My commercial draw plates don’t have large enough draw hole for
the tubing needed. I bought a 4 inch by 6 inch by 3/16 inch cold
rolled steel at the metals scrap yard for $1.00 a pound. Covered
one side with 2 inch masking tape, laid out the hole pattern and
center punched the plate. Tuesday, I will have access to a large
floor mounted adjustable speed drill press and will drill the
holes. 1/16 to 3/8 diameter by 1/32 increments (that’s the drill
set). I will drill a tapered lead into the hole. Polish ? Since
the draw plate is steel, drawing silver or copper that is
annealed should not be a problem ( it does mean more curls with
the barbell ).
Bill in Vista,
home of the future trash transfer site
Hey Bill, could you explain to me what a tapered lead is? And
at this point why not just use tool steel and then you can harden
and temper it. Thanks Vince LaRochelle, Eugene, OR.
Could you explain to me what a tapered lead is?
And at this point why not just use tool steel and then you can
harden and temper it.
G’dayVincent - hope you don’t mind my butting in, but I think
the ‘tapered lead’ Bill mentions is what we call a tapered
reamer. It is a tapered, hardened steel rod with deep grooves
cut down the length and with the leading edge of each groove
sharpened. This is used to open out a hole for various purposes
in steel, wood, plastic, or what have you. They are available
from tool shops in several sizes, from 10 cm to over 5cms dia and
are used to enlarge holes, producing a smooth funnel-shaped
hole. They are usually turned in the hole by hand. I’ve used them
when making wire dies. One can also get very much smaller tapered
reamers from jeweller’s suppliers called broaches and starting
from 2mm dia., or so. These don’t have grooves, but the taper
portion has four flats with sharp corners, and serve the same
purposes as their larger relatives.
Cheerful apologies,
/ \
/ /
/ /
/ /__| \ @John_Burgess2
(______ )
At sunny Nelson NZ
Could you explain to me what a tapered lead is? And at this
point why not just use tool steel and then you can harden and
temper it.
Good afternoon Vincent, The idea of a lead-in is so the draw hole
looks like a cone in cross section. The tongue of the strip to
be drawn is started into the larger part of the hole and the cone
will gradually force the metal down in size through the smaller
part of the cone as it is drawn through the plate.
In order to draw tubing or wire through a fixed hole, the tubing
or wire must have an end that is smaller than the hole through
which it is to be drawn. In drawing tubing, the piece is usually
an annealed strip of material with parallel sides and a tongue,
where the material has been cut to a point. For example, if the
strip is 6 inches long, a standard sheet size, and three quarters
of an inch in width, if you mark off one inch from one end, and
at that end if the strip divide it into quarter inch sections,
then cut the sheet from one inch back so that there is a tongue
going from three quarters inch to a quarter inch at the end, you
have made the tongue. Put the strip onto a “V” block or lead
plate or anything that will allow you to put a rod on the strip
and round the strip a bit.
A lot of smart folk have posted some great on this
subject.
The " Made in India" draw plates that I have are steel and easy
to drill. Obviously not tool steel. In playing this week, I
bought cold rolled steel at the metals scrap yard for $1.00 a
pound. Did not work (yet, anyway) as the sizes/ steps between
holes is too large for me to pull through. And in looking in my
McMaster-Carr catalog number 94, pages 2160 and 2161 I am
supprised. Says you can buy 1/4 inch thick 3 inch wide by 18
inches long “Type 01 Oil Hardening Ground Flat Stock” $28.27.
They also sell low carbon steel for case hardening same size as
above except 24 inches long for $29.41 a piece. And
Air-Hardening Ground flat stock for $32 39 in 18 inch lengths but
21/2 instead of 3 inch wide. This where I buy water hardenable
square drill rod to make punches. Says they have offices in
Chicago, Los Angeles and New Jersey. If you want the addresses
let me know and I will post them.
Look in Philip Morton’s excellent book “Contemporary Jewelry”
pages 161 and 162.
My finger in giving out.
Hope this answers some of what you asked.
Bill in Vista