Deburring jump rings en masse

[ps_bond]

If I'm only cutting a few jump rings, it's no problem quickly touching each one with a needle file to take the burr off from cutting through with the saw. When it comes to a couple of hundred, that's less apealling.

How do those of you making your own chain & maille handle it? Tumbling?

[mizgeorge]

Yep. Tumbling. Usually overnight. And the finest sawblade I can bear to use for the wire to start with!

[ps_bond]

Thanks George - 4/0 is my usual, but I might fall back on 8/0 for 1mm wire. Do you tumble the rings or the finished item?

[mizgeorge]

I generally tumble both tbh. After cutting to ensure that I'll get a nice clean fit when I make, and finished piece for polish.

I cut 1mm with a 6/0 as a general rule, and go down to 8/0 for 0.7 or thinner.

[ps_bond]

Excellent, thanks for that. Just need to work out if I want to solder than all now :)

[MeadMoon]

Yes, I tumble both as well, but use a Koil Kutter for cutting when in a hurry.

[ps_bond]

Right, I believe I have enough rings cut. Out of interest, what sort of time does it take other people to wind & cut jump rings? I've managed just shy of 200 1.2mm rings in an hour which seems OK, but I wonder if it could be more efficient. I've been clamping the coil in the Benchmate and sawing from the inside out (and 6/0 has left much less of a burr, thank you George); I wonder if making up some V grooved jaws to grip the full length of the coil might improve things - at the moment I have to unclamp & move the coil as I cut through.

Next up will be trying to use my drawplates for elongated links.

It's been a long time since I last made either chain or maille so I'm very much out of practice.

[mizgeorge]

That's not bad Peter - especially if you're out of practice!

I generally cut in my hand - I just hold the coil between thumb and index or middle finger of my non-dominant hand and cut down from the top, on the outside, which is very quick. I guess it takes me between five and ten minutes to cut a 150 ring coil, depending on the gauge of course. I do lube the back of the blade every 20 rings or so. I've had a lot of practice though!!

You can get coil holding pliers, but they're pretty useless IMO and only hold very sort coils at a time.

[ps_bond]

I'm probably losing time working with smaller coils - the mandrels I'm using (Machine Mart parallel punches) only hold around 35 coils for their length. Winding is fast though using a cordless drill (ON SLOW!). Cutting from the inside out seemed to reduce any risk of catching the inside of the rings, as well as leaving the burr on the outside. Blade lubed every time it felt a bit more "catchy"; I'm actually not sure that the QR on the Knew Concept saw helped in this case - might actually be better off with a traditional sawframe on this occasion.

Using the Benchmate is very lazy - saw with one hand, surf the forum with the other...

BTW, the taper punches that came with the set make really handy bezel mandrels - although they all need a good polish before use: http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/product/details/et138-16-piece-punch-chisel-set

[ps_bond]

So... *Purely* hypothetically - if one had dumped about 400 jump rings in with the shot, only to find later that the shot isn't actually magnetic and that every blasted one had to be picked out by hand - would there have been a better way to have tackled that?

Should I, er, my hypothetical friend have strung them on a wire first in the same way as he would have done if he were pickling the things?

[mizgeorge]

LOL. yes.... Wire or a bit of elastic thread.

Some shot just needs a stronger magnet though ;)

For the mandrels, I find transfer punches very useful, but have been found wandering round hardware stores with a digital caliper in hand just measuring anything that might be the size I'm looking for!

[snow_imp]

...but have been found wandering round hardware stores with a digital caliper in hand just measuring anything that might be the size I'm looking for!

So glad it's not just me!

[ps_bond]

Some shot just needs a stronger magnet though ;)

If a hard drive magnet won't lift the shot, there's a reasonable chance the shot is non-magnetic.


For the mandrels, I find transfer punches very useful, but have been found wandering round hardware stores with a digital caliper in hand just measuring anything that might be the size I'm looking for!

Ah... My transfer punches are in another toolbox, being transfer punches! A damn good idea though. It also occurs to me that they'd be a dead easy way to find the centre of punched discs.
Do you drill them for winding?

[mizgeorge]

Oh well Peter, you'll be busy picking rings out!

I just use the transfer punches in a low torque drill or an electric screwdriver with a snap in chuck. And yes, they're handy for centering too ;)

[ps_bond]

Pair of tweezers and a sheet of paper - wasn't too bad after all. But I think I'd prefer not to repeat it!

[DGFerguson]

random post, have you looked on the website mailleartisans.org? I've not looked recently but I recall a lot of info on making jumprings, among other things ;-)

[Carl Grigg]

I use knitting needles to wind my coils, pick them up in car boot sales and charity shops for pennies one advantage is the size is already marked on them. To cut them I use a Stanley multi-angle vice very useful v grove under rubber jaws. I put a deep tray to catch them and they cut in no time. don't know what size blades I use as being new to jewellery making I am still working through the gross that came with my frame.

Carl

[ps_bond]

random post, have you looked on the website mailleartisans.org? I've not looked recently but I recall a lot of info on making jumprings, among other things ;-)

I have, but I don't remember seeing much on deburring.

[mizgeorge]

Carl, always double check the measurements marked on your knitting needles. As a general rule, they're smaller than they claim to be, which can make a huge difference if you're attempting an AR sensitive weave.

[ps_bond]

Yup, stringing them on a copper wire "safety pin" makes it much quicker to remove them from the shot! Undecided as to whether I prefer cutting from inside or out - cut from inside and you aren't left with jump rings bouncing around on the saw blade.

[Tabby66]

I'm undecided too Peter, I keep trying both, but I'm erring (is that spelt correctly??) on sawing from the outside. I only saw small numbers at a time, probably 1-2 dozen, mostly in 0.8mm round wire with ID 1-1.8mm (for tiny connecting rings and for pearl caps), I do have some difficulty keeping hold of these!!

Due to the small numbers, I deburr each by hand.