Sheet Stock Chipping - is it the Combo Blade?

[Scott Balboa]

I have been engraving for almost 2 years and never encountered this until recently...

All the brass and aluminum sheet stock (that is color-coated) is chipping along the edges after cutting on the shear. It is a "combo blade", meaning it "can" cut plastic and metal. It hasn't been cutting plastic up to par, but of course with a laser you always have the vector-cutting option so I haven't worried about it. The brass stock, however, especially the black brass, looks pretty bad after being cut because of all this flaking. And there is no way around cutting this stuff! On a side note it does this whether or not I remove the plastic protection.

I'm assuming the "combo blade" is a bad excuse for both a metal and plastic blade seperately, but I wanted to get some feedback and see what you all thought. Or, has anyone been stuck with this blade and found tricks to alleviate this problem? Below is a picture showing what I'm talking about. Thank you all!

http://www.ateamawards.com/sitebuilder/images/BKBChipping-296x230.jpg

[Mike Null]

I believe a plastic blade will do a good job. I never heard of a good combo blade. I would doubt that you're getting a really clean cut on metal as well.

When plastic is too large for me to cut with the laser I use my table saw with a 90 tooth laminate blade and get very smooth cuts. I do have a guillotine metal cutter.

[Vic Harris]

From your photos I tend to believe your nshear is out of adjustment.
Vic

[Roy Nicholson]

Deos it give the same result if you put it in face down.


Regards

Roy N.

[Bill Cunningham]

Adjustment may be the problem, or just some crappy material.. I have a 24" plastics shear thats 20 years old, never been sharpend, chips plastic when I cut it, but it 'still' cuts coated metals without harming the coating. It usually bends a little lip on the cut edge, so I was just flattening it in the paper shear clamp, and still the coating is fine.. (I now have a metal shear as well, so no more edge lips) I wonder it the metal got a bad coating?

[Patrick Licata]

I've had the same problem occasionally. I believe it's the material and not the cutter. May be a bad batch not "cured" properly. Have had the edges pull up just from peeling the covering off.

[laura passek]

I've had the same thing happen, usually painted alluminum. seldom on brass.