# Cutting brass shim stock



## porthos (Nov 22, 2020)

trying to cut some brass shim stock for a small project. used wiss cutters; and the shim stock (.017) curles and bends. i was able to clean the pieces up on the belt sander. but, is there a way to get clean cuts on thin  stock (brass , aluminum and copper)??


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## JimDawson (Nov 22, 2020)

Try some heavy scissors.


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## markba633csi (Nov 22, 2020)

Tin snips or heavy kitchen shears


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## Mitch Alsup (Nov 22, 2020)

I use a peening hammer on my (flat) anvil to tap the bent edges back down.
Lots of high speed little-bitty blows mainly with the flat side, but with the peening side as needed.


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## benmychree (Nov 22, 2020)

I would add to the suggestions above, that they should be sharp.


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## NC Rick (Nov 22, 2020)

I have one of those old time paper shears, you know, with the green platen and a hinged knife.  I use it on shim stock up to 20 thou.


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## Dave Smith (Nov 22, 2020)

I use the thin cutoff discs in a dremel type tool or a paper cutter


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## Jim F (Nov 22, 2020)

JimDawson said:


> Try some heavy scissors.


This


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## Bi11Hudson (Nov 22, 2020)

I use a lot of brass shim stock. .004 and .013, in my model building. I usually cut it with a pair of sewing scissors. *Not my wife's*, I bought a pair for shop work. I also have a pair of small sheet metal shears, but I don't use them very often. They leave too strong a burr. 0.017 is not that much thicker than what I use, you might try cloth scissors. They cut clean, with little or no curling. Avoid the type that have irregular edges, use the smooth type.
.


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## whitmore (Nov 22, 2020)

porthos said:


> trying to cut some brass shim stock for a small project. used wiss cutters; and the shim stock (.017) curles and bends. i was able to clean the pieces up on the belt sander. but, is there a way to get clean cuts on thin  stock (brass , aluminum and copper)??


If it's really thin, just put the piece burr-side down on a flat surface and rub it down with a stick or dowel.
For more demanding items, I've done electrochemical machining (print-and-etch) to get
thin material to a suitable shape without straining the metal.


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## Winegrower (Nov 22, 2020)

My DiAcro 24” shear does a perfect job from 0.080 Aluminum down to 20 pound printer paper.   Both sides of the cut are left undeformed.


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## nnam (Nov 23, 2020)

Maybe another option is sandwiched between wood pieces and use bandsaw.


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## walz10 (Nov 23, 2020)

I’ve used good shop scissors with good success and not much burr. The last time I had to cut some all I could find in my shop was a pair of surgical scissors and that worked really well on .020 brass. I’d think that if you wanted to have no burr you might want to try laying the stock on something similar to a cutting board and take multiple passes with a utility knife. I haven’t tried this and obviously wouldn’t be fast but you may be able to avoid a burr or bent edge with this method. There are plenty of good suggestions above as well. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## addertooth (Nov 23, 2020)

Dremel tool with a narrow abrasive wheel for shim under a 1/16th inch thick.  Thicker can be done, but takes some time.
For 1/32 or thinner, go to your local engraving shop.  They have to cut brass plates to engrave.  Their cutters do an amazing job without curling.


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## eugene13 (Nov 23, 2020)

nnam said:


> Maybe another option is sandwiched between wood pieces and use bandsaw.


I've used this method to cut thin .005 stainless steel shim stock with a hole saw.


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