Every modeler should have the best tools available when building a layout or finishing a scale model. An assortment of hand tools is essential because you will work with various materials, sizes, hardness, and shapes. When cutting piano wire, steel, or other hardened wire for your diorama or plastic model, the best tools for the job are the Xuron® 2193 or 2193F Hard Wire and Cable Cutters.
Key Features
Thicker Blades: These cutters have thicker blades than standard flush cutters, ensuring they can withstand the hardness of various wires without denting. Xuron® Models 2193 and 2193F Hard Wire Cutters are the only tools you should use to cut piano wire, steel, or other hardened wire.
Clean Breaks: The bypass mechanism ensures a clean break of the wire rather than squeezing it, resulting in minimal post-cut cleanup.
Versatility: Both models work well on stainless steel, nichrome, spring wire, music wire, and more.
Differences Between Xuron® Models 2193 and 2193F
2193: This large, full bypass shear is explicitly designed for cutting music wire and other types of hardened wire. The cutting blades of the Model 2193 fully bypass, causing it to break the wire rather than squeeze it. Its shearing cut combined with high mechanical advantage makes cutting iron, hardened and tempered steel wire up to 0.40” (1mm), and soft wire up to 12 AWG (2mm) seem effortless. Support both ends of the wire with your fingers while cutting for best results.
2193F: Equipped with self-adjusting wire retaining clamps, it can cut wire up to .064” (1.45 mm) in diameter. These clamps hold both ends of the wire perpendicular to the jaws throughout the cut, producing a square cut and reducing the chance of wire pieces flying off.
Using Xuron® Hard Wire & Cable Cutters – Models 2193 and 2193F for Scale Modeling
Choosing the Right Cutter
- ♦ For wires up to .040” (1 mm), use the 2193. This tool is excellent for cutting push rods, throttle cables, carbon fiber rods, and nichrome wire.
- ♦ For thicker wires up to .064” (1.45 mm) or when concerned about flyaway pieces, use the 2193F. It can be used to cut piano, silver, gold, and copper wires and is suitable for cutting twisted throttle cables.
- ♦ Xuron® Models 2193 and 2193F Hard Wire Cutters are the only tools you should use to cut piano, steel, or other hardened wires. Cutting hard wire with our other flush cutters will yield disappointing results. It’ll also leave telltale dents in the blades and void their warranty.
Setting Up:
- ♦ Safety Precautions: Always wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from potential debris when using these cutters.
- ♦ Position the wire between the blades, ensuring it is perpendicular to the jaws.
- ♦ For the 2193F, allow the self-adjusting clamps to secure the wire.
Making the Cut:
- ♦ Squeeze the handles firmly to achieve a clean, precise cut. The bypass blades ensure a smooth finish.
Post-Cut Cleanup:
- ♦ Thanks to the design, little to no additional filing or sanding is required, saving time and effort.
Personal Experience
As an experienced scale modeler, Gerald Voigt praises the Xuron® 2193 and 2193F as essential tools. He notes, “Whether adding scale-realistic antennas, handles, linkages, or rails or reinforcing weak parts like landing gear with rigid and strong hard wire, having Xuron® hard wire and cable cutters on your workbench is indispensable.”
Conclusion
In conclusion, having the proper tools significantly impacts the quality and ease of your scale modeling projects. The Xuron® 2193 and 2193F Hard Wire and Cable Cutters are indispensable for any modeler working with various types of hard wire. Their exceptional design, including thicker blades, a bypass mechanism, and wire retaining clamps, ensures clean and precise cuts while minimizing the risk of damage to the wire and the tool itself. By choosing these cutters, you invest in reliability and durability, making your modeling experience smoother and more enjoyable. Embrace the precision and efficiency that Xuron® Hard Wire and Cable Cutters offer, and elevate the standard of your scale models.
Subscribers Always Win!
We randomly choose one name from our Scale Modeler’s Toolbox subscribers for a subscriber-only giveaway nearly every month. Our upcoming July newsletter will feature this blog post and offer active subscribers their choice of winning the Xuron® 2193 or 2193F. It’s not too late! If you’re not yet a subscriber, please sign up below and upload an image of a finished model or work in progress, along with a short description. Any photos you upload may be shared on our social media accounts, with our email subscribers, or on our blog. You will receive credit for any photos we use. We’ll tag you when publishing if you provide us with your social media profile names.
The drawing to win these tools will be on Monday, November 18, 2024, with the winner notified shortly thereafter. You will have 48 hours to respond to claim your prize, so please keep an eye on your inbox. After that time, if you have not claimed the prize, it’ll be offered to another subscriber.
