Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Other than work hardening, are there any other way to harden it up? I've
been thinking about coiling it up then unwinding and recoiling a few
times. I do need it straight in the end. The jewelry people seem to think
fully annealing it coppper first is a good way to get started.

Would running it back and forth through some sort of wire straightning
jig with the ball bearings work if they're offset enough to zig-zap the
wire for the first passes before drawing it though the last times to
straight it all out?

On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 20:14:56 +0000 (UTC)
Cydrome Leader wrote:

Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Other than work hardening, are there any other way to harden it up? I've
been thinking about coiling it up then unwinding and recoiling a few
times. I do need it straight in the end. The jewelry people seem to think
fully annealing it coppper first is a good way to get started.

Would running it back and forth through some sort of wire straightning
jig with the ball bearings work if they're offset enough to zig-zap the
wire for the first passes before drawing it though the last times to
straight it all out?

No help with hardening copper, but...

All of the fiberglass antennas I've seen inside of have a copper
wire in there. The more expensive antennas usually had heavier wire. Yet
even those don't take lightning strikes very well, which is why I got
to see inside of them

Obviously I don't know what kind of application your working on but I
would lean towards supporting the copper somehow...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 20:14:56 +0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader
wrote:

Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Other than work hardening, are there any other way to harden it up? I've
been thinking about coiling it up then unwinding and recoiling a few
times. I do need it straight in the end. The jewelry people seem to think
fully annealing it coppper first is a good way to get started.

Would running it back and forth through some sort of wire straightning
jig with the ball bearings work if they're offset enough to zig-zap the
wire for the first passes before drawing it though the last times to
straight it all out?

Just stretching it will work harden it. You could start with a heavier
gauge, say 8 gauge, and pull it through a hole in a plate to reduce
the diameter. You can buy the plates to do this but in your case you
can just drill some holes in a steel plate. Grab a piece of 1/4 steel
plate and drill two holes in it using a #32 and a #38 drill.
Countersink one side of the hole and then polish the transition from
the countersink to the hole with a little sandpaper. File down the end
of the wire so you can stuff it through the first hole enough to get
vise grips on it. Lube with lard or Crisco or motor oil or grease.
Just make sure the wire is lubed for the whole length you pull
through. Pull through the #32 hole first and if the wire isn't hard
enough or if you think the diameter is too large pull it through the
second hole. This method will give you exactly what you want, the wire
will be straight and the hardness will increase quite a bit. Be sure
to pull in a straight line. If you pull the wire at an angle to the
plate it will tend to curl. If the wire does curl you can attach a
weight to one end of the wire, attach the other end to something up
high, then drop the weight. This will tend to make the wire
straighten.
Eric

"Cydrome Leader" wrote in message
...
Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Other than work hardening, are there any other way to harden it up? I've
been thinking about coiling it up then unwinding and recoiling a few
times. I do need it straight in the end. The jewelry people seem to think
fully annealing it coppper first is a good way to get started.

Would running it back and forth through some sort of wire straightning
jig with the ball bearings work if they're offset enough to zig-zap the
wire for the first passes before drawing it though the last times to
straight it all out?

Work hardening is the only way. Although I am doubtful that it will get it
as hard as you would like.
Don't anneal that will only add to the amount of work needed.

Twist it.
Put one end in a vice and chuck the other in a hand drill. Stretch it as
hard as you and slowly twist it down the length.
This is what the jewelers do to stiffen up pinstems after we solder them on.

It'll shorten and thicken up a little, but the cross section won't change
too much.

Paul K. Dickman

"Cydrome Leader" wrote in message
...
Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to
harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Other than work hardening, are there any other way to harden it up?
I've
been thinking about coiling it up then unwinding and recoiling a few
times. I do need it straight in the end. The jewelry people seem to
think
fully annealing it coppper first is a good way to get started.

Would running it back and forth through some sort of wire
straightning
jig with the ball bearings work if they're offset enough to zig-zap
the
wire for the first passes before drawing it though the last times to
straight it all out?

Just stretch it.

wrote in message
...
On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 20:14:56 +0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader
wrote:

Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to
harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Other than work hardening, are there any other way to harden it up?
I've
been thinking about coiling it up then unwinding and recoiling a few
times. I do need it straight in the end. The jewelry people seem to
think
fully annealing it coppper first is a good way to get started.

Would running it back and forth through some sort of wire
straightning
jig with the ball bearings work if they're offset enough to zig-zap
the
wire for the first passes before drawing it though the last times to
straight it all out?

