GodHand Flush Cutter

[C855B]

@CRudeME turned me on to the GodHand precision flush cutter:

  https://www.ebay.com/itm/God-Hand-SPN-120-Ultimate-Nipper-5-0-For-Plastic-Model-Kits-Gundam-Pliers-US/233164010791

It is absolutely Da Bomb for cutting supports. Very sharp, cuts super smooth and flush with very little effort.

It might not be news to some of you, but I searched and found no mention of it on the forum, so here it is FWIW.

[MK]

Pricey!   

[Chris333]

It would take me like 30 seconds to ruin those on piano wire 

[C855B]

It would take me like 30 seconds to ruin those on piano wire 

No $#!+. Very little English on the packaging other than several "PLASTIC ONLY!" warnings. But do you use your Xuron flush-cutters on music wire? I think not.

Much smoother and lighter touch than the Xurons, by far.

[Chris333]

I know, but I can still ruin them. I trim PB wire with toenail clippers. They wear out over time so I bought 15 pair of them on e-bay.

[wvgca]

i never thought of toenail cutters, lol
for me it was easier to just get another pair of Xuron cutters, and not worry about which ones to use for piano wire ..
they would get marked up some, but it takes a while, and they are really not that much to buy again , figure on one pair every five years or so, and they can be ground down to resurface them ..

[Tom L]

Why does almost anything Japanese have to have those creepy little animated characters on it? Even the most unrelated thing, like tools.

Thank goodness Kato doesn't put that stuff on their packaging.

Rant over

Tom L
Wellington CO

[peteski]

Much cheaper are sprue cutters, which are just specially shaped heavy duty tweezers.


Umm-USA carries 3 types.  Look under
http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/index.php?cPath=21_28
They have lots of other very useful hobby tools (check out the sections of their website).

Micro Mark also carries them, and you can probably find them on eBay and Amazon too.

[C855B]

Much cheaper are sprue cutters, which are just specially shaped heavy duty tweezers. ...

Used 'em. Not the same thing, not the same result. Thanks anyway.

[Mark W]

I've looked into them before but ultimately decided against them, and not just because of the cost.  I have no reason to question the many glowing reviews I've seen, however it's a specialty tool built for plastic kits, and from it's perspective, resin supports are a very different animal. 

Mainly, I read about how the GodHand 'slices' through gates rather than cuts or nips, so no doubt it has a very sharp edge.  However UV resin as a material is very difficult to actually slice.  Instead, it essentially shatters. 
I fear if using a GodHand, rather than cleanly 'slicing' through the support, allowing the nipper jaw to close smoothly, the UV Resin will shatter away, granted in a very clean and desired way, but leaving the jaws to close against nothing, or basically "dry firing" the nipper.  I would be interested to see the effects of cutting UV supports over time has on the cutting edge.  I might recommend adjusting the set screw so that the jaws never fully close, therefor never actually 'dry fire'.   Maybe a 1 or 2 thou gap should do it, yet maintain virtually identical results in cutting UV resin. 


Paul Budzik has great video on the topic:

[Chris333]

Crap didn't even notice we were in the 3D forum 

I just rip em' off 

[C855B]

I've looked into them before but ultimately decided against them, and not just because of the cost.  I have no reason to question the many glowing reviews I've seen, however it's a specialty tool built for plastic kits, and from it's perspective, resin supports are a very different animal. ...

Aware of the difference between resin and plastic, I thought it was worth a try anyway. Certainly not the most I've spent on a "see if it works" tool or material, not by a long shot!    Unfortunately I learned about the shatter characteristics of resin the hard way a while back, ruining a bit of FormLabs output trying to clip off supports with a Xuron cutter (...wrong!...). The GodHand seems to do the trick rather well so far.

You have made me curious if the blade actually strikes the anvil as issued from the factory. Maybe not - there is an adjustable closure stop, so I'll grab the feeler gauges and see what's up.

[Chris333]

Seriously. I clean the parts in alcohol and then rip the supports away before curing. They are still a little soft then and pop right off. If there is something delicate then I slice them away with an Exacto blade.

Even trucks with delicate brake hardware, just rip them off and expose.

[C855B]

Unfortunately with what I'm working on - the depot windows, for instance - the support attachment points are about the same size as the detail. There ain't gonna be no rippin'.

But you raise a good point, I've been curing first. It might behoove me to cut the supports off before sending the parts to the tanning booth.

[Lemosteam]

This pic shows its a shear, not a compression cut.  One side sharp, the other an anvil as Mike indicates. 



@Chris333, you may have just made me rethink getting my own Photon as one of my biggest beefs is the shatter effect or removing the supports.