Humm, ok, now that there are 2 votes for the papercutter I will go to
staples and get one.  I find it hard to belive a paper cutter can cut
regular-grade pcb's (that fiberglass/epoxy stuff is tough) but I don't
need to do anything in volume and it certainly is the cheapest (and
least messy) route.  For $40 I'll give it a shot.

I wonder if the blade can be sharpened?  Maybe with a kitchen knife
sharpening file?

The nibbler tool Roman mentioned also works, but it is laborious and
hurts one's hands after 10 minutes of intensive nibblin.  But for
non-rectangular shapes I can see it being the method of choice.  Chop
with papercutter, form with nibbler.

 > Brendan Morgan: Personally, I use a hacksaw and a vise for straight
 > lines.  Just clamp the vise slightly below the line you're going to
 > cut, and cut along the jaws of the vise, using them as a straight
 > edge guide for the hacksaw blade.  I can

Excellent idea.  Didn't think of using the vise as the guide.

 > Chris Loiacono on tinning: 3. The level of humidity and contamination
 >  in the local environment is directly proportional to the time it
 > will take for the board to become fully ugly.

Is there a mil-spec standard for "fully ugly" ?  :)  :)
But I do appreciate the aesthetic sensibility.  Something that will be a
"portfolio piece" should look great.  Something that will be in a clear
enclosure (electronic art stuff) should look great.  I built and
point-to-point hand soldered two 24-triac+LED midi controlled boards for
an electroluminescent wire light display, and since I knew people were
going to be looking at the board and watching the LEDs blink along with
the EL wires I did the layout in a symmetric, elegant manner.  Looks do
matter, sometimes.

Nobody has commented on acrylic spray sealant.  Since I have some
sitting around (bought it to seal the paint and stickers and glitter I
put all over my cell phone) I'll give it a try.

The piclist is such a fantastic resource.  Thanks everyone.
Jesse




Charles Craft wrote:
 > After trying to cut boards with a Dremel (way too much dust) and a
 > hacksaw (a fair amount of work), I finally tried the paper cutter
 > route a few weeks ago. Works like a charm!
 >
 > (of course I used the paper cutter out of my wife's home office so
 > we'll see how long that lasts) :-)
 >
 > later chuckc
 >
 >
 >
 > On Thu, 4 Jul 2002 08:11:33 -0400 "Rick C." <rixy@VVALLEY.COM> wrote:
 >
 >
 >
 > I still recommend the paper cutter. Will cut almost perfect edges.
 > Brand new at Staples for $39.99.
 > http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/SKU.asp?BCFlag=False&PageType=1-
 >  &SKU=108209
 >
 >
 > I have bought them at yard sales for 5 bucks. Highly recommend going
 > this route first.
 >
 > To get a factory edge, I use a table top combination belt sander/disc
 >  sander. Brand new from Sears for $119.95, Harbor Freight $79.99,
 > again buy used for about $20.
 > http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=5154
 >
 >
 >
 > A hand disc sander will work if you can hold the board steady too.
 > Rick
 >
 > Jesse Lackey wrote:

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