[Jewelry making - Article 00606] - Re: [Orchid] Drilling investigated

[Ian W. Wright]

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Hi Leonid,

>     Using reamers is an industrial technique. They are very expensive=
>     and not easily adaptable for jewellery. Broaches, even cutting
>     variety, are better suited for polishing inside the hole. They term
>     "cutting" only makes sense from watchmaker point of view. They do
>     not remove much metal. 

    I am a watchmaker and would tend to disagree with both of these
    statements. Certainly multi-fluted reamers are industrial and
    expensive but a perfectly usable and practical 'D' bit reamer can be
    made in a few minutes which will open up holes very quickly. Even
    quicker if you just want to open up a hole to a known diameter -
    rather than making a tapered 'D' bit which will open up to any
    diameter - is to make a reamer with a sloping face. That is, take a
    piece of steel wire the diameter you want the hole to finish up at
    and file a long flat on it going from full diameter to maybe 1/4
    diameter or whatever size will enter the initial hole. Harden and
    temper it and the hole can be opened in no time. A 'D' bit, of
    course, has the flat filed to exactly half the rod's diameter for all
    of its working length. Watchmaking broaches are made from a steel rod
    which is tapered and has 5 flat faces filed along its length equally
    spaced around its circumference. They are available commercially in a
    wide variety of sizes but can be made quite quickly at home. They
    work very well on all soft metals up to, and including, annealed tool
    steel and, if used alternately from one side of the hole and then the
    other, they will open up a hole very quickly - indeed, the problem is
    often in stopping before the hole gets too large!! 

Best wishes,
Ian
Ian W. Wright
Sheffield UK
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