Okay here goes ;
The title says what the subject is .How well do you know the tool ?
Xuron and Tamiya and others have them .As do many of the other tool manufacturers .They may Not be called Sprue cutters though .
Do you like the ones you have ?I personally have at least six pair .Why ? Well look at yours .Does the blade surface come together Flat on one side ? Most actually don't .This to me is a flaw .
Why ? Well you always have a nub to remove then .Either by using a knife tip or a sanding stick . Then there's the problem of thickness at the tip .Do you have a hard time getting the tip between the Sprue and the part , especially when the space is tighter than the thickness of the tip will allow ?
How are you going to get that Engine throttle or Hand grip off the Sprue without breaking it ?How about that Carb assembly or Radar antenna ?
I have spent mucho bucks finding the perfect pair to no avail . here's some tips that will allow you to have a better experience here . First , Xurons are Good . The tip is heavier than it needs to be though . Laying it on you bench with the blades flat on the surface facing you , take a medium metal finishing file and gently file that thickness down at a very shallow angle . You want no more that 2 degrees of slant from the cutting edge to the top of the jaws .From the point to the back only
This creates a tip that will slip into most spaces with ease and do the job well .WARNING after doing this , DO NOT use these to cut heavy sprue anywhere ! I also use a pair of stainless Wire Cutters for brass .These have such a flat side , that the end they leave on one side doesn't even need dressing . Perfect for heavier Sprue cutting . Cut the Sprue if the part is buried in the middle , then cut the part off !
I cannot remind any of you enough , that all of us at times forget what we use a tool for and sometimes damage the jaw alignment by cutting something thicker than the cutters are made for .
To aleviate this problem I have the number of cutters I do .Two are for heavy plastic and soft brass rod . Two are for medium to light Sprue itself and that last two are for ONLY cutting the part off at the attachment point .
If you choose to modify the cutting jaws on your cutters , do me and yourself a favor. Do not do this with a power grinder of any type .Why? well , the power grinder of course will generate to much heat and damage the temper of the tips !
There are also cutters that Beaders use .Hobby -Lobby has them .They come in a moderate to slightly higher price point than Xurons and some lesser priced .These , for the most part have one absolutely flat side where the jaws meet .These are really better for plastic modeling than others .
Good Cutting ! T.B. P.S. Dressmakers shears work great for cutting sheet up to.030 , Don,t use pinking shears though ! ( Unless you WANT that zig-zag edge ! )