Trouble using drawplate with sterling

Jewelry Discussion
21 
What are your thoughts on bees wax, we always used that for
drawing wire.

Bees wax is ok but wire drawing is one of the most brutal tests for
lubrication. Stearic acid which is a fatty acid found in soaps made
from animal fat and the fats themselves like tallow or lanolin is a
lubricant with amazingly high film strength. Lubricants containing
steric acid or other stearate salts are still the first choice for
wire drawing or deep drawing.

James Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts

22

I’ve been using beeswax most of my life, even when pulling sterling
down to .005" for pulse arc welding use. The drawplate I use for
these very small diameters isn’t anything special. My technique goes
as follows:

  1. Harden about 1/2" of the wire lead (no need to produce a taper
    yet);

  2. Since the wire (let’s say it’s about .015") is already quite fine,
    I use an extremely sharp scraper to taper the end by laying it on my
    steel bench plate and drawing the scraper towards me. I scrape it on
    steel because laying the wire on hardwood may force the wire into its
    grain;

  3. I then poke a small hole in a cake of beeswax with a pin and pull
    the wire through on a slight angle, making sure to coat all “sides”;

  4. I use a pair of standard jewelers flat nose pliers that I
    textured on the inside so the wire taper won’t slip through when
    being pulled. I start to pull until the full diameter of the wire
    “catches” and continue pulling for a few inches;

  5. I then change to a pair of smooth flat nose pliers and pull
    approximately 6"-1’, then go back to the drawplate and pull another
    6"-1’. Pulling these shorter lengths rather than 2’+, lessens the
    possibility that the wire will break in mid-pull.

Please let me know if you find this technique successful.

Jeff Herman

23 
Here in the UK that means sheep wool fat or lanolin.

Vaseline works great, too. Just wet the wire, not too much.

24 
Lubricants containing steric acid or other stearate salts are still
the first choice for wire drawing or deep drawing.

I’ll keep it in mind, I usually just gibbon arm the wire if it gets
stuck :wink: CIA

25

A Yemenite jeweler I knew used chicken fat to draw wire…:-)…

I’ve always used beeswax or plain wax (from candle).

Janet in Jerusalem

26 
The best lubricant I've found is plain old lard from the meat
counter.

Reminds me of the lamb fat goop quench. Wayne Gardiner uses lamb fat
to quench knife blades, if keeps a lid on the rancid fat to keep the
rat and roaches off it. CIA

27

Burt’s Bees Lip Balm for Wire Drawing

Hello friends,

This thread gave me an idea to try some smoother bees wax, namely
Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm. Well, let me tell you, it gives me a
MUCH smoother draw as well as a smoother, more uniform finish on
sterling wire. Give it a try, if it doesn’t work for you, just use it
on your lips.

Jeff Herman

28

I always use ‘Drylube’ Gives excellent results.

Traditionally ‘bears grease’ was the lubricant of choice.

I think we have moved on from there!

David Cruickshank (Australia)
jewellerydavidcruickshank.com.au