we have been making pins of various lengths 3" to 6" out of 1/16
stainles welding rod. They now sell this with stamped codes on all the
rods and we are waisting alot of material. I wondered if we bought
coils of 1/16 stainless and if we could straigthen them. They don't
need to be perfect since they are being used as hinges in patchboxes
for muzzleloaders.
We're not looking to buy anything but need a low cost solution. Low
cost to me would be less than $100 in material.

we have been making pins of various lengths 3" to 6" out of 1/16
stainles welding rod. They now sell this with stamped codes on all the
rods and we are waisting alot of material. I wondered if we bought
coils of 1/16 stainless and if we could straigthen them. They don't
need to be perfect since they are being used as hinges in patchboxes
for muzzleloaders.

How about something like this:

http://www1.mscdirect.com/CGI/NNSRIT...&PMT4NO=838206

Ignore the picture, it's just a sample. You get 16 12-inch pieces of
stainless for $11.28 + shipping.

Best Regards,
Keith Marshall


"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"

wrote in message
oups.com...
we have been making pins of various lengths 3" to 6" out of 1/16
stainles welding rod. They now sell this with stamped codes on all the
rods and we are waisting alot of material. I wondered if we bought
coils of 1/16 stainless and if we could straigthen them. They don't
need to be perfect since they are being used as hinges in patchboxes
for muzzleloaders.
We're not looking to buy anything but need a low cost solution. Low
cost to me would be less than $100 in material.

What is your volume? Are your sizes standardized? What alloy or does it
matter? For low volume, a pyramid straighter, you can make one simply. For
higher volume(@500#), wire suppliers can supply or a parts former can supply
straight and cut.

In article 1124373147.585589.103790
@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com, says...
we have been making pins of various lengths 3" to 6" out of 1/16
stainles welding rod. They now sell this with stamped codes on all the
rods and we are waisting alot of material. I wondered if we bought
coils of 1/16 stainless and if we could straigthen them. They don't
need to be perfect since they are being used as hinges in patchboxes
for muzzleloaders.
We're not looking to buy anything but need a low cost solution. Low
cost to me would be less than $100 in material.


Roller type straighteners are pretty simple and are
surprisingly effective when set up properly.

http://www.read-eurowire.com/sjogren.htm

You can also straighten lengths of wire by stretching it
beyond its yield, I'd estimate somewhere between 200-400
pounds tension for 1/16 T304 wire, depending on temper.

I'm sure you can find TIG wire that's not stamped. I have a
couple different alloys and diameters of SS and all are ink
marked or flagged rather than stamped. Most of my aluminum
and mild steel TIG wire is stamped.

Ned Simmons

"Roller type straighteners are pretty simple and are
surprisingly effective when set up properly"
This seems just what I want
thanks
Ken

As people have said, roller type straignteners are fairly effective and
not too spendy if you "roll your own". personally, I'd go with 3 sets
of rollers at 120 degrees rather than the standard of 2 sets at 90
degrees. Also, if you are using a work hardening stainless, you can set
things up to get a good initial bend and the dead soft wire will be
hardened to about 1/4 hard by the time it passes through all rolls. of
course, you will need to pull the wire through using a bull roll that is
large enough in diameter that the wrap of wire around it doesn't take on
another bend.

However...setting the rolls can be a little troublesome at first. If
you get the bend through individual rolls a diameter that matches (kind
of like a resonant match) the roll spacing, you end up getting a wave as
the wire comes out....sometimes back tension helps.

Oh yea..most roll straighteners have a quick-clamp of some kind to open
and close roll sets to speed initial wire feeding. The roll bends are
already set so you just run the end of the wire through and clamp things
shut so the rollers pinch the wire. It's nearly impossible to feed the
wire through already set rolls without a quick clamp and it can be a
pain to loosen the individual rolls and re-set em every time you need to
re-start a new wire.

Or..just buy music wire in the right diameter. It's a little more
expensive but will already be fairly straight and hard as the dickens.

If you want REALLY straight, you have to use a rotary straightener.
Basically, these things pull wire through a spinning large bend in the
wire so that the wire is twisted as it is straightened. We straighten
coils of 5/16" T304 stainless all day long in a rotary straightener.
I've seen some Japanese versions of a rotary straightener that produced
a bow less than a thousandth in 12 inches.

Koz

wrote:

we have been making pins of various lengths 3" to 6" out of 1/16
stainles welding rod. They now sell this with stamped codes on all the
rods and we are waisting alot of material. I wondered if we bought
coils of 1/16 stainless and if we could straigthen them. They don't
need to be perfect since they are being used as hinges in patchboxes
for muzzleloaders.
We're not looking to buy anything but need a low cost solution. Low
cost to me would be less than $100 in material.

