Scissors for removing tiny 3D parts

[mm1ut1]

I recently purchased some 1/350 20mm AA guns and need to find a scissors/snips to make small precision cuts to remove parts from the rafts. Can someone recommend a good tool for the job ? Thanks!

[rdh]

I can recommend Xuron brand. Nippers/pincers should be used, not scissors as these will twist the part and often break it.

[Bill Oreto]

Premium OR Grade Castroviejo Micro Scissors 5.5 straight ophthalmic scissors. They are very sharp. Give a flush cut, with no jarring snap.That is useful because everybody seems to be using very brittle resin these days to print. I use them for all the very thin sprues found around detail I wish to keep. You can find it on Amazon.

For thicker attachment sprues I use the Plato 170 flush cut electrical wire cutter. Find it online at electrical supplier.

Neither cutter has ever disappointed me.

[Fin&Tonic]

I bought a set of Tamiya #74123 side cutters (on Amazon) several years ago and find them great for printed parts as well as for plastic kits with tiny parts attached to ever diminishing sprue gates.

[bgire]

After nearly one year of use I dropped (almost) ALL my cutters, scalpel, scissors, etc... for an ultrasonic cutter.
This device is now available from about $80 and does extremely fine and accurate job, even on injected plastic.
The trick is : don't apply pressure on the plastic, just let the vibrating blade do the job. Pressure will heat and melt the plastic.

As an example, here is a small video I did, showing clean cutting of very small parts on a plastic sprue (Flyhawk 1:700 HMS Martin). Images speak by themselves. Clean cut, no melting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gi-WVrbLF8

[David Sandifer]

bgire, what is the life of a blade? Blade replacement? Thanks

[bgire]

bgire, what is the life of a blade? Blade replacement? Thanks

Hello David
It depends on the blade.
- Steel blades have the same life expectancy as cutter blades
- Tungsten carbide blades have a longer life and harder, sharp cutting properties
- Ceramic zirconium blades have very long life, are extremely sharp for micro cuttings. Fantastic for those tiny 3D support and microscopic injected plastic parts. However, ceramic blades are rather fragile and can break if pressure is too strong.

Here in Europe I can find blades at euro 13 (about $14) per 24 piece packet.
For America:
Steel and Tungsten carbide blades:
https://www.hanboost.com/products/hanboost-blade-set
Ceramic zirconium blades:
https://www.hanboost.com/products/ceram ... eq=uniform
Polishing stones:
https://www.hanboost.com/products/hanbo ... eq=uniform

[wefalck]

I another thread here I suggested a pair of cutting tweezers because they exert a wedging force only into one direction: viewtopic.php?p=1069739#p1069739

[EJFoeth]

I followed your advice and recently bought the Weller 15 AGW tweezers; they are fantastic.

I no longer buy kits and have no reason to part parts, but the tool bgire posted seems to most useful too.

[mm1ut1]

I bought and used the Grade Castroviejo Micro scissors. They worked great for the 1/350 20 & 40mm AA guns.

[reigels]

Dr. Slick fly tying scissors are nice and sharp at a great price. Good for thin brass (and decal sheets). Probably not good for steel.

Micro-serrations keep the material from slipping between the blades.


https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M1ZXZS

[wefalck]

Keep in mind that scissors may cut very well, but they exert wedging forces in both directions, which may be problematic in case of brittle 3D-printed parts.

[Vladi]

Hi guys, in my experience is high-quality 3D prints (like Micro Master, Shelf Oddity etc.) have very tiny supports that can be removed easily using tweezers (pincette) simply by holding the support near to the part and wiggling slightly sidewise, it will snap. If the print material is more flexible, it helps to put the 3D parts into the fridge for some time, the material will become more brittle. FWIW

[pascalemod]

Premium OR Grade Castroviejo Micro Scissors 5.5 straight ophthalmic scissors. They are very sharp. Give a flush cut, with no jarring snap.That is useful because everybody seems to be using very brittle resin these days to print. I use them for all the very thin sprues found around detail I wish to keep. You can find it on Amazon.

For thicker attachment sprues I use the Plato 170 flush cut electrical wire cutter. Find it online at electrical supplier.

Neither cutter has ever disappointed me.

400 USD for some of these. Nice. Its like learning that you can use an optivisor, but also you can buy those dentist loupes for 4000 dollars.