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Soft stranded copper wire cutting with Skeletool and Juice

00 Offline Sam Lim

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Particularly these 2 model types. Using the "soft" cutter (not the hard wire notch) on the pliers, wire usually just folds over and jams the plier. Anyone facing issue on this?


gb Offline Fuzzbucket

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Re: Soft stranded copper wire cutting with Skeletool and Juice
Reply #1 on: January 25, 2018, 07:22:02 PM
I've had this issue with nearly every Leatherman I've had, the only one that worked cleanly every time was the Squirt E4 which was ace!!! I stupidity sold it... I am an imbecile at times.  :facepalm:


00 Offline WWW

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Re: Soft stranded copper wire cutting with Skeletool and Juice
Reply #2 on: January 25, 2018, 10:21:41 PM
My Wave is great at not cutting stranded wire!!! Anvil style cutters would do better IMO, but then again the Wave is the only plier based multitool I've got.


gb Offline AimlessWanderer

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Re: Soft stranded copper wire cutting with Skeletool and Juice
Reply #3 on: January 25, 2018, 10:51:19 PM
Particularly these 2 model types. Using the "soft" cutter (not the hard wire notch) on the pliers, wire usually just folds over and jams the plier. Anyone facing issue on this?

Are you left handed? Sometimes wear on a plier pivot can affect bypass cutter in the same way as a left hander struggling with scissors. I'd suggest working through the following...

A) Check cutters for bruising/deformation, and correct with a file if necessary.
B) Try using your other hand
C) Be mindful of whether cutting faces are being pushed apart or pulled together as you operate the pliers (if you open or close the pliers without cutting, you can sometimes feel the faces rub if you've got the handles loaded the right way)
D) Tighten up plier pivot with a hammer and centre punch.


The cantankerous but occasionally useful member, formally known as 50ft-trad


us Offline NKlamerus

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Re: Soft stranded copper wire cutting with Skeletool and Juice
Reply #4 on: January 26, 2018, 05:23:33 AM
I've had no problems cutting with mine, your not cutting some Size 4 AWG or something are you??

I actually prefer the original Wave plier head for wire over the Rebar/Surge head, much easier to line it up on the actual cutting jaws.


00 Offline Sam Lim

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Re: Soft stranded copper wire cutting with Skeletool and Juice
Reply #5 on: January 26, 2018, 10:46:30 AM
I am a electrician by trade, as i mentioned before in my other threads. Having a cutter that can cut stranded cables is a must. So I am always very pissed when I got a MT with cutter than simply cannot cut soft wires. I think the usual practice of most people, including me, use a tiny diamond file to sharpen the cutter. how to tell if its sharpened? using finger nails as gauge rite? Did the same for all my juices but none of them will cut. Most will only cut the insulation and fold over the copper strands. Well what I found out yesterday, or maybe I am just late to the party.. The tip of the Juice cutters are very rounded. Most of us will stop filling once we have the cutter sharp enough for fingernails. It works for most pliers but not on juice.  I pick out Juice because, they are really really rounded. A considerable amount have to be filed down on the juice to make it good. If not done enough, even when you think its sharp enough, the wires will still slip thru as the 2 sharpened cutters still do not meet.


Have a good look at your cutter. if it doesn't cutter, it probably not because its not sharp, its simply not meeting at the cutter. Juice have very long teeth. Do not be afraid to file down hard on it. I took off almost close to 1mm to clear the rounded tip.

On the left is stock, right is filed down.

You know you have a good cutter when the part you snips flies off when you cut. All my Juices does that now.

Of course, You will need a decently tight pivot for it to work. All my Juice pliers drops open by gravity. So they are not that super tight kind of tight.
To fix loose plier pivot, see here before reaching for the Hammer and punch..
https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,75195.0.html


 

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