The easiest way to make screw back earrings?

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello

I have a serious problem with making threaded backs. After cutting the disc out, I can’t make the whole in the center even I have measured it correctly. Probably it’s because I can’t hold it strong enough between my fingers to drill through. So - obviously I’m doing it wrong way.
What’s the best thickness of the plate?
Is there some kind of mold for those backs?
And where to get a good thread screw plate which suits for earring to makes a deep screw?
Thank you for advance!

2

Hi,
i am pondering your dilemma…a few quick questions:

-is your problem with “finding the center”?
what method are you using to find the center?
—-are you using a centering gauge?

  • is your problem keeping the drill in place?
    ——- i have a method…i will mark the center point with a scribe…bearing down a bit to get a nice divot…then i tap lightly with a sharp center punch…then i use a .50mm twist drill in an archimedes spiral hand drill to open up the hole a bit
    (this is all to give the drill a nice seat to stay in…so that it doesn’t wander/ walk off the center divot as it can tend to do)
    ——-then i drill the hole using progressively larger drills…until i finush with the desired hoke size…starting with .50mm, .70mm, 1.0mm, etc…

just a few musings

julie

3

Drill the hole and cut the threads, then cut or punch out the circle. Kind of like being left handed…Rob

1 Like
4

Hi,

I was not clear in my last post…i do not drill thru with each progressively larger drill…i just open the hole a bit more with each drill “step-up” in size…the previous hole gives my drill something to “track” on, and stay true, instead of walking off-center…

i hope i am making sense…

i missed the part about it being hard to hold

you could use a thermoplastic such as jet set ballistic (probably my least recommended for this) or jet set basic (more viscous and sticky when soft- probably a better choice for a tiny part) or thermo loc (moderately viscous) can put thermoplastic on tip of a dowel so you have a handle…or in a ball vise or similar…or pitch and pitch bowl in a pinch, or setters pitch…or small vise grip pliers…or glue it to a piece of wood…

you are going to need to hold on to it when threading the hole as well…

Robs above solution sounds good also.
lots of options…

julie