Depending on how heavy (thick) the metal is, you may be able to use a pair of "diagonal," or "side" cutters. They look like pliers with sharp edges. You'd then need to dress the end of the piece as it'd be deformed a little from the cutting. I'd try the cut first away from where you want the finished cut to see how much it crushes the metal.

Another choice is a fine hacksaw. Or, an electric "Dremmel" tool with a "cut-off" wheel would give the best edge on the piece.

A dremmel is a nice tool to have around anyway for all sorts of hobby-related work. It spins at very high speed and will take all sorts of cutting, grinding, sanding, etc., little tools. They're pretty inexpensive.

Hi,
I have a Dremmel and will give it a try. I also have used our hacksaw with not much success. I'll let you know how everything works out :)

Thanks for your reply!

Mary Ann

Use a 32 teeth per inch blade in a hacksaw, or invest a few dollars in a jewelers saw (looks sort of like a coping saw) and some fine tooth blades.
When cuttin, the tooth count should be selected to keep at least 3 teeth in contact with the metal during the cut. A shallow angle allows the use of a coarser blade then a perpendicular cut.

You can get a jeweler's saw pretty cheap. It's like a coping saw with very fine toothed blades. It would allow you to cut curves if you wanted. There are plenty of online suppliers of jeweler's tools if you're not by a big city.

:) I get more use out of my coping saw with a metal-cutting blade than I do out of my jeweler's frame- even the coarse blades are too fine for me, and I snap them like pretzel sticks.

a side cutter- or borrowing a friend's bolt cutter, will do just fine, then you need a grinding wheel or a ba$tard file to clean up the edges.

after that, it's not hard to bend them with a pair of big pliers- if you're doing this for things to sell, I would use leather between the jaws and the handles, to prevent the teeth from chewing up the silver.