Categories: Projects and equipment
Word count/read time: 419 words; 2 minutes
This is neither a part 2 of the first
jump ring stretcher
nor a remade version of it.
Instead it is a different design for heavy duty applications and to use on existing chains.
It is less versatile because it's made for a specific purpose and it's more of a spreader
than stretcher.
The first stretcher was for small or thin wire
and individual jump rings, perfect for loop-in-loop chains. It
could have been made to accommodate thick, strong, and/or chains though
I had to draw the line somewhere. One tool can't do everything...a tack hammer
is quite different than a 15lb sledgehammer.
Spreading or stretching jump rings into an elongated rectangle or oval is quite easy in
principle. There are many ways I have done it: round nose pliers,
parallel jaw pliers, dowels, and jigs. All worked good
but required some finagling to ensure a consistent and
precise outcome. Efficient they were not.
So I was making myself a new
2-in-1
necklace using some heavy-duty jump rings: 2.0mm round 0.999 fine silver wire, 3/8" I.D.
I wanted to stretch them into elongated rectangles and the best tool was
my biggest set of round-nose pliers.
The problem with thick jump rings is that they don't stretch "fully"
and end up looking like a pregnant rectangle. That can be remedied
by squeezing the center section while keeping the (spreading) tension on the ring.
Then a lot of fine-tuning to get it just right followed by sanding and polishing to remove
the stress lines from forging.
That's assuming the ring was centered so it stretched evenly,
the weld joint was strong enough to endure the stress
(and beautiful enough to be invisible and look symmetrical, naturally), the
stretch was consistent from ring to ring, etc. Lots of extra work, in other words.
Because it's proprietary I won't be posting detailed pictures.
Interchangeable tips make 1.5mm to 14mm rounded (internal) diameters
with square, diamond, and other shapes coming.
An adjustable stop ensures every ring stretches the same distance.
It can exert lots of force but I'll still make manual adjustments
as needed.
I enjoy creating and designing,
want to be self-sufficient, and need specialized equipment.
When something doesn't perform adequately then
it's back to the drawing board.
There were functional aspects that weren't known
until testing, specs that constantly changed along the way, and remade
parts and designs galore.
If anyone made such a tool I'd consider purchasing it - judging by how
long it took to make this one, maybe not!
Posted by M: September 28, 2024
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