"Cutting brass tubing - How do you do it?" Topic

Inspired by James Roach, our much admired Olicanalad, I thought I would have a go at reflagging my 15mm Renaissance collection while rebasing it and would use "transferable" flags and banners by which I mean the flag or banner would be mounted on a piece of brass tubing which would slide over the wire flag pole.

Found some very thin and narrow brass tubing at my local hobby store and rushed home to get started. Unfortunately, I didn't give much thought on how to cut the tubing. My attempts so far have all left the tubing with a crimped end thereby rendering it useless.

Any suggestions as to the right tool for the job would be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Cheers
Kent

With a tubing cutter, the only way. Well, a Dremel works too, but is overkill, and only works on very small tubing….

I saw one youtube video where the guy took a razor blade and with the tube laying flat, rolled the blade back and forth. Others were using a small saw and miter box.

If you can find something that fits inside the tubing then you can can cut the tube and the form with good quality sharp wire cutters. Obviously the form that fits inside the tubing must be a very good fit (to stop the tubing losing it's profile) and must be disposable.

Thin wire or cable?

It's simple. And the tool is cheap and multifunctional.

You use a triangular sectioned needle file. The roughness of the file is enough to gently, and easily, cut through the metal. Junior hacksaws are just too 'ragged edged' for small gauge tubing.

You file / score around the outside of the tube, all the way around, using one of the sharp edges of the file until almost all of the metal on the 'cut' is removed, and just through on one side, then you snap off. If you cut the tube 1mm oversize it gives enough excess to then file flat if required.

James Roach.

Thanks for all the ideas and suggestions gentlemen. Will follow through.

Kent

Another one to recommend a tube cutter link . I found a good one foe £1.00 GBP in Poundland

x42

Tube cutter. As x42 says, they're cheap, and they're made to do the job. Much easier and more precise than anything else I've ever used.

If you decide to use a tube cutter, I suggest you still insert a tightly fitting piece of piano wire into the section you are cutting. I've had small diameter brass tubing collapse instead of being cut, but not when I had a wire inserted.

I prefer the Dremel with a cutoff wheel.

It'll make quick work of the job, and you can grind down the edges to be smooth as well.

Wear eye protection when doing this.

A razor saw will do the job and it's easy to take off any rough edges with a needle file.

Yep, what Mako11 said. Easiest/fastest way to go.

Note that they make tube cutters specifically for small sizes.

I recommend a tube cutter too, but I noticed that mine tends to pinch the end in a little.

Tube cutter all the way.

I have a razor saw for that sort of thing.

I bought a tube cutter, and tried using it.

It was only marginal, at best, due to all of the concerns mentioned above.

A Dremel is quick and clean.