In the USAF we used to get hinge pin material (coiled up music wire)
in 100+ foot long coils of various diameters ike 1/16 to 1/4", and
what we did was bend up a long sort of S shaped piece of tube. By long
I mean a straight portion with a jog of about 45 deg up and then a jog
again to return that end paralell to the first, with the offset being
approximately 1" between the two paralell ends.........Take a air
drill chuck up a piece of coiled up music wire and insert into this
bent up S form, with the S formed tube in a bench vise and start the
air drill and pforce the wire into the end of the tube and out the
other side.......... with the drill rotating it. SOmetimes on heavier
stuff we would put some oil or grease in the tube, and just spin it
and put pressure on it and it will goi in all kinky and curley and
come out straight as can be. No set diam tube was needed, but we used
as small as possible to get it through, IIRC we used 5/16" or 3/8" ss
tube for 1/8 and 3/32" stock.......Its possible to straighten (unkink
curl) a long piece of stock, with support for the turning wire
provided by extra hands or a jig....You can also get a portion through
and then rechuck it and pull instead of push......works either way
just as good.

==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!
"The original frugal ponder"
~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ }(((((o

Wow, now that's a kink worth remembering! Snipped and archived -- thanks! - GWE

Roy wrote:

In the USAF we used to get hinge pin material (coiled up music wire)
in 100+ foot long coils of various diameters ike 1/16 to 1/4", and
what we did was bend up a long sort of S shaped piece of tube. By long
I mean a straight portion with a jog of about 45 deg up and then a jog
again to return that end paralell to the first, with the offset being
approximately 1" between the two paralell ends.........Take a air
drill chuck up a piece of coiled up music wire and insert into this
bent up S form, with the S formed tube in a bench vise and start the
air drill and pforce the wire into the end of the tube and out the
other side.......... with the drill rotating it. SOmetimes on heavier
stuff we would put some oil or grease in the tube, and just spin it
and put pressure on it and it will goi in all kinky and curley and
come out straight as can be. No set diam tube was needed, but we used
as small as possible to get it through, IIRC we used 5/16" or 3/8" ss
tube for 1/8 and 3/32" stock.......Its possible to straighten (unkink
curl) a long piece of stock, with support for the turning wire
provided by extra hands or a jig....You can also get a portion through
and then rechuck it and pull instead of push......works either way
just as good.

I had posted this info a long way back, back when T Nut was still
alive. Someone at that time gave an explanation on how and why you
could push a kinky curled up piece of wire stock through this shaped
piece of tube and have it come out perfectly round........but I can't
seem to come up with that post anymore even though I know I have it
archieved somewhere......It just does not seem feasible to run it
through such a shape and have it come out straight.

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 15:58:46 -0700, Grant Erwin
wrote:

===Wow, now that's a kink worth remembering! Snipped and archived -- thanks! - GWE
===
===Roy wrote:
===
=== In the USAF we used to get hinge pin material (coiled up music wire)
=== in 100+ foot long coils of various diameters ike 1/16 to 1/4", and
=== what we did was bend up a long sort of S shaped piece of tube. By long
=== I mean a straight portion with a jog of about 45 deg up and then a jog
=== again to return that end paralell to the first, with the offset being
=== approximately 1" between the two paralell ends.........Take a air
=== drill chuck up a piece of coiled up music wire and insert into this
=== bent up S form, with the S formed tube in a bench vise and start the
=== air drill and pforce the wire into the end of the tube and out the
=== other side.......... with the drill rotating it. SOmetimes on heavier
=== stuff we would put some oil or grease in the tube, and just spin it
=== and put pressure on it and it will goi in all kinky and curley and
=== come out straight as can be. No set diam tube was needed, but we used
=== as small as possible to get it through, IIRC we used 5/16" or 3/8" ss
=== tube for 1/8 and 3/32" stock.......Its possible to straighten (unkink
=== curl) a long piece of stock, with support for the turning wire
=== provided by extra hands or a jig....You can also get a portion through
=== and then rechuck it and pull instead of push......works either way
=== just as good.


==============================================
Put some color in your cheeks...garden naked!
"The original frugal ponder"
~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ }(((((o

I had posted this info a long way back, back when T Nut was still
alive. Someone at that time gave an explanation on how and why you
could push a kinky curled up piece of wire stock through this shaped
piece of tube and have it come out perfectly round........but I can't
seem to come up with that post anymore even though I know I have it
archieved somewhere......

Is this the thread?

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...c5b03a6f3069ba

While searching for it I also found this one:

http://groups-beta.google.com/group/...4d08aaab91f8a7

which has a link to this which looks really interesting:

http://www.wolfffishing.com/wfp/dubprowirstr.html

Best Regards,
Keith Marshall


"I'm not grown up enough to be so old!"