[TheForge] Making needles?

[Bruce .]

Actually, here's an even better video on needlemaking, as it shows much
more about how the tooling is made and used.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxmJ167obYw

And here's an article about the largely hand methods used in the 19th
century:

http://www.interweave.com/needle/projects/Needlemaking-Article.pdf


On Sun, Oct 13, 2013 at 8:39 PM, Bruce . <freemab222 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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
>



-- 
Bruce
NJ