I’ve been replacing some running rigging with Viper and having trouble cutting it with my usual tools. But I found an affordable solution and thought I might share it in case it is helpful to others.
I made a video and posted it here: Snip!
Brian Godfrey
Really interesting, Brian!
I’ve been doing a lot of futzing around trying to teach myself how to do things with Dyneema, and had made similar discoveries.
I first started with noticing that titanium coating seemed to be a key element, and bought a pair of no-name scissors (two for $15) that worked surprisingly well – at first. They lost sharpness after about 15-20 uses, though. I then popped about $40 for a ceramic knife that I’ve been using since.
The scissors you recommended look very promising if I need to switch again. There’s no point in trying to go too cheap if you plan to do more than a little with dyneema, as my experience showed. On the other hand, a lot of the marine store and rope company titanium scissors are either tiny or colossally over-priced.
Thanks for sharing this alternative.
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch e26U #233
Well I can’t predict their longevity, but they are well made and look like they should last a long time.
I hadn’t thought about using a ceramic knife. We have one I could have tried. But a knife requires a cutting board and scissors do not.
I think the tiny ones you mentioned are for cutting braided Kevlar and Dyneema fishing line.
Brian
I wonder if an Electricians version of the same scissors would help by preventing the line from sliding ? Or maybe sliding is good if blade is serrated?
Those look very promising, too. Sliding is bad. The cable cutting scoop might help by keeping the rope from sliding along the blades, but the tiny serrations on the ones I’ve got do the same thing.
And those look like 3-finger grips, not 4. Maybe you should buy a pair and let us know how they work. Their more compact size would make them an easier fit in the soft-goods toolbag…
TiN coatings have long been used in tool and die applications and add hardness and lubebrisity to tool steels. It is important that the base metal be of high quality and hardness as well. If it isn’t then once the coating has worn off the tool dulls very quickly.
Like they say ‘You get what you pay for’
Brian Cayer
The scissors Brian recommended are better if you have to cut in place. If you want to cut with a ceramic knife, it either needs a cutting block underneath or you need to bend the line across the blade (the same technique my father taught me as a kid for looking like a he-man by tearing phone books in half – if it’s bent, you’re only cutting a few fibers at a time).
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch e26U #233
