James River Branch: Tools and Supplies

Tools: Diagonal Cutters

At some point you'll need to cut steel wire, and you won't want to ruin your flush cutters doing it. This is where regular diagonal cutters come in; also, they're useful for wiring jobs, when you don't need a fancy finished cut. Since these will be small jobs, given that it's for small-scale modeling, it's a good idea to get a smallish pair of diagonal cutters so you can get into tight spots on the layout.

Just getting started? Diagonal cutters are fairly ubiquitous. Often you'll find the smaller ones in the electronics tool section, if there is one. I would tend to avoid the ones sold in the jewelry-making section of craft stores, as their quality may be inadequate. Naturally you can find them by the bushel online.