small collets

Hi Everyone,

I'm trying to keep to 100% handmade to have some hope of a USP and selling something!
With that in mind i'm having trouble with making small collets, normally round.

Does anyone have a method for making tapered round collets at the 2-4mm size?

I'm presently trying to use a round collet plate, but it often results in the ring of metal going in wonky and coming out... wonky!


Very much appreciate any suggestions
Cheers
Nick

First of all welcome; are you working your way down with the collet plate that is progressing from large to small and taking it slowly, you cant just bang in in and hope it will
come out ok you have to (for want of a better word) tease it into shape

Hi China,

Thanks for the welcome.

The problem i have is that the collet plate is to big.
Is there a collect plate with smaller holes than 5mm?

Cheers
Nick

The only place I know that has tiny bezel blocks is Otto Frei there may be others

http://www.ottofrei.com/Round-Bezel-...ows-2mm-to-7mm

That's a nice piece of kit china!

I think my smallest plate goes down to 3mm and was from ebay for less than £20. I'm pretty sure the dreaded Cousins have them as well.

You might look at his page on how to use a collet plate: https://www.google.com/search?client...a+collet+plate.

For me, it's a good idea to start with a piece of tubing, hard at first, that has had the ends filed square in a filing block. Then I start it gently on top of the block, to begin the funnel shape before inserting it into the appropriate hole.

It's best to use a small hammer and light taps and anneal when you feel resistance. Dennis

I used to make them, with a good success rate, as advised by Dennis by starting on the surface of the block, but I needed a smaller bottom end and so now I start them inside a hole but gently tap them into the hole with a nylon mallet alone, no punch, so that I taper the bottom end first. Then once I have a nice narrow taper at the bottom I open the top up using the punch. Either way, you have to be patient, tap, tap, tap rather than mighty thwacks and anneal often, as soon as you feel/hear resistance.

Oh! and China, thank you for reminding me of those multi-angle Italian blocks that Otto Frei stock. I can't honestly justify why I would need one, I already have 17^o and 28^o blocks, and haven't got a 32^o one because who can see the difference between 28 and 32.... But those 4-angle blocks with sizes down to 2mm; 'Honest, it's not just a piece of straight walled tube, it's a 2mm 10^o tapered collet'. It's just Tool Desire! but fortunately cost-prohibitive (until they go on sale)

I struggle to see why anyone would want to make really tiny tapered collets. If you needed to you could probably just tap in a scriber, but is it really worth it?