15 replies to this topic

[Petrie]

I recently tried my first brass barrel mod, but i used a pipe cutter and it bent in my 17/32 brass pipe luckly i eventuly fixed it. i also tried to cut it with a hack saw and it took forever and still was not a clean cut and i had to use a grinder to fix it up

how do you recomend i cut my brass next time??

[tucker]

Using a pipecutter is possible .To prevent your brass from bending simply tighten it very very gently each turn (take your time with it) and it should come out fine.

Edited by tucker, 05 April 2006 - 08:44 PM.

[NerfMonkey]

I like to put the brass in PVC and then put it in a vise and cut it with a simple hacksaw. The PVC keeps the vise from crushing or bending the brass and makes cutting a whole lot easier because the blade won't slip around on the brass since your blade goes in between the walls of the cut in the PVC. The edges are a little rough but you can just use a file to fix them up.

[GeneralPrimevil]

If you were taking a long time with a hacksaw, perhaps you do not know how to use one properly or need more practive. The stainless steel components for my SOBR have thicknesses (be it wall or whatever) much larger than brass. Not only that, but SS is a good 190x as strong as brass. I can get through that tubing in less than a minute; way faster than any pipe-cutter for that size pipe. The square stock takes a bit longer, so I use a Dremel with a cutting wheel. Either way, when I was done cutting, it cost me both a cutting wheel and a hacksaw blade.

When I use a pipe-cutter on softer metals (such as copper) versus hacksawing it, the hacksaw always takes less time. Whenever one is cutting a softer (PVC, brass, copper) pipe with a pipe-cutter, always take your passes in increments. Don't just dial down on the cutter hard to start with. That's just stupid.

[lilsniper]

Dremels work great.

[The Fallen]

Speaking of brass piping I was futhering the modifications to my maverick and was wondering "would it be wise to make/put a brass barrel on the front and if so would it increase range or accuracy?"

[fobpawwor]

Im with lilsniper, dremels work wonderful. They can cut it nice and fast, with little shreds. Then if there are shreds, use the sander head and sand it off. Its so easy!

[AirApache]

If you don't have a dremel, I'd go with something serrated over something like a pipe cutter. The cutters tend to leave a lip that on the brass that takes extra tedious time to remove, whereas something like a saw leaves a rough cut but retains the radius of the brass.

[Forsaken angel24]

I have tried a bunch of different ways and the best way I'd say is to use the pipe cutters and go around slow. Just like how Tucker said. If it does leave a lip use your triangular part of the pipe cutters that folds out and put it in and twist around untill its flush.

Whenever I use a dremel it never comes out straight and I hate sanding the jagged peices off.

[Petrie]

thanks alot you guys are very helpful
i really think i should invest in a dremel about how much are they??

[ompa]

Amazon.com

And please try to use some capitalization. Follow the Code of Conduct.

~ompa

[Drano]

This place is better.

http://www.harborfreight.com/

Do a search for "rotary tool"


Its the tool resource for weekend project people
or people with no money.

Dont expect Makita quality. But it will get the job done.

Edited by Drano, 10 April 2006 - 07:11 PM.

[Carbon]

Yeah, Harbor Freight is a good source for a lot of low-end tools. They get the job done, and cost a lot less.

As far as your hacksaw problem, sounds like you need a new blade. Brass is soft enough and the tubing thin enough that it's a fast job. I don't like using a pipe cutter because of the "lip" problem (which could also mean my pipe cutter is just dull). If you end up with one, though, you can get rid of it by flaring the tubing end back out. I just use a needlenose pliers (take a look in my pump breech writeup to see what I mean.

[Spartan064]

Dremels work great.

no they dont

Speaking of brass piping I was futhering the modifications to my maverick and was wondering "would it be wise to make/put a brass barrel on the front and if so would it increase range or accuracy?"

no it would do nothing there id a gap between the turret and the muzzle. it would be like an unneccesary leap of faith

[rotoryfan]

[hmmm... it seems that NH got a new look...] for my first time cutting brass, I wasn't sure what to do, and I had this shiny new bits set for my dremel... and Iwasted a cutoff wheel, but the dremel got the job done. friendly word of advice: wear gloves and eye protection, and be very steady and careful: you don't want cutting wheel shrapnel in you.

I wouldn't use pipe cutters, because it takes more time and energy to fix the lip, than to get out a power sander and sand down the edges. (tip: When I'm finished, I take a hammer to flatten the remaining edges, coming straight down on the top, to flatten it, without bending or denting the pipe.)

[fobpawwor]

Well I was with Ace Hardware one day, and they had a rack of power tools on clearence. So I was looking around at it and I spotted a 25.00 dollar Dremel. It was great, it came with 10 heads and it had a very high adjustable RPM speed. So far, Im still using this dremel, and it works beautifully.