Aviation snips,,the end of the story,

Some of you may remember me asking about the makers and quility in looking for a new set of tin snips and the thoughts of adding them to the Christmas list,,

Well I recieved the 3 pair of Wess snips,,,I have already used them and they work fine,,,now the part of the story I was told yesterday.

It seems the Mrs. went to the local Ace Hardware and was approched by the salesman and armed with all the information she needed to make the purchase she stated what she was looking for,,,

He told her he knew what they are used for and ask her was I right or left
handed,,, HRP

 

hahahaa! thats funny!

 

LOL, great story.

Many moons ago I worked in the lumberyard of a chain home-improvement store. They made you carry snips to cut banding on the new lumber, and would outfit you from the tool aisle of the store.

Day one, there was this surreal moment when the store manager asks if I'm right or left handed.....they had this little checksheet because different department hires had different tools........and they have right and left handed snips on the list for my department.......because an LARGE chain improvement store has no clue.....on a national level.....what left and right snips are for.

Wow. I just let it slide. It was the first day after all.

Same place made me take a written drug test. Yeah, think about it. You know somebody somewhere failed.

 

So the Yellow ones are for both hands?


Don't know which Wiss snips you have, I have a set of three standard ones, Red,Yellow and Green.

A few years back I bought a pair of Red and Green Wiss snips that have about a 30-45* angle between handle and blades.
The blade area has a heavier casting as well.

I really like them, a better angle when cutting stuff flat.

My regular ones are fairly old and still work well because I don't force them to cut heavy gage stuff.

Got a big ol tinship for that....

 

Thanks for the laugh, I needed that. Amazing that we are sharing OUR air with these swashbuckling nematodes!

I think that 8th grade metal shop should be mandatory for everyone to take.

Bob

 

No, they're for ambidexterous people. Stores are required to stock them by handicapped laws and whatnot.

After I destroyed the first set, started carrying a set of straights, since that's what actually worked best for the lumberyard tasks. The other guys looked at me like I was crazy with their left and right snips. We'd have to go over it the same way every time, I carry the straights because that's what I am. Those left and rights are for those leading alternate lifestyles, and it's no business of mine if they were top or bottom but the color of their snips gave it away. I don't think most of em ever understood what it actually meant. Hammer and nail guys are (usually) a world apart from metalwork.

 

OK guys, I'm surprised nobody has answered this one already. They're not for left or right handed people.

Aviation snips cut to the right, to the left or straight. Like somebody said, they're usually red, green and yellow. I can't remember which is which, but try cutting a curve to the right with a right snip, then with the left snip and you'll see the difference immediately.

 

um we know that,thats the joke here. WE know it but a lot of other people don't

 

"I don't think most of em ever understood what it actually meant. Hammer and nail guys are (usually) a world apart from metalwork. "

now now , I was a self employed home builder for 20 years and no a self employed furniture maker for the last 10 and I'm not a bad metalworker either. An I've known for at least 40 years about right and left snips.

But thanks for the funny thread, and have a great new year.

jim h
NORSEWOODS Woodworking

 

I could never figure out why they called them tinsnips. They are actually sheet metal snips. Sheet metal may have a coating of tin to prevent rust. After we get ten or tenty more posts, someone will come on and tell us what the colors are for.

 

this reminds me of the time at work, we had a plant idiot, we had the entire weld department and the entire stock room making him look for welding glue for about 6 months, we told him they glued the metal together first,then melted it. anyway,sent him all over the plant, looking for a left handed tin snip that cut to the right. He never did find it.

 

Wonder what some of those sales people do when asked where the ******* files are?

That's a great story-thanks for the laugh and wishes of a Happy New Year to everybody!

 

I know that and you know that,,but the poor salesman sure didn't have a clue. HRP

 

OK, kiddies, Granpa will tell you why they are coloured that way.
Red cuts to the left.
Red is left or portside on a boat.
Green cuts to the right.
Green is right or starboard side on a boat.
Yellow .......cuts straight.....nothing to do with boats.....
I hope I'm right (starboard?)

