Rolling D section wire in a rolling mill?

Jewelry Discussion
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Hello,

I have a durston rolling mill with the D section and rollers on it. I am new to rolling silver, so I wanted to ask some expert people for the little details that matter when they go to make the section or half round wire for a ring band.

What things besides rolling the wire, down to a square, annealing it, and then rolling it in the D section wire should I know? Is there a certain dimension that you like to start with proportionate to the finished D section?

I’ve tried it a few times and I end up with a very sharp edge on the sides. Is that normal? Should I expect that and just file that down?

Thank you so much!

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Hi,

…remember to totally DRY your metal before putting it in the rolling mill…!…to avoid causing rust…! (i am suffering
from rolling mill rust…ugh!)

re the flashing/ sharp edges…it sounds to me like there is too much metal…in too little space…the excess metal is compressing down…and out the sides…?

also, as an aside…you do not neccessarily have to close down the rollers all the way…you could stop prior…and have a higher dome…(something i discovered while using my half round drawplates…

julie

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Brennan,
Good question! Like Julie said, you might be Rolling too thick of Wire, too quickly through that particular D Section and it’s compressing the metal out - it has to go somewhere… Always start in a slightly larger D Section than the Wire your using and work your way down that Section and then move to the next, until you get to the size that you want - very rarely will you be able to roll your wire out in one go, unless you are very close to the size you need to begin with. Also, after a few times through the Rolling Mill, Anneal the wire again, this will help to Prevent Cracking in your Metal and produce a nicer piece of wire… Lastly, Flashing is fairly common when you are Rolling Round or Square Wire into different shapes, especially if you do it too quickly, as the Metal is being pushed into a different form and there may be more Metal in the Wire than the new form has room for, so Filing or Sanding with a Sanding Disc on your Flexshaft will remove it when that happens (if the Flashing is thick, you can also Saw it off and re-use/re-melt it)… I hope this helps… Good Luck!
Jonathan

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I prefer to roll round wire into a half round (D) shape, for me there is less of a chance that a sharp edge or flashing will happen. To do this you either need the wire on hand or to draw it through a draw plate. Lacking either, go with square wire. You need to go slowly. Start with a gap between the rollers, roll then stop and take a look at what you have. You may like it. If not, close the gap a bit and roll again. Be sure to anneal often to avoid cracking. Keep a notebook nearby and record what size wire you start with and how long and then the size of your final half round and how long it is. You can use this ratio to roll different lengths of the same size later on. I have pages of this information in my shop books and use it all the time. Being able to roll recycled metal helps you have what you need when you need it. Keeping these records helps you avoid making too much or not enough for your current project. I have an older economy mill as well as a large Durston. I have taken the flat top roll from the economy mill to a machinist and had different sized and shaped grooves machined into it to make the wires that I use the most. This includes a larger half round than the Durston rollers will make. Lots of fun…Rob

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Thank you to all! I am using square wire - I haven’t put together a draw bench as of yet to make round wire.

I’ll keep at it and take notes.

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Brennan,
As far as the necessity of having a Draw Bench to Draw Wire, you don’t, all you need is a good solid mounted Vise, a good Draw Plate and some good Draw Tongs or Vise Grips - granted having a Draw Bench is a little safer and easier on the arms, but not necessary… When I was a Bench Jeweller, we didn’t have a Draw Bench, we just Pulled our own Wire through a Draw Plate mounted in a Vise and that was that!

A few things that you need to keep in mind though:

First, Using a File or Sanding Disk in your Flexshaft, Sharpen the pulling end of the wire so that it fits into the Draw Plate Die Hole more easily - I always poke it through a few die holes until the Sharpened Point and Wire won’t fit through easily, that will be your First Hole to pull through, always remember it’s a Gradual Process, one hole at a time, not a one hole pull and you’re done…

Second, make sure that your beginning Stock/Wire is well Annealed, after you Sharpened the end, otherwise the wire that you pull through can splinter, crack or just break apart.

