What Are Wire Cutters?
Wire cutters are hand-tools used to cut wire such as sterling silver, copper, and gold-filled. The blade of the cutters are available in different configurations, including flush cutters, bevel cutters, end cutters.
How Are Wire Cutters Used?
Wire cutters are indispensable to jewelry designers who work with wire. There really is no substitute. They are used to cut specific lengths to fabricate various jewelry designs or to trim off excess wire after a piece of wire as been used, such as in a wrapped loop. Flush cut wire cutters are used when you want to get the wire trimmed off as closely (or as flush) as possible to whatever piece of jewelry you are working on so that the end of the wire is as flat as possible rather than pinched or pointed a little on the end. Bezel cutters leave a larger pinch or point on the end of the wire. End cutters will cut the end of a wire closely, but they are limited as far as use since they are only able to trim off wire that is fairly short.
What Should You Look for in a Pair of Wire Cutters?
When selecting a pair of wire cutters, considering the following tips:
- Flush wire cutters are normally going to be at the higher end of the price range, but if you want a very clean cut, they are worth the cost.
- Try to find a pair that have a spring handle. This will make your hands do a little less work and help avoid hand fatigue.
- You may want a few pair: a nice flush-cut pair for use with smaller diameters of wire and a less expensive pair that can handle thicker piece of wire.
- The quality of the cutters makes a big difference when it comes to the quality of the finished piece of wire jewelry, so for anyone seriously interested in wire jewelry making, this is the one tool you don’t want to economize on.