 

i never used my greens much, i just turned my reds around and cut towards me.

 

My mother, when she was a teenager in the forties, worked for a short time in a five and dime store. She got upset and called the manager when some guy asked her for a "******* file". Later, as a young wife, when my Dad was installing indoor plumbing in the first house they owned, he sent Mom to the hardware store to get a couple of 3/4" "plumbing ******s". Mom couldn't remember and asked the clerk for two 3/4" plumbing ***s . . . He drew a blank stare then said "Do you mean ******s?" Mom turned red, then turned on heel, and fled. She told Dad to go get his own plumbing ***s! During her long career as a telephone operator she really got an education in foul language and even a drunken sailor wouldn't make her blink in her later years.

 

I just had to teach our shop helper the difference last week when I caught him fighting the metal with the wrong snips. He was amazed and I am still pretty sure he has no clue!
He also asked " if the red is left, and green is right then what the hell is the yellow one for???".

 

I worked in a funace shop when I was a kid (over 30 years ago) building duct work. I still have my lefts, rights, straights and sheers from back then. All made by Wiss and all still working great. Excellent tools.

 

One more reason Industrial Arts needs to be taught in our schools again!

 

Ask em where the lathe files are.

They're usually in stock....

 

At the parts store; "Gimme a set of piston rings for a blue 54 Ford."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What works really well for cutting the blued steel band on heavy packages is a pair of Klein lineman pliers.

Clamp down, pull up and twist a bit.
Comes loose with no probs.

Be careful you don't pinch your hand in the area between handles just back of the pivot.

Everyone does it . . . once....

 

Screw that. It's time for Dads to start being involved in their kids lives and p***ing the mechanical torch. My kids never set foot in an industrial arts cl*** and both my teen GIRLS can weld/mill/lathe/cnc plasma, ect. One also stripes, runs the English wheel,planishing hammer and is building a 34 ford pickup. Dads need to teach then (Moms need to as well).

 

folks don't know chit about the things they sell anymore.
I walked into a Radio Shack, I asked the salesman for a diode, salesman asked me, "whats a diode"?

I walked out........

 

Given the choice a right hander will prefer left cut and lefty right, plenty of people get by with one.

 

I just like the pretty colors!

 

Easy way to remember (or teach)

Red - Left - Port ............. shorter words

Green - Right - Starboard.....Longer words


Don't laugh - it works



.

 

There is a difference between Aviation Snips (or hand Shears) and Tin Snips;

Known as Avaition Snips, hand shears specifically suited to cutting curves and irregular shapes from light gauge (16 and up) sheet metal and plastic material. Aviation snips are also ideal for cutting inside circles and inside corners.

All aviation snips cut straight lines, but some are intended specifically for cutting either right-hand or left-hand curves. (The "hand" of the snips refers to the side of the blade that the waste stock falls to.) Grips are color-coded: yellow for a tool that makes combination cuts, red for left-hand curves, and green for right-hand curves. Aviation snips are generally available in a length of 10 inches.

Using aviation snips to cut sheet metal takes less effort than using tin snips for the same task: a compound lever mechanism gives more control with less hand pressure. The serrated jaws prevent slippage and withstand heavy use. Lugs on the handles help protect your hands from being cut. A metal latch on the side of the tool holds the jaws closed when the snips are not in use.

Still doon't know where the colors come from though

 

Its actually not that silly a question!
If you are only going to buy one pair, that is.
a right hander working on something that is loose, and able to be turned over/around, will generally use left hand snips, and the left hander, the opposite. although i doubt the salesman had the smarts to consider that...

i only have leftys and straightys, and can think of very few occasions when Ive really needed rightys. maybe less than 5% of the time. i really should get a pair though!!

 

Little OT maybe , but reminds me of a stop at the Wal Mart tire dept. I inquired about 16.5 tires. The counter guy couldn't find any in the computer so he tells me they never made 16.5 tires. So I ask for the manager.. he proceeds to tell me WHY there is no such thing. I took it with a grain of salt figuring he had probably just got promoted from men's wear or something.