Cutting -6 AN line
 

What’s everyone using to make clean cuts on the -6 stainless braided lines? I have fittings from Russell performance and nice stainless braided line but can’t seem to get a clean cut. Iv tried tape and everything but end up stripping the end out and don’t really wanna do it again considering they’re $10+ each. Any suggestions?

Summit sells a cheap pair of cutters that work good that also comes in handy on thick wiring.
ive used a really sharp chisel and tape in the past and one or two quick hard hits and its cut and u have to reshape but leaves a clean end.
seen some use fine tooth hacksaw but that leaves a mess imo but it works.

well I bought a 6” cut off saw from harbor freight that I thought would work perfect. And didn’t work out too well.

I used a pair of cutters specifically for ptfe from summit and they worked ok but not very well left many of the SS strands and ragged edges on ptfe. I used a very nice set of tin snips to finish it off. eBay has them very cheap 20$ or so

Buy a rotary cutoff tool or die grinder (air or electric) with a .3" dia 040-.062 thick cutoff wheel.

Put 2 wraps of masking tape over the line & cut through the tape.
It will leave a clean edge.

Thats kinda what I have but I believe the wheel is 5-6” or so. Iv tried the tape but doesn’t seem to cut very cleanly

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.per...e87cda393.jpeg
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A 5-6" grinder typically has a much thicker wheel.
Also black tape does not hold the braid tightly enough...it stretches from the heat of the cut & allows it to fray.

my best results are from clamping a hose clamp over the hose where i plan to cut, and run a 4" grinder with a thin cutoff wheel across the top of the clamp. It makes for a straight, clean cut. Blow compressed air through the hose from the opposite end to clean as much of the rubber dust as possible.

this gives me consistent clean cuts in comparison to using electrical tape.

I do the exact same thing! And the clamp can be ever so slightly loosened and slid down, it makes getting the nut on infinitely easier! No fighting frays

I’ll have to get some masking take and try again tomorrow. Thanks for the replies. It isn’t for nitrous, but figured nitrous section would be the best fit. It’s for a trans cooler line for my trucool cooler

I use the hose cutters from summit and they work great. Clean edge every time and no frays. I am careful to only use them on hose though, using it on wiring will dull the blade. I dont like the cutoff wheel because of all the dust and debris that can stay in the line.

Not sure how they could dull the blade anymore then an hose, copper is softer than stainless steel. They cut through 0gauge wire much easier and smoother than -12 hose from what ive seen.

Do you have a link to the cutters?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-900040/

after reading thru the reviews i forgot they do leave a couple straglers or strands you have to clean up but i thought they worked well enough for someone using it on rare occasion, esp considering the alternatives..

Is it ok to leave the masking tape on? I got some pretty clean cuts with the masking tape but taking the tape off made it impossible to put inside the end.

use the hose clamp method

Put the fitting on BEFORE you remove the tape...... remove tape, cleanup/reshape hose, oil threads, assemble, repeat...
also should lube/oil the flare ends/threads on all the fittings before you go to install the line, and clean them out if you used a cutoff wheel..

No tape will compare to the hose clamp method...

Hose clamp method left a perfect cut, but how are you getting the hose end on without taking the clamp off and letting all the strands go everywhere?

You guys are going to force me to make a video of why to get the hose cutters arent you? -_-

Cutters are clean and easy, might leave a few stragglers but Tin snips work to clear those out. I’ve done the cut off wheel method and prefer the cutters as they are clean and less debris to fall into the line.

Hose cutters are great without a doubt & I use them on rubber based braided line all the time.

Where I hesitate to use them is on hoses with a Teflon liner.
They tend to crush & deform the end of the Teflon so in this case I stick to a cutoff wheel.

If you've got 2 hands this will be easy.

Loosen the clamp like 5-10%, just enough to make it mobile on the braid. Get your nut ready, fit nut over hose, begin to install nut. Continue to loosen clamp and move it down while installing nut. 2 hand job, need a vise to hold the hose tho

Once the nut is on, unthread clamp and move to next hose

Something that worked really well for me was heat shrink. slide a piece on, shrink it, and then cut through the middle of the heat shrink. Holds everything nice and tight. then peel it off and put the end on.