"rolfsing" wrote in message
oups.com...
I've been making simple stuff for years, hammering away at 16-20 guage
silver wire. I've got a neck injury now and every time I pick up the
hammer, I set myself back about 2 months in my healing. I hate to give
up my jewelry making - any ideas about how I could flatten wire
without using a hammer? Are there any hand cranked tools or electric
flatteners that aren't for industrial use?
thanks in advance... !


Why aren't you getting flat wire to begin with? Hammering or
putting wire through a rolling mill is going to work harden it
and probably needs to be annealed. There are power pullers
used with draw plates which is another solution to consider,
but work hardening issues remain. Unless your goal is to
change the profile of the wire AND make it harder.

Of course if you have a lifetime supply of wire, I can see your
desire to use what you've got rather than spend for the ever
increasing costs of silver.

Rod