OK guys, joke's over...
Just got some large tubular Kevlar from Pratt Hobbies to use as part of the piston ejection system in my 1/4 Scale Patriot from PML for my level
Per both suggestions from others and my analysis of the system, I decided to use Kevlar instead of the strap that is provided.
It took me almost half an hour to cut through the Kevlar using a fairly sturdy pair of medium-sized dykes.
There's got to be a better way! Any suggestions?
David Erbas-White
Companies that sell Kevlar cloth mention needing special shears for cutting it, hence your problems I should imagine.
A quick Google turns up things like this:
Do you have a benchvice? Clamp your tubular Kevlar in the vise, pull it taught, and cut it off with a razor.
^^^^^^
ITYM "taut". "Taught" means that some teaching went on, while "taut" means that it was pulled until there was a lack of slack.
- Rick "Does lack of Slack mean pulling it Gentooly?" Dickinson
They got those at WalMart, right? :)
Good stainless steel scissors will cut it, but if you cut a lot of it, the scissors will get dull. I bought a $5 pair from Target that I only use for cutting kevlar strap and cloth.
Harbor frieght sells sissors that cut anything mostly for $3.
some times they are on sale for 99 cents and I buy ten of them.
Well, I found out that the reason I was having problems was BECAUSE I was using dykes.
Tried cutting another length today with a cheap pair of scissors from Costco, no problem.
I hate it when the simple answer (that I overlooked) turns out to be the best...
David Erbas-White
Sorry you had a problem. Diagonal cutters aren't the best choice for Kevlar. I use a heavy pair of Fiskar scissors with padded handles to cut my Kevlar cords. Any decent scissors will do it. Fold the cord where you want to make the cut, grab the loop in your left hand, and pull back against the scissors as you cut (assuming you're right-handed). The main requirement is extreme stubbornness.
Doug Pratt dad-at-pratthobbies-dot-com
David Erbas-White wrote:
:)
How do you loop it? Or do you?
Try wrapping it tightly with masking tape where you want to cut, then cut thru the center of the masking tape. Keeps the fibres from shifting and makes for an easier and cleaner cut.
Don't use your wifes good sewing scissors unless you've already got a new pair to replace them with. Kevlar will ruin good scissors, use a pair of kitchen shears or craft scissors.
If those scissors were any good you wouldn't have to buy 10 of them...
Bob Kaplow NAR # 18L TRA # "Impeach the TRA BoD" >>> To reply, remove the TRABoD!
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