[Jewelry making - Article 00087] - Re: [Orchid] Drawing wire, getting burrs

[Carl Stanley]

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    The most likely reason that burs show up on wire that is drawn in a
    plate after rolling in a mill, is improper mill techniques. When you
    roll wire down in a mill it is very important not to tighten the
    wire on one side only as you continue to roll through smaller wire
    groves. 

    This can cause a flange of metal to form on the corner of the wire.
    If this flange appear and you are not aware of it and then you turn
    the wire 90deg to roll it again - you will compress the flange and
    fold it over rather than compress and reshape the wire to a smaller
    size. Even if the flange is very slight it can fold rather than
    compress. This fold will not be noticed until later when you are
    drawing the wire because the pressure of the mill fools you into
    thinking the wire is solid and firm. But in fact what you have is a
    fold that is only pressed together to form the square wire shape.
    Later as you draw the wire and stress the surface these nasty sharp
    burs will appear. They are like small cracks and become longer and
    sharper as the wire is drawn smaller. This is because the once small
    fold is now 

    elongated and the layers of the fold become thinner as you draw. Be
    careful because these can cut your fingers or skin. The worst is
    that they don't show up until after a piece if finished and being
    polished. To avoid this - turn the wire 90BA each time it is run
    through the mill at the same tightness. Then just tighten a little -
    roll and turn - tighten roll and turn. If a flange does appear it
    must be filed away before you turn the wire. Otherwise you can roll
    and allow the flange to grow and grow without turning the wire. Keep
    it rolling on the one side and make sure you remove all the flange
    before drawing. This is not the correct method - but it will work.
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