Thread: Gilbow Tinsnips

Is it possible to keep your old blades and just make a new hinge pin?

Most of the stuff around today, ain't a patch on the old stuff.

Ken

G'day Mick,
The secateur (Wiss) type snips are ok for rough cutting but as they have serated blades they tend to leave a ragged cut.
Modern Gilbow or Record or Irwin or whatever they are this week are now made in China I believe but by all accounts are still ok.
For mine, I would try to make up a replacement bolt for your oldies as I doubt the new ones will match them for quality.
Another option is to visit your local trash and treasure market and look for a secondhand pair, I've bought a few pairs that way and they are generally pretty cheap.
You could try ebay but with something like tinsnips you really need to see and feel them to be sure they are any good.
You might even pick up a buggered pair but with a good bolt you never know.
Cheers,
Greg.

Buy another pair of Gilbow's. The Wiss snips, while good for some things, aren't in the same league.

BT

Greg beat me to it it. I'm handicapped typing with one thumb. If the new Gilbows are Chinese, I'd agree with Greg about refurbishing your broken pair.

If you are lucky and its a std diameter a shoulder bolt from a fastener shop(bolts and nuts) that will fill the bill.

You may have to pack up the side it emerges from the snips with a washer or 2 so the thread can pull the nut down.Use a nylock nut.

Its that or wait for the Irwin rep who may or may not be able to source a spare.

If not a std diameter, drill the hole out to std shoulder bolt diameter.

The Gilbow snip jaws surprisingly are not too hard. I have dressed the blunt pairs with a file, so I know its possible.

It will be a damm sight cheaper than a new pair of Gilbows( make sure you are sitting down when you get the price)

Grahame

re furbish the old ones, Hi tensile bolt and nylock nut or maybe a shoulder screw if you can get one with the right length shoulder. The top edge of the blades can be gently ground to sharpen. If the faces of the blades are worn they can also be ground of you have a surface grinder or if not they can be lapped.
I refurbished an old pr of Gilbows over 25 years ago. Ground the top edge and spent a fair bit of time lapping the faces. Ended up that good I could cut paper with them. Still use them. Only thing to watch is if they have been ground to sharpen, you might have to take a bit off the little stops so they can close a bit further. If you do that, its also a good idea to take a bit off the ends of the handles where they curve around as it can be a real pinch point. I found that out the hard way

bollie7

Originally Posted by bollie7

I found that out the hard way

been there, done that.

Mick do you have access to a lathe?

Stuart

is that why they call em " belly pinchers"

Hmm, many very god replies.

Looks like the go will be to repair what I have, they were still cutting beautifully until I dropped them, shattering the bolt / rivet assembly thing.

Stuart, I don't have access to a lathe.

I have a small bucket or two, of nuts and bolts, as one does. Perhaps I can trawl through them and see if anything possible turns up.

After looking closely it appears that there is a rectangular opening in one handle, with a round opening in the other. Obviously designed to stop the axle turning.

I'm thinking here that with a nyloc nut and possibly an appropriate washer, that rectangular opening won't be required, or am I thinking incorrectly?

Bollie, cutting paper, must be impressively aligned and sharp.

Graeme, shoulder bolt. Never knew those were called shoulder bolts, just googled them. That looks like an idea. Purchase one big enough to be filed down on two sides, cut the bolt to length, then bolt's you're uncle!

Also other replies have some good suggestions, even a second hand pair with a good bolt, or should it be called a pin?

I didn't know the modern Wiss secateur type had a serrated cutting edge. With my Gilbow snips I can follow a straight line pretty closely, just need to wear gloves to stop cutting oneself.

More fiddling in the shed tonight!

Mick.

Many thanks to all who made suggestions.

I've rejuvenated the tin snips for the princely sum of 56 cents.

Which was the cost of an 8mm 1.25 pitch bolt, a nyloc nut and an appropriate washer.

Filing down two sides to flat to an overall width of 6mm on the flats measurement, enabled the bolt to fit perfectly and not turn.

A quick bit of fiddling with a thread file and all the threads worked perfectly. Bolted it all up, adjusted the tension and gave them a test, perfect.

I then sawed off the extra bolt, just shaving the nyloc nut, fine file over the nut, wipe clean, then wax over the bare metal surfaces.

I then proceeded with some serious sheet metal cutting, apart from a tired set of hands from the cutting and other stuff of the day, I couldn't be happier.

I found out that Gilbow tin snips are still manufactured in England, with a 300mm pair like my own selling for $43.50 inc GST. Apart from some slight cosmetic differences, they appear the same as my pair.

I did some research in one of my books and found out that Compound Action Snips are a steel and plastic set of snips with improved leverage when making curved or straight cuts in sheet metal.

They were originally developed for use in the aircraft industry, hence the moniker, Aviation Snips. Source: The Complete Book of Tools and How To Use Them, Albert Jackson and David Day, page 248.

Mick.

Good on ya son. Restoration is most rewarding.

Ken