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Installing some new brake cables on the road bike and my cutters, which cut SP41 fine, aren't cutting it and leaving a rough angled cut.
Are my cutters worn out or do I need a different type? If so what cutters do I need, ideally something I can get locally,
To get a good finish on a outer cable you need to clean up with a file or grinder. If you use a grinder be cearful about meeting the teflon liner. You will want a sharp pokey to open it back up. Many people don't bother tidying up the outer cut and have shit breaks.
A shit break always annoys... 😉
Cut a cm too long, insert old cable to end, trim with cable inside, remove cable inner and fit. Keeps the cable outer open and will be correct length. Otherwise, file off flat
Get some proper cable cutters.
The reinforcement is very hard steel so it's difficult to file the ends flat. An angle grinder or bench grinder makes a neat job, you can then open up the liner by poking something inside the end.
So long as not too rough and use good quality ferrules that don't split, then should be fine.
Cutter might be iffy though. Is it a proper cable cutter? Some will tend to crush the ends. Even then with decent cutters the end can get squished a little, but you can do another cut or squish it back into shape.
I use a proper outer cable cutter (wasn't too expensive) and an Awl to open out the crushed end. Leaves a nice neat end. Job done.
Surely being STW the answer is a artisan axe crafted by a man who only shaves with balds handcrafted in Germany
Thanks for the suggestions.
Proper cable cutters, albeit a few years old and from Superstar! Anyway, cut with the cutters, End of the cable in the yellow Shimano hose blocks, then in the vice and I've managed to file them pretty neatly.
I do the old-bit-of-inner-in-the-end trick, works well.
In an emergency I have been known to use a sharp cold chisel and lump hammer. Very effective, but you've got to go through in one hit or it mangles the end a bit.
For flat, coil wound casing:
Apply very gentle pressure on the cutter handles.
Rotate casing slowing until you feel one of the blades fall into the space between coils.
Then finish the cut, hard and fast.
Usually produces a clean and square cut end that does not need any additional work.
For woven wire casing:
Have a piece of inner inside, as above.