[Jewelry making - Article 00031] - [Orchid] Corian / Delrin etc. Drawplates [Was: Fine Silver tubing]

[Peter W. Rowe]

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re: corian/delrin etc. drawplates.

>    I want to use the draw plate for wire and chain also. do you
>    believe that will work? That does need a bit of a taper. 

    fine for chain, not useful for wire.  And remember, you're
    flaring the outer edge of the drilled holes.  that take the place
    of a truely tapered hole, and for tube or chain, works just fine.
     If you insist on a better taper, after drilling the holes, you
    can get a long tapered reamer that will put a taper in. You do
    want to leave a least a little of the hole as a cylyndrical
    drilled hole. That's true for "real" drawplates too. 

>        I have been real timid about using tools. Guess I just need
>     to get my feet wet, and do it. 

    Dry your feet.  Wouldn't want to get water on the steel tools,
    and wet socks aren't comfortable ;-) 

>        For smoothing out the insides, do you believe some of the
>     cloth backed fine sandpaper tubed and drawn will do? 

    You don't need to smooth the holes in a plastic, corian, delrin,
    etc. drawplate. The plate is softer than what you're drawing, and
    won't mark it.  Plus, the marks in a drilled hole go around the
    hole anyway, and even in metal, wouldn't leave a strong mark.  If
    you do wish to smooth those holes, though, you'll want something
    finer than ordinary fine sandpaper.  For a plastic/corian plate,
    I'd use waterproof paper or cloth, in maybe a 320 or 400 grit or
    finer.  Put a little piece in a split mandrel (a nail with a saw
    cut down the length of the shank and the head cut off will work,
    so you've got a small diameter sanding drum used in your flex
    shaft.  Use it wet, so the plastic won't 'burn'.  You want any
    sanding marks to go around the hole, not lengthwise to it.
    Alternatives would be coarse craytex bullets, or something like
    them, but you'll have to be careful to keep it lubricated too, or
    it will "burn" the plastic. 

Peter

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