Cutting really small pieces of solder.

[Ruedeleglise]

What type of cutter do you use for cutting small pieces of solder. My cutter is really rather brute force and ignorance! Are there special or recommended nibblers for this please?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Goldsmith]

When cutting silver solder I use a fine blade in a piercing saw to cut lengthways along the strip of solder and then I use small shears to cut off small squares of solder from the strips. For gold solder, as it is much thinner and wider pieces, I mainly use shears for cutting both ways.

James

[Dennis]

There is a nibbler, but as it only produces one piece of solder at a time, it's a bit useless.
The first thing most of us do, is to reduce the thickness in a rolling mill, or with a planishing hammer, until it can be cut easily with small shears, or stout scissors.
Following James Miller's advice some years ago, I also make the longitudinal cuts with a saw, and then cut across with my shears. This produces much neater pallions of even size. Dennis.

[china]

I use similar to this except they are made by a company called Gilbow who I believe have long disappeared
https://www.cooksongold.com/Jewellery-Tools/Straight-Shears-717.5cm-prcode-999-658

[Ruedeleglise]

So do I gather most if not all of you pre cut pallions? I have so far just cut “to order”.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Ianfs]

So do I gather most if not all of you pre cut pallions? I have so far just cut “to order”.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I cut a few pallions at the start of a job. If I have a large supply, they would only get spilt, lost, muddled up between grades. I use side cutters with my finger over the V side and let the pallion drop onto the bench.

[Ruedeleglise]

Yes that’s what I have done so far. However with normal cutters....or mine which may be a bit...you know what, I find it hard to be consistent with size or shape. I am tempted with the Cookson nibblers, but also like the comments I have seen. I am relatively so new that I can experiment....


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[china]

I also use wire as I use a lot of Argentium and that does not come in sheet form, so just use flush cutters or similar, being critical with size and shape is not really that much of a issue, I would suggest cutting undersize as you can always add more if you require it

[CJ57]

I just use my snips. I cut a couple of inches up the hard solder strip dividing into wire width and just cut off pallions for a job. I’ve tried being organised and cutting a lot in advance but I get sore fingers and then they can’t be cleaned if the air has got to them so I find it best to prepare the strip each time

[china]

I have to agree Caroline I always cut as I need, much easier to clean.

[misspond]

I bash my solder strips with a hammer until it's as thin as I can get it and then use stout scissors to cut strips down the length, hammer them back into some kind of order and then cut across to get lots of "bits". Most of them are pleasingly small, some a bit bigger so there's usually something available for whatever I've decided to make. And I don't make regularly, I've never found that the pieces cut three months or so ago need to be cleaned in order to melt. I snip them into tins, one for easy solder, one for hard.

[Ruedeleglise]

Well as ever, thanks for all your contributions. It just goes to show that “there are are more ways of killing a cat, that choking it with butter”....as the old saying goes. And by the way I like all cats except those that kill my song birds!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk