iagsxr
Well-known member
What do we like for tin snips? Mainly cutting .040"-.060" aluminum.
Tin Snips
- Thread starter iagsxr
- Start date
ChevyEFI
Well-known member
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=472831 recent thread.
coljar
Well-known member
All of my left, right, and straights are Wiss.
SilverDeck
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2016
- Messages
- 481
anndel
Well-known member
Midwest - replaced my dulled left, right and straight Wiss with Midwest.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Ive tried the majority of whats out there, in a professional setting.
Malco Max2000 with the hard handles and coil spring performed best.
Funny when someone borrows mine, and later quietly upgrades to a pair themselves.
Edit: FWIW Malco proudly states their capacities in the link below.
I can attest to Al and Steel claims:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/hand_snipsmax2000aviation.pdf
Malco Max2000 with the hard handles and coil spring performed best.
Funny when someone borrows mine, and later quietly upgrades to a pair themselves.
Edit: FWIW Malco proudly states their capacities in the link below.
I can attest to Al and Steel claims:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.supplyhouse.com/product_files/hand_snipsmax2000aviation.pdf
Last edited:
Jim Caudill
Member
The OP is looking for snips recommendation for cutting .040" to .060" and you guys are suggesting Midwest aviation-style snips? I've got to try a pair of those out. For .060" I'm either using a saw or a shear.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Never had a problem cutting 16-20ga Al.
I should have mentioned that I have access to a stomp shear for long, straight cuts.
Most of the body of the car in my avatar is .060" with a few small .040" pieces. .040's no problem to work with even with my old, worn out snips, .060" was hard to make clean cuts. I may try .050" this time.
Thanks for the recommendations so far. I've heard Midwest are good. It's just hard to believe something can be both cheap and good these days.
Yeah, I kinda missed that requirement during my first read of the OP. A senior moment.
metaldad
Well-known member
midwest or malco
American Locomotive
Well-known member
Wow, bunch of great suggestions! Does any know of any snips (besides straights) that can reliably cut 16 gauge steel?
metaldad
Well-known member
metaldad
Well-known member
American Locomotive
Well-known member
I know about the power tools, I was just hoping someone made a 16 gauge hand tool.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
The newer AV line is offshore.
The Max2000 line is still Made in USA.
https://www.malcoproducts.com/category/snips/aviation-snips-offset-max2000/
Wamsutta
Well-known member
I've been impressed by the Wiss snips. Although they're only about $10 at HD, they will cut paper immediately after cutting steel banding material. They will also cut cellophane after cutting steel banding material.
Aww, I thought that Malco might have gone foreign. Their new line of screwdrivers and nutdrivers (well, since 2014 IIRC) went Chinese, but had hoped their line of steel tools was still stateside.
Midwest Bulldog snips are rated for 16 gauge cold rolled steel. I think they will be ok for the same thickness aluminum.
KnurledNut
Well-known member
Aww, I thought that Malco might have gone foreign. Their new line of screwdrivers and nutdrivers (well, since 2014 IIRC) went Chinese, but had hoped their line of steel tools was still stateside.
They still are.
That guy made a blanket statement that was not true.
Mohawk Dave
Well-known member
A good video someone shared on GJ years ago.
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qAOQfUaRZyw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qAOQfUaRZyw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
viikinki
Well-known member
One wote to bahco 583d and 584d. the best I have used
https://www.bahco.com/int_en/right-...hears-for-medium-hard-materials-pb_583d_.html
https://www.bahco.com/int_en/left-a...hears-for-medium-hard-materials-pb_584d_.html
https://www.bahco.com/int_en/right-...hears-for-medium-hard-materials-pb_583d_.html
https://www.bahco.com/int_en/left-a...hears-for-medium-hard-materials-pb_584d_.html
goldtang
Well-known member
Wiss left , right and straight had them since I about 1980 and a couple of old Gilbow have no idea how old bought them second hand and scores a set of Milwaukee left right and straight when I bought one of their tools just before Xmas not sure as not used them
Tinner
Well-known member
Cool! I know the new nutdrivers are the "stinky" cellulose acetate stuff, and - though the nut runner bits look pretty cool - I'm not gonna try the drivers. There's enough smelly stuff in the tool box.
HenryAZ
MEMBER EMERITUS
For straight cuts, I have come to love my NWS English Pattern snips. I have the largest model (078-12-300), with 75mm jaw length. Fully open, the handle ends are 12.5" apart. For some cuts, it helps to rest one handle on the bench and push down on the other.
In the process of making my own soffits. Why? Because none have been available in the width I need for 9 months!
Price of 24 gauge sheet is now twice the price of last yr., so screw that.
Bought 20” wide galv. 28 gauge flashing for the project.
Darned if every set of snips would not trim off a 1/8 or 1/16 edge. Wiss, Diamond, Crescent. Left and right.
Quick sharpening by running a 1/8“ cut off wheel along the near horizontal face brought them back to whisker cutters. Don't really know how they are supposed to be sharpened, but I have to assume it involves separating the blades first.
Price of 24 gauge sheet is now twice the price of last yr., so screw that.
Bought 20” wide galv. 28 gauge flashing for the project.
Darned if every set of snips would not trim off a 1/8 or 1/16 edge. Wiss, Diamond, Crescent. Left and right.
Quick sharpening by running a 1/8“ cut off wheel along the near horizontal face brought them back to whisker cutters. Don't really know how they are supposed to be sharpened, but I have to assume it involves separating the blades first.
Attachments
RTM
Well-known member
I usually sharpen without separating, often the pivot is peened over, and shears off when you try to remove it. I open them as far as they will go, and look for damage on the large inside faces. Fix that first, but try to use a very light touch. Then I work on the small bevel that does the real work, filing with an appropriate sized flat file, working from the pivot toward the tip, and from the outside towards the inside. You want to improve that bevel ‘til it comes to a reasonable angle, not a curve. Flip over and repeat. Try to file equally on both faces, and again, go no further than needed. If you go crazy filing, you might foul up the geometry, (don’t know, never tried With tin snips, but have over worked scissors and destroyed them.)
Just to throw another name in the thread about snips.
Klenk
klenk.everhard.com
Klenk
Klenk® Aviation Snips Archives - Klenk HVACR Tools
Klenk Division of Everhard Products has decided to discontinue the manufacture of our compound action aviation snips. Increased automation in metal cutting has decreased demand for our heavy-duty hand snips, so we have decided to focus our attention on other Klenk branded tools we manufacture...
klenk.everhard.com
1madmouse
New member
I have a pair of Klenks, but they seem to be too big for my hands, meaning they open a bit farther than I can open my hand. So I can't get a full cut with them. I also know when I went to get new Reds and Greens for sheetmetal work, they are Midwest, not Wiss and the offset jaw models cut circles better than the regular blades, at least in my experience. I seem to remember something about Cooper in snips.