Micromaille ring example
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Categories: Projects and equipment
Word count/read time: 472 words; 2 minutes
This has been on the back burner for many years.
Going full-in based on a test piece and a jewelry making tip from
a century ago, I hit the machine shop with a lofty goal.
Saw-cut rings are the only way to go but
at some point they will be so small they won't
be round when closed and the ends won't align properly.
(Technically all rings sawed from a coil
exhibit this trait but larger rings are imperceptibly so.)
Think about a jump ring that has an I.D. of
1.35mm (0.053" less than 1/16"). Cutting it with
a 0.01" thick saw blade is
nearly 20% of the inner diameter. Even a thinner 8/0 blade (0.0063")
still exceeds 10%! That ruins the
aspect ratio
as well.
Micromaille rings must have flush cuts on both ends. A saw is possible but futile.
The only feasible way is to use ultra-flush cutters and cut each end individually.
Certainly don't listen to what others say because it's an epic fail (fingernail
cutters, regular nippers, etc. - do you think they'll admit to making
low-quality rings???).
Flush-cut pliers are still a pain-in-the ass time toilet.
Even the best eyesight needs magnification to do it best
so hopefully this tedium will come to an end for me!
Cut one end of the to-be jump ring, flip the pliers around, cut the other end
while trying to align it in the up/down, left/right, and fore/aft planes simultaneously.
Repeat. Not so bad for onesy twoseys but making enough for a chain is prohibitive.
Another option to account for a blade's kerf would be a precision
quasi-elliptical mandrel specifically made for the ring size, wire diameter,
and saw blade thickness. Manufacturing such mandrels would only be possible with
specialty CNC machinery. In other words, fuggetaboutit!
Or you could mimic a chainmail machine which pre-cuts a wire segment
and uses two dies to form it into shape. That requires dies for every size and variation thereof,
a very precise method of cutting
segments to length with the correct matched angle on the ends to ensure there's no gap when closed,
and aligning it.
Again, it's just not reasonable for anything other than an automated machine.
Since my tool is proprietary and I have only seen reference to the process
a few times in all my years of reading and studying chainmaille - never seen an actual
tool, drawing, or design - the specifics will remain a secret.
It cuts an entire coil nearly perfectly without removing material.
Compact enough to fit into the palm of my hand, it adjusts to
micromaille sizes down to 1.35mm I.D. with 0.25mm wire.
Maybe even smaller, I'm still testing and tweaking it.
It's only for soft metals like silver and gold, maybe copper and brass,
but that's OK because that's all I need it for.
Posted by M: September 7, 2024
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