How to snip Butterfly Wings

First you will need a pair of wheeled nippers (I recommend Leponitt nippers or similar). The sharper the better, so if you haven’t turned your wheels in a bit…now is the time! (I DO NOT recommend my beloved Chipper Nippers on these). Below are several techniques you can try to find the one that works best for you. Also, not all wheeled nippers are made alike. The thinner and sharper the blade is, the better they will work on this shape. 

1. Hold butterfly with smooth rounded side up and wavy side down (see image on the upper left)

2. Line up the nipper so it’s where you want the cut to be about 3-4mm from the end. See image in the upper right. 3-4mm is about right…if you try to go thinner they might cut unevenly. Note: for wheel placement, see the image on the lower left that shows one wheel resting on the upper part of the wing and the other wheel is resting on BOTH of the points on the wavy side. When you are there you’ll know it. When gently pressing the wheels there, they will be resting solidly in that position. Take your time.

3. Hold your thumb on the end of the wing and squeeze the nipper firmly. See image in the upper left. Yes…I keep my thumb there but be super careful that it is on the tip of the murrini only. If you don’t feel comfy doing that, I’ve also held an eraser there or rubberized tweezers just to put a touch of pressure coming in from that size (also keeps it from flying off)

4. Recently I have been doing the "half in half" technique where you start your nippers in the center of the 2" cane breaking it into two halves. Then do the same to each half by placing the wheeled nippers right in the center. Do this until you have 16 equal pieces. This is my favorite way to snip butterflies.


5. Another method shared with me by fellow artist is to place your wheeled nippers on a table so the two bolts holding the wheels on are resting on the table. Put the murrini between the wheels and also have it touching the table. (See the lower right image). Snip quick and firm. This method works great too but will scratch your table if you don’t have something protecting it. (For this method, also position the murrini in the wheels of the nippers like you see in the lower left image)

6. Finally, I have recently purchased the murrini slicing blade for my Taurus Ring Saw and it works perfectly, removing only a small amount of glass when cutting with it!