[TheForge] Making needles?

[Bruce .]

I need a few needles of dimensions I can't find commercially.  The
application is a sewing pliers (US Patent 1,352,508).  I have one of these
pliers and it's great for repairing those damned silly running shoes you
can't seem to avoid these past forty or so years.

The needle needs to be about 1" long, maybe 1.25", "heavy" thickness
(equivalent to a #8 Tandy sewing-awl needle).  Therein lies the rub --
cutting off the commercial needle to an appropriate length gives a needle
that isn't quite appropriate for mounting in the sewing pliers.  I have
done this and it can be made to work, but such commercial needles are not
cheap and I'd prefer to make my own than to pay the price for what ends up
being a second-rate needle.

(BTW, sewing-machine needles seem all to be too long and too thin, though
I'm looking into them further.)

Now, commercial needles are made like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZJPpuL2sqQ

In my case, I needn't follow exactly this procedure (even omitting the
machines), but I think the stamping approach to making the eyes might be
the most feasible, if reduced to hand-scale.  I envision partially
flattening the end of a (round) wire, then centerpunching enough to mark
and spread the flat, and either punching it through or drilling it
through.  This would result in a large round hole, which could be cleaned
internally of burrs, then "flattened" laterally to produce the traditional
long, narrow needle eye.

So the question come down to:  How to centerpunch a small, partially
flattened wire such that the punch is exactly centered?  Seems to me that
jigs would be needed, and I haven't figured out simple jigs that would
work.  Ideas would be welcome.

I've considered, but haven't tried, starting with oversized wire and
puncing an eye in that (presumably easier than smaller stuff), then
grinding or filing off the excess.  I've considered folding over the end
and welding it to itself to make the eye.  These both seem like a lot of
extra work.


-- 
Bruce
NJ