Looking for ideas to make a jig for cutting a straight line around those round wet electrolytic cans. All I have is a Dremel tool and a shaky hand.

I haven't come across anything but the Dremel or hacksaw. Hacksaw turned sideways has made it easier sometimes. Last week I had one with IF cans on 2 sides. 1/4" clearance between them. The one handed hacksaw worked there, but it took quit a while to finish it. It will be interesting if someone else has a better trick.

Freeman

I would think some sort of V block would help a lot. Especially if it has an end stop to control how much of the can is sticking out. That would eliminate at least one variable, making it much easier to get a controlled cut. You can buy V blocks, you can make one on the table saw or you could get a few feet of corner molding and glue it to a board. Doesn't need to be fancy but should be smooth enough that the can will turn nicely. Once the can is in the V block, you can try stacking something up for your hand to rest on or against. I find that the more points of contact I have when doing fine work like cutting something with a Dremel, the better the end result. Even just setting something heavy to rest the back of the hand against helps.

Michael

Large tubbing cutter. I made a holder, by drilling a hole the size of the can into a piece of 5/4 stock. Push the can in, then use a fine tooth hack saw. To cut around the can.

A large tubing cutter never crossed my mind. The V idea did cross my mind but with my shaky hand it still would result in a crooked cut.

Using narrow strip of paper perhaps 1/2 inch wide you can wrap at the cut line a couple dozen times creating a bushing you can guide a razor saw or x-acto knife against. Can using something besides paper as long as it wraps easy and doesn't fracture doing so. This method gives you a custom size bushing without having to source something to exactly fit the diameter of each electrolytic can.

Another good idea. Thanks Dale.

I use a Oscillating Multi-Tool. It has many attachments for tight spaces. Hold it steady on a V block and work slowly to reduce vibration. It makes a very clean cut. Check Amazon, Harbor Freight or Canadian Tire. Here is an Amazon link.
https://www.amazon.com/AIOPR-Oscillatin ... 23&sr=8-20

Are commercial links allowed here?

if you have access to a drill press, you can put a small saw arbor like for a Dremel in the chuck, set the table for the height you want to cut and turn the cap around with the blade cutting. fairly easy to control

This technique also works well with a real Dremel tool using the Dremel drill press stand or the Dremel Drill Press Workstation.

The problem with tubing cutters is that they make a nice "V" in the aluminum before cutting through. Jewelers saw seems to be the best, though I have never tried that, but I have seen the clean results.

Look at the beautiful work Mondial did in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=412796

I got a hand held tubing cutter that can cut around a capacitor up to 2� in diameter. I can cut it in two in less than 5 minutes. I then grip the can and twist. The insides come right off.

Dennis

This weekend I did an excellent job re-stuffing 2 electrolytic cans on my Ampex 850. I cut the leads leaving enough to identify them for later splicing. Then I twisted the 4 tabs back straignt so as to pull out the can. Then I proceeded with my die-grinder on the bottom END of the can. After carefully grinding through the crimped end of the can the tabbed ring underneath the crimped end of the can just came right out. Then I heated up the can at 350F in the oven so the guts could be pulled out. I recapped the phenolic disc by drilling small holes behind the contacts for the positive lead of the radial caps to slip through. The neative leads all went trough a small hole I drilled in the center of the phenolic disc, which I soldered a wire to. Then I slipped the disc with the new caps back into the can, put the tabbed ring back in using some hot glue. Then I used a screwdriver to make little crimps around the diameter of the end of the can for good measure. When I re-installed the can cap, you couldn't even tell it had ever been out, except for the little crimp nicks. As for the negative leads with the wire in the middle of the disc, I soldered the wire to one of the twist tabs. Took about an hour and a half per can. Well worth it. I have previously hack-sawed through the outside of cans down near the bottom. But I just wasn't willing to settle for such an obvious repair.