and am behind on seed sowing as well as discovering at 18.15 hrs. tonight there is a water leak on plastic push fit stuff in the glasshouse ... it's isolated for tonight . Happy to mic some of the ss up and see how it cuts as well as popping up some photos on Sunday afternoon or Monday

Can't see us dragging a plasma cutter and compressor into each customers house and risking setting fire to their carpet

I need to reach up, with one hand, inside a fireplace to cut what I need cutting too.

 

[500e]

40year old Blue Point strait cut, only cut alloy and thin steel sheet
Just to see what it felt like, same as lock wire will stick in you like a stiletto cut easy enough but SS takes the edge of any tool
I run a fine diamond lap across the blades don't let them get to where you have to grind. Mid West aviation snips have a good rep in USA worth a look

 

[leadpig]

ive been using tin snips daily for 32 years mainly for lead but a fair amount of stainles sheet for clips etc, gilbow used to be the best for lead but i refuse to buy them now as they are dreadfulbut i have not used them for years, i have tried loads but have only intentionly bought ck for the last 18+ years, i have some sets that are 10 years old that cut better than 3 month old gilbows

 

[Bornfree]

Can't see us dragging a plasma cutter and compressor into each customers house and risking setting fire to their carpet

I need to reach up, with one hand, inside a fireplace to cut what I need cutting too.

I used a 5" cordless grinder to do mine today.

 

[500e]

They do extra hard of set blades

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