Ping tom Gardner! OT how to cut nylon brush:-)

Tom, I am a refrigeration serviceman and this problem has come up a couple of times and each time we just muddled thru it and got a fair job of fixing it. Here it is. Some commercial walk-in-cooler door mfg use a nylon or similiar bristle brush for the bottom door wiper gasket (to keep the cold air in). The problem is that the concrete floors we set these doors on are very seldom level and the mfg provides a whopping1/8" or so adjustment on the wiper gasket. By now you see the door opens, but does not close because the bristles are bent and jam the door open. The only way the door will close is by nudging it. To remove the wiper assy. makes the doors look terrible and since there is no way of gaining more adjustment I trim the bristles about 1/8"- 1/4" and this fixes it. The problem is I can barely cut them with electricians side cutters. Tried tin snips, sharp scissors etc. to no avail. There has got to be a better way. I spent 2 hours today trimming about a 3' door wiper and both hands are sore. The bristles are about 1/8" thick and 3/8" tall and crimped in an aluminum channel. I think if you could clamp them in a metal break and score it with a utility knive they would cut. The problem is you can't hold them still. Any ideas? Thanks for any input you or anyone else can provide. Lyndell P.S. Did I mention that with good quality almost new side cutters I can only cut about 1/8" section at a time? I don't know if it is nylon or what. May teflon? :-) Brown to black color bristles. I am looking for a way to do this in the field, short of taking a tablesaw or something on the job. More specifically: I am looking for a miracle !

Reply to
Lyndell Thompson
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Dog toenail clippers.

These have a hole you can insert the bristle into and squeeze the handle.

See:

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as an example.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

How about clamping with a board on either side - keep brush held. And use a cutoff saw or angle grinder with a cutoff blade.

Might melt - but maybe a slower cutting - a slitting (small tooth) ? blade...

Mart> Tom, I am a refrigeration serviceman and this problem has come up a couple

Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

Try cable cutters. I like the plain ones fom Klein, as listed below:

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The blades are curved on both sides so slippery things like plastic don't slide away, like with tin snips.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

times and each time we just

walk-in-cooler door mfg use a

cold air in). The problem is

mfg provides a whopping1/8" or

close because the bristles

it. To remove the wiper assy.

adjustment I trim the bristles about

electricians side cutters. Tried tin

spent 2 hours today trimming

thick and 3/8" tall and crimped

score it with a utility knive

cut about 1/8" section at a

color bristles. I am looking for a

job. More specifically: I am

How about an electric hot knife like the kind used to cut foam. The manufacturer runs the strip brushes through a rotary cutter, not exactly applicable in the field.

Reply to
Tom Gardner

Hot wire foam cutter would do it easily.

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Reply to
Steve W.

Also if you removed the assembly from the door, clamped it between two sheets of plywood with a sheet of soft rubber perhaps, a skill saw would make fast work of the trim project.

Reply to
Roger Shoaf

Rather than using side cutters, consider "hard wire cutters" with a bypass cut. You may not need the "hard" aspect so much, but they would do nicely and better than side cutters, IMHO. Perhaps/probably available elsewhere, I got mine from a jewelry supply place, $15 or so. The shape of the cutter does not let the wire being cut skitter away.

You might also apply your brain to the alternate solution of figuring something to provide more adjustment in the attachment.

Reply to
Ecnerwal

Thanks to all for the helpful hints. I may try all of these to see what works best. I may have enough stuff around to build a wire cutter. Thanks again. Lyndell

Reply to
Lyndell Thompson

Ran into something similar.

Used a SHARP wood chisel and a mallet and cut on top of a piece of scrap wood.

Reply to
beecrofter

Excellant !! That is something already on the truck. Will give it a shot. Thanks Lyndell

Reply to
Lyndell Thompson

That one sounds like a winner.

End cutting pliers might be an option too. I was going to show a link but but Channellocks Macromedia server is down. A freaking jpg would have worked fine. Bah!

Wes

Reply to
Wes

I'd bet that the tile nippers with compound leverage that I paid a quarter for last summer would do a good but slow job. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Reply to
Gerald Miller

Or a handheld, blade and anvil type cutter as sold for cutting plumbing pipe.

A little more work, but portable.

Cheers Trevor Jones

Reply to
Trevor Jones
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In particular, the compound-leverage wire nippers from Starrett would do an excellent job. They even have the option of carbide jaws for use cutting a lot of music wire.

Enjoy, DoN.

Reply to
DoN. Nichols

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