saltydog Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 i'm working on multimedia kit that has included some tiny tubing for my gun barrels. i haven't tried cutting it yet, but i know i'm gonna have to cross that bridge soon. how do i cut this delicate stuff without pinching the end shut? TIA. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
grobber Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 If you are talking about brass tubes the way I do it is take a sharp xacto knife blade and then roll the tube on a table with the knife gently press down on it. after a few rolls you will get through the brass. You may need to file the end to get rid of burrs Rob Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saltydog Posted August 2, 2007 Author Share Posted August 2, 2007 thanks rob, i think it is brass. i'll give it a try. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FrankC Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 The easiest way I have found to cut steel tubing is to take some tamiya tape and wrap it around the tubing so that the middle of the tape is about where you want to cut, then take a Dremel motor tool and use the high speed cutting wheel to cut it. This generates quite a lot of heat so I hold the tubing with pliers. The Tape keeps the part from flying off into the abyss . Once the part is cut, you can then use the end of the dremel cutter disk to polish and even form the end of the barrel. Anyway - that's what I do. Regards, --Frank Quote Link to post Share on other sites
saltydog Posted August 2, 2007 Author Share Posted August 2, 2007 Hey, FINALLY i good use for my dremel tool! i will certainly try that one too. great idea FrankC. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
illithid00 Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I use a razor saw. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Big Kev Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 I tried the technique of rolling the brass tube under an Xacto blade, but I didn't find it satisfactory. It cut through eventually, but ruined the blade completely and the resultant cut was quite rough. Maybe I'll try the Dremel approach next time. Kev Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nick_wolf1 Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Old fashioned razor blade (the rectangular stuff) jagged with some hard tool, modeling knife for example. I've managed to cut off thick steel hypodermic needle with such home-made razor saw. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DevilsChariot Posted August 2, 2007 Share Posted August 2, 2007 Maybe this would work? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingSnowmew Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 A dremel can tear the heck out of thin diameter tubing. Make sure to use a lubricant to make a smooth clean cut. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LemonJello Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 I have one of the tube cutters, the only drawback is that you can't crank it down to cut the really small diameter tubes. For the 1/48 chainguns I recently made, I used a pair of my sprue cutters and a round file to open the end up again. Whichever end was the best, became the muzzle end and the other end was the breech end. The tube cutter is nice to have, though... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
toadwbg Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Maybe this would work? That looks handy, wish they had one that could cut down to 1/64th. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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