Just stretching it will work harden it. You could start with a
heavier
gauge, say 8 gauge, and pull it through a hole in a plate to reduce
the diameter. You can buy the plates to do this but in your case you
can just drill some holes in a steel plate. Grab a piece of 1/4
steel
plate and drill two holes in it using a #32 and a #38 drill.
Countersink one side of the hole and then polish the transition from
the countersink to the hole with a little sandpaper. File down the
end
of the wire so you can stuff it through the first hole enough to get
vise grips on it. Lube with lard or Crisco or motor oil or grease.
Just make sure the wire is lubed for the whole length you pull
through. Pull through the #32 hole first and if the wire isn't hard
enough or if you think the diameter is too large pull it through the
second hole. This method will give you exactly what you want, the
wire
will be straight and the hardness will increase quite a bit. Be sure
to pull in a straight line. If you pull the wire at an angle to the
plate it will tend to curl. If the wire does curl you can attach a
weight to one end of the wire, attach the other end to something up
high, then drop the weight. This will tend to make the wire
straighten.
Eric

Copper wire will harden somewhat without the drawing plate. I
straightened and stiffened tinned bus wire by clamping one end in a
bench vise and pulling the other with pliers or Vise-Grips. When you
feel the resistance become constant the wire will be straight. Doing
this close over a bench keeps it from bending when you let go.

IIRC 20 AWG was the thickest I could pull without something to brace
against.

-jsw

On Friday, October 16, 2015 at 1:15:00 PM UTC-7, Cydrome Leader wrote:
Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Other than work hardening, are there any other way to harden it up? I've
been thinking about coiling it up then unwinding and recoiling a few
times. I do need it straight in the end. The jewelry people seem to think
fully annealing it coppper first is a good way to get started.

Would running it back and forth through some sort of wire straightning
jig with the ball bearings work if they're offset enough to zig-zap the
wire for the first passes before drawing it though the last times to
straight it all out?

I use to have an amateur radio license. I would use cooper wire to make dipole antennas. The cooper wire would stretch and weather over time(a year)and get much harder. That was a long time ago so I'm fuzzy on the other details.

On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 19:21:54 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

wrote in message
.. .
On Fri, 16 Oct 2015 20:14:56 +0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader
wrote:

Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to
harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Other than work hardening, are there any other way to harden it up?
I've
been thinking about coiling it up then unwinding and recoiling a few
times. I do need it straight in the end. The jewelry people seem to
think
fully annealing it coppper first is a good way to get started.

Would running it back and forth through some sort of wire
straightning
jig with the ball bearings work if they're offset enough to zig-zap
the
wire for the first passes before drawing it though the last times to
straight it all out?

Just stretching it will work harden it. You could start with a
heavier
gauge, say 8 gauge, and pull it through a hole in a plate to reduce
the diameter. You can buy the plates to do this but in your case you
can just drill some holes in a steel plate. Grab a piece of 1/4
steel
plate and drill two holes in it using a #32 and a #38 drill.
Countersink one side of the hole and then polish the transition from
the countersink to the hole with a little sandpaper. File down the
end
of the wire so you can stuff it through the first hole enough to get
vise grips on it. Lube with lard or Crisco or motor oil or grease.
Just make sure the wire is lubed for the whole length you pull
through. Pull through the #32 hole first and if the wire isn't hard
enough or if you think the diameter is too large pull it through the
second hole. This method will give you exactly what you want, the
wire
will be straight and the hardness will increase quite a bit. Be sure
to pull in a straight line. If you pull the wire at an angle to the
plate it will tend to curl. If the wire does curl you can attach a
weight to one end of the wire, attach the other end to something up
high, then drop the weight. This will tend to make the wire
straighten.
Eric

Copper wire will harden somewhat without the drawing plate. I
straightened and stiffened tinned bus wire by clamping one end in a
bench vise and pulling the other with pliers or Vise-Grips. When you
feel the resistance become constant the wire will be straight. Doing
this close over a bench keeps it from bending when you let go.

IIRC 20 AWG was the thickest I could pull without something to brace
against.

-jsw

The old knob & tube wire I removed when I rewire a former residence
hardened up quite nicely when I stripped the insulation from it. The
old rubber insulation adhered quite well to the tinned copper strand
and I got tired of trying to get all of it off with a knife, then I
discovered that if I gripped one end in the vise and stripped one pass
with my utility knfe i could grip the free end in the chuck of my
electric drill, put a bit of tension on the wire and pull the trigger.
It only took a few seconds to generate enough heat in the wire to
release the insulation cleanly and create a long straight hard copper
wire.
---

Gerry :-)}
London,Canada

On Friday, October 16, 2015 at 1:15:00 PM UTC-7, Cydrome Leader wrote:
Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Workhardening works, or you can get larger gage aluminum, or
copperweld (steel core, copper exterior) for better stiffness.
I'd not trust hammered 10gage wire, it'll bend the first time a crow
alights on it.

On 10/17/2015 1:37 AM, whit3rd wrote:
On Friday, October 16, 2015 at 1:15:00 PM UTC-7, Cydrome Leader wrote:
Sort of stupid question about hardning copper wire. I'd like to harden
some 10 guage copper wire for making an antenna.

Workhardening works, or you can get larger gage aluminum, or
copperweld (steel core, copper exterior) for better stiffness.
I'd not trust hammered 10gage wire, it'll bend the first time a crow
alights on it.


How about a piece of bronze brazing rod? Check with some mobile two way radio
shops. They usually have a lot of antenna wire scraps.