Hey there, I’m after some jewellery making advice. I use a jeweller’s saw to cut metal into shapes, however I’m not great at cutting straight lines! I can order silver in the lengths I need, but metals like copper come in fixed sizes. Can anyone suggest a good tool for cutting small pieces of metal in straight lines? Thank you! Mandie
I use a ruler/ set square/ permanent marker (I can’t draw a straight line) and then tin snips. I have a pair of draper snips for thinner sheet and a pair of hefty stanley avaition snips for thicker sheet (all purchased via amazon but you should be able to get them at a hardware store). The permanent marker comes off with nail polish remover.
Thank you Sasha, much appreciated!
I should add the aviation snips are for when I’m cutting 1mm + thick copper/ aluminium sheet for cuffs and are massive so depending on what you are cutting you might not need them. The draper snips are much more useful and manageable.
Another good tip is to get some wax (your supplier should sell in little blocks) and run your saw blade through this periodically while you are cutting to keep things going smoothly.
Also, practice makes perfect with this, get a piece of copper or brass and mark out lines to practice. Use fine enough saw blades (2/0 are a good all-rounder)
xxx
Sasha, can I use the draper snips on 1mm copper?
Thank you, much appreciated
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You can but they struggle especially if you are doing any long cuts and I found that it blunted them quite quickly. When I’m cutting cuff blanks I use the aviation snips for the long edges and then the drapers for shaping the ends. If you are only cutting small pieces you might be ok.
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I just had a look at your page, your jewellery is wonderful xx
Thank you Lucy! Your jewellery is beautiful; I love simple (uncluttered), delicate jewellery x
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