Snips

In standard tin snips, edges and handle are traditionally forged into one unit. The force required for cutting is determined by the ratio of edge length to the

handle length.

 

 

 

Compound leverage snips comprise a cutter head and a handle. The compound action produces additional leverage.

 

Right cutting snips are sharpened and designed so that they can cut right radii (i. e. a curve from left to right) easily. Left cutting snips are the best for radius cuts from right to left.

The common perception is that, right cutting snips are for right-handers, and left cutting snips for left-handers. This is not true. In fact, it is the other way round. If you, a right-hander, are cutting a radius (see above, from left to right), using right cutting snips, you have to cut outwards from your wrist. With left cutting snips, (radius is then from right to left) you can cut inwards from your wrist. This is considerably more ergonomic. Try it out once!

Shape and straight cutting snips
Shape and straight cutting snips are real "all-rounders". They can cut through a metal sheet (straight-cut) as well as cut large and small contours or radii (outlinecut). In this case, it does not matter whether you are cutting at the edge (edge cut) or at the centre of a sheet. You can naturally use shape and straight cutting snips for notching-operations.

Shape cutting snips
Shape cutting snips are best suited when you want fine and narrow radius cuts near the edges of a metal sheet. You can use the delicately shaped edge of these snips to cut extremely narrow shapes or curves without any problem.

Straight cutting snips
Do you wish to cut a metal sheet at the centre and / or near the edges? Then the perfect tool for you is the straight cutting snips. You can use long edges of this tool to cross-cut and notch large metal sheets quickly and precisely with less effort.

If the manual force is not sufficient for cutting the sheet metal, there could be two reasons for this. Either the blades are just dull, or the metal sheet may be too thick. When using hand tin snips, it is important to note that one should only cut sheet metals up to a thickness of 1.2 to 1.9 mm. This will vary depending on the type of sheet metal, however, as well as the quality of steel. 

Not only the quality of the snips influences the result. The correct handling of the tool also matters:

 

The metal sheet must be laid flat on the level jaw surface of the snips. Only in this way an optimum cutting pattern can be achieved by virtue of the cutting radii. It will warp if it is not flat on the jaw. Greater effort and shorter product life expectancy are the consequence of incorrect use.

 

For cutting, the snip jaws should be opened wide and the sheet metal pushed as far as possible into the jaws of the snips. The snips should not be completely closed when cutting: After about ¾ of the cutting length, open and close the snips again. Only in this way can a burr-free cut be made. If the snips are completely closed, small transverse tears occur with each cut at the end of the cut.

 

It is also important that hand tin snips are only used for cutting thin sheet metals made from soft metals and steel. They are not suitable for separating round and rectangular metal shapes such as wire. This would lead to blade breakage.