Making eyelets

Advert

New Replies

Report Bug

Help/FAQs

Making eyelets

This topic has 14 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 5 February 2012 at 17:08 by maurice bennie.

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 15 total)

Author

Posts
4 February 2012 at 22:24 #5923
Wolfie
Participant
@wolfie
Advert

4 February 2012 at 22:24 #83882
Wolfie
Participant
@wolfie
OK this is actually a non model engineering question, but I would like to know if any of you can suggest an ingenious solution.

In the course of my other modelling discipline I occasionally have to make eyelets for tilt trailers. In 1/24 scale these are around 80 thou across and made out of 10 thou diameter wire. They are simply an open ended loop so I can make one by wrapping the wire around a curved 80 thou former and cutting the ends.

However I usually have to make hundreds of the little buggers and I could really do with a way of speeding things up.

My best solution so far is to have a long piece of 80 thou flat bar curved on both edges and then I could wrap the wire round it many times. Then however I would have to make 4 cuts, two down each side to free all the little individual eyelets (or two of course if your bar is narrow but this makes other problems). This is the stumbling block cos obviously the wire moves all over the place while I try and do this and its not working.

Suggestions??

Edited By Wolfie on 04/02/2012 22:26:21
4 February 2012 at 23:55 #83889
Bazyle
Participant
@bazyle
Can you varnish the wire when coiled onto the former to keep it in place then dissolve off the varnish afterwards. Shellac might be suitable. Another prossibility is sealing wax as used for sealing letters. Not sure what disloves that though.

Edited By Bazyle on 04/02/2012 23:56:29
5 February 2012 at 00:12 #83892
Martin W
Participant
@martinw
Wolfie

Another take on Bazyle’s idea is; would it be possible to use a stiff wax, candle wax or similar, to hold the coil on the mandrel while you cut it. Then the eyelets could be released by immersion in hot water that would melt the wax.

Cheers

Martin
5 February 2012 at 00:53 #83895
jason udall
Participant
@jasonudall57142
soft wire? to make scale ‘chain’ I do this link at time with electrical/electronic sidecutters

thinking about it might make modified tin snips with one blade as former then shear the lot
5 February 2012 at 04:07 #83901
Terryd
Participant
@terryd72465
Hi Wolfie,

A dribble of very cheap (£shop) superglue would do the same, the parts can then be released by heating. I suppose that you also know that to open and close the ‘eyelets’ you should twist the ends apart with two pairs of fine pliers, not pull them apart. That is how jewellers make a neat job of fitting jump rings.

Regards,

Terry
5 February 2012 at 08:29 #83906
Wolfie
Participant
@wolfie
Hi Terry, these aren’t round eyelets, they are simply open ended like the letter U

In fact that letter U in wire is exactly what I want.

Edited By Wolfie on 05/02/2012 08:30:13
5 February 2012 at 08:47 #83910
Terry Lane
Participant
@terrylane
OK – make a profiled forming bar, wrap as many tight turns as you can fit onto it, then grab it in the milling vice by the sides, with one edge showing proud and mill away the top of the pack.

Edited By Tel on 05/02/2012 08:47:56
5 February 2012 at 10:22 #83913
Terryd
Participant
@terryd72465
Posted by Tel on 05/02/2012 08:47:16:

OK – make a profiled forming bar, wrap as many tight turns as you can fit onto it, then grab it in the milling vice by the sides, with one edge showing proud and mill away the top of the pack.

Edited By Tel on 05/02/2012 08:47:56

Hi Wolfie,

Even easier, just wrap as many as you need onto a metal profiled former (rounded one edge only), superglue, file the top away in the vice and heat to release eyelets.

Or if you use your original method of a wider bar and 4 cuts, superglue would be ideal. Use the finest Exacto back saw blade you can find to make your cuts. Cheap superglue really does break down under relatively low heat and would free the parts easily. I often superglue parts together, for example when drilling holes that need to be aligned accurately or making multiple identical parts.

Regards

Terry

Edited By Terryd on 05/02/2012 10:28:29
5 February 2012 at 11:16 #83916
maurice bennie
Participant
@mauricebennie99556
Hi Woolfie Try ” Manchester Minerals ” or “Modelling timbers.co.uk”

Look for JUMP RINGS for jewellery . M Timbers make eyelets for putting in sails ,similar to the full size ones in clothes.

Hope this helps ,Maurice
5 February 2012 at 11:42 #83918
MICHAEL WILLIAMS
Participant
@michaelwilliams41215
Two vertical pins inserted into a flat bar .

Wind wire for several U-lets spring wise around pins .

Snip .

Edited By MICHAEL WILLIAMS on 05/02/2012 11:44:01
5 February 2012 at 13:29 #83931
Terryd
Participant
@terryd72465
Hi Wolfie.

What is the exact size? you say 80 thou (2mm) across, but you don’t say how deep they are if they are ‘U’ shape. You had me confused using the term ‘eyelet’ which is basically a metal grommet used for reinforcing fabrics such as clothes, lace holes and sails.

Regards

Terry
5 February 2012 at 14:46 #83942
Jeff Dayman
Participant
@jeffdayman43397
In full size these U shaped items are called staples. They are made in full size in a press tool. Wire is fed in between an upper punch and a lower die, usually sideways, to a fixed stop block. The die is a round topped former bar set on a die plate. Punch has a sharp lower edge which cuts the wire off (at an angle like a nail) as it descends to form the wire into a U over the die. Punch has a U shaped cavity to form the wire over the die. Inside the punch is a sping loaded pressure pad that holds the wire tight to the die so it does not slip during bending.

There is a second type of press tool called a link maker that can make chain links or staples. These work by passing wire horizontally through one or two rotating vertical formers. Think of a pair of pliers held vertical, jaws up. The pliers/former are rotated and two U shapes are formed in the wire, during first part of rotation the wire is cut off between former and a die. The formers are held in a very rigid heavy frame, and are often driven by gears and a rack. I have seen one where the formers are driven with a crank and connecting rods though, in a chain making shop at a steel mill.

If you had hundreds or thousands of staples to make, it might be worth making a simple punch and die set with pressure pad as in first paragraph above, to be used in an arbour press. You could use two vertical pins set in the die plate, engaged in holes in the punch plate, to ensure punch and die are aligned.

JD
5 February 2012 at 16:55 #83955
Wolfie
Participant
@wolfie
I have lots of good ideas now.

They are called eyelets Terry cos on the full sized vehicle the U shaped thingys are attached to the trailer side and the tilt has a row of holes which fit over them. You then run a cord through them all round the trailer.

You can just see them on this pic of my old Transcon at the bottom of the yellow tilt.
5 February 2012 at 17:08 #83957
maurice bennie
Participant
@mauricebennie99556
Hi again Woolfie.another idea . Get some studding the width of two loops,mill opposite sides to the thickness of the loops .use two wheels from a pipe cutter and put them the distance apart of the milled surfaces.Guides on both edges where the thread is.

wind your wire down the spiral ,then pull the lot between the wheels hopefully cutting through the wire . I hope you can see what I mean ,or is this one of my crazy ideas.

Best wishes Maurice .
Author

Posts