Third, use Beeswax, Cut Lube or some other lubricant to make the wire pull through easier, and re-apply after each pull - I just Poke the sharpened end of the wire into my Beeswax, Cut Lube, etc. and it’s ready - this also helps to protect the Draw Plate’s Dies.

Fourth, be sure to wear Gloves and a Long Sleeve Shirt or Jacket when pulling wire, as the wire coming out of the Draw Plate can be very hot and if it’s long enough, it might just wrap around your hand or arm when it pulls through and burn you - this has happened to me with short sleeves and trust me, you can’t get the wire off of you fast enough!

Fifth, be sure to Anneal the wire frequently, just like when you’re using your Rolling Mill, the easier the wire goes through the Draw Plate, the nicer your wire will end up and the less likely it will be to splinter, crack or break - I can usually get (2) Pulls before I Anneal it again, but it’s probably better to Anneal after every pull. Also, the easiest way to Anneal wire if you have a really long piece, is to wind it into a 4-6" Circle and lightly twist each end around the circle to “bind” it together, then gently Feather the Flame around the wire circle until you have Annealed it.

Sixth, after you’re finished pulling the wire to the Size you need, Anneal the wire again and then you’re ready to use it!

I believe that’s it, though if I’ve forgotten something, another Jeweller will chime in! :slight_smile: I hope this helps! Good luck!
Jonathan

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You offer a lot of great advice, but a simple draw bench is fairly easy and inexpensive to make. The most expensive part will likely be the draw tongs. There is also a way to modify vise grips to serve this purpose. Securing a draw plate in a vise will work if you are drawing, lets say 16 to 22 gauge wire down to 26 gauge. I do this when I am drawing filigree filler wire. I will walk across my 32 foot shop this way. Annealing often is absolutely necessary. Drawing 8 gauge down to 12 is another story. Unless your bench and the vise attached to it are well secured to the floor or wall, you will pull your bench over. That is if you can even get the draw started.There has been lots of conversations about how to build a draw bench out of a piece of 2X6 dimension lumber, tongs, a manual boat hoist and some sort of anchor for the draw plate. I also have a way to draw a length or wire that is several times longer than your draw bench. A draw bench is also a great way to straighten wire. A search of the archives will help you find this information. Thanks…Rob

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Rob,
Thank you… I agree with you wholeheartedly, a Draw Bench is fairly easy and inexpensive to make and I am very envious of yours! :slight_smile: I was just pointing out that you don’t have to have one to Pull Wire, it’s just easier to do with a Draw Bench, though you are definitely correct about the Vise needing to be anchored down firmly, though all Vises really should be anchored firmly down anyway.

You are also absolutely correct in that Pulling Heavy Gauge Wire is incredibly difficult and almost impossible in many respects, but it can be done if you really want to and have the strength to do it (I’ve done it in the past, when I was an Apprentice - quite possibly as a form of “punishment” by my Master Jeweller for screwing something up) :wink: - but it isn’t much “fun” to do…

One of these days I will build myself a Draw Bench like yours, I like how yours Pulls-Out from under a Bench! Though to be honest, I would love to just buy Durston’s Rolls-Royce Draw Bench, but I also don’t have the Bank Account to buy everything that I want either… :wink: Maybe one day when I Win the Lottery!
Jonathan

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I just like designing and building my own tools when I can. I don’t have a lot invested in my draw bench. The board was probably $3 at the time, the winch was $30 and the pliers were about $70. The stop for the plates was made from scrap thick PVC molding and the pulley was turned on a lathe by a friend for nothing. With hardware, maybe $120. I have a cleat on the bottom so that I can secure it in a large bench vise to get it a little higher so that I don’t have to bend over if I am pulling a lot of wire. The vise is in another shop so it’s a question of bending over or not and moving it to that shop. I nearly pulled my entire soldering bench over on me when I tried to use my small vise to hold the draw plate…Rob

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I took your advice and rolled my square wire into a circularish/octagonal shape and got better results. That was very helpful. I think the square profile is more prone to sharp edges as it extrudes the existing corners further. Seems obvious afterwards hehe.

What a great resource this forum is.

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