i am trying to make some internally threaded circular barbells for
body jewelry… the gauges of stainless steel wire i’m using are 10g
to 6g… i am wondering how i can drill inside of a wire that’s been
shaped into a semi-circle… i tried holding it in the chuck of the
lathe, but it’s VERY easy for it to move and drill off center… i
tried drilling and threading first, and then shaping, and that was
just about impossible… does anyone know of any way i can do this? i
can’t figure it out… i spent all today trying and wasting
material… thanks!!!
hi: drill before shaping…then insert a monofilimantit keeps the
stucture from collapsing while bending…and is easy to remove…if
mono doesn’t work try a piece of stianless and pull it out after
bending…hope i helped…oh yea a small drill press will help John Henry aka "ringman "
Hi David, The easiest way I know to drill any hole (specialy Stainless
steel)is to use a Spring powered punch with a Carbide tip to put a
heavy indent exactly where you want to drill the hole. This should
make drilling far easier. Hope this helps Daniel Grandi http://www.racecarjewelry.com
David Basile: There are two ways to prevent a drill from “walking” and
drilling off center. You could first use an appropriately sized center
drill to counter sink a hole on dead center and then drill it. The
second method is to us a very short drill so it does not flex. In
either case the tools must be properly sharpened and use cutting fluid
generously. Instead of using your lathe chuck to hold the work I
suggest you use a collet. Production will be increased tremendously. If
I can be of further help, feel free to contact me directly.
Greetings, If I were trying this, I would use a miniature drill
press. With a miniature drill vise. Brass jaw inserts, to get a
better bite on the material. Make sure the faces to be drilled are
flat and perpendicular to the drill chuck. Then use a miniature
center drill to start your hole without wandering. If you have to
place your rings on one side of the vise, in order to get to the
faces to be drilled and still have adequate support. Place a piece
of the same diameter stock in the opposite side, to keep your vise
jaws square. Remember to clamp your vise to the table. And drill
and tap in the same set, so everything is straight and centered. Good
luck Michael Turley
First off, a screw threads must always be straight, both male and
female. So if you drill & tap the wire then bend it into a circle, the
threads will follow a curved line, and the mating part will jam after
the first few threads. You must have part of the barbell be straight
where it mates. Now you could bend the wire into a circle and then
drill & tap, which would result in a straight threaded section, but
that is difficult as you run the risk of coming out the side of the
piece. Still, bend the wire into a circle, then bend the ends so they
are offset from each other with enough clearance to get a drill onto
the ends. Hold it in a vise and drill on a drillpress or mill. Make
sure the end is flat, and if possible use a centerdrill or tiny prick
punch to make a center hole. This is a hard task.