Pete 367 in brass

[civic83]

this may be a stupid question, but how do you guys get such nice cuts in the brass sheet? I find if I use snips the edges arent very nice no matter how i cut it, you can see "pinching" and tooth marks from the jaws. is there different shears available that are better? the only sheet metal experience i have is from high school shop and we used a foot operated shear that made nice cuts but i dont have the room or budget for such a machine.

[Timmy]

There's no such thing as a stupid question! I've posted a pic of the cutters I use

I'm using .010 brass so any good quality scissors from a sewing store are the best choice. I also use a pair of my old snips from work, they work good, but yes they do leave a knurled edge which you can fix with a fine file. The pair in the picture are snap-on, but a quality pair of Wiss snips from a hardware store work aswell. I also use flush cutters. You can get them from your Lhs. I use these in very tight corners, and you need to dolly the brass smooth after which can cause or will cause some stretching in your piece. Another thing to consider, especially if your cutting long pieces is that both the scissors and the snips will curl the brass as you cut. Scissors aren't as bad as snips, but it will happen. So to solve this I use my little brake. Insert your piece, line it up as if you were going to bend it, then simply score the brass with a hobby knife or utility knife, bend it, fold it back and it will brake with a nice clean edge.
I hope this helps, if there's anything else feel free to ask

[Timmy]

Here's a quick update on where I am with my roof forming


Much more work to be done, but it's taking shape