Michael Cochran Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 I started a new job yesterday working for a chain link fence manufacturer. My job requires me to use a tool to remove one piece of wire every so often to start a new roll. All the guys in the department have different tools they use and all are made from whatever scrap/junk they found laying around but I want something uniquely me, something from my forge. Basically the tools are all the same, some kind of handle and something on the end you can hook the wire in and rotates as you pull the wire from the roll. I want something that I can also clip or hook to my belt loop so that I don't drop it or it 'walk off' when my back is turned. The basic idea is something similar to the picture below and I have an idea how to do most of the forging I want to do but I'm not sure how to do the spinning part. I know how to make the ring and I can drill the hole to attach it to the handle portion but how would I forge the rivet head inside the ring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 one way would be to bend the loop to the side, rivet it to the body and then bend it back. Practice a couple of times of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Why bend it back? Would it function reasonably being slightly offset. Must it be a rivet? Could the stem be a bolt with a nut affixed and soldered into the their contact position through a sweated join. Or could the nut be affixed and the bolt end be slightly expanded by driving a punch into the center of the bolt end distal to the bolt head in order to jam the nut in place Just playing with the idea. We I.F.I, folks can surely come up with better and more elegant solutions to this problem. We might even be inventive! SLAG. How about affixing an acorn nut to the stem end. Why not use epoxy. etc. etc. SLAG. Why not just weld a knob at the end of the stem. O.K. I'll stop being a pest. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 in the books section? there is a 1910 ? edition of a blacksmith book some where inside is all the steps to make the swivel. seen it in the farm blacksmith book as well I'd have to go digging to find proper titles. download an old blacksmithing manual or two and you'll be surprised at what you'll find Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 "Practical Blacksmithing", Richardson, Vol III chapter VI "Making chain swivels" has several methods shown; but it dates to around 1890... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Would it not be simpler to have the whole tool rotate in the handle? A length of rod with an appropriate hook on the end (assumng a simple open hook?) a shoulder on the shaft to provide a stop for a plain hollow handle and a threaded end fo a nut to secure the handle. As it has a hook on the end anyway, would that not suffice to hook to your belt loop? * For the sake of safety, please do not have any tool attached to yourself or your clothing while using it in proximity of machinery * Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdaleh Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 Look up rebar wire tool . Agree with smoggy dont have it attached to your body safety first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 If you do want to have something attached to yourself, you might take a chapter from divers. Often divers want something attached to themselves, but they want the ability to be able to cut or break it away in an emergency. While string is what many use, it's probably not the best idea around machinery where you may not have time to cut yourself loose. Zip ties are popular because it doesn't take a lot to break them. Orings are another common attaching method. A good size Oring can be passed thru something, then passed thru itself to tie it off. They are often used on items like that clip shown in the 1st post to attach regs and other items. The small clip on my primary reg is attached that way. This way I can clip it off and not have it dangling if I have to change regs for some reason, but in an emergency, if you grab it, you'll break the small Oring and be able to breath off the reg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 A variation on these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted June 25, 2016 Author Share Posted June 25, 2016 Sorry for the long delay, I had to help with a yard sale today. The rebar wire tie and the safety wire tying tools won't work as far as I know simply because of the limit to their travel on the internal twister. The fencing I'm working on right now is 48" tall and I might end up working on 60" or 72" fencing later so I need something relatively free spinning. I will look up the suggested books and see what I can find there. I'll give a couple couple examples of what others have for a better mental image. One guy has a roughly 4" long threaded eye bolt with a nut run all the way up to the eye followed by a washer with a long piece of some kind of metal tube with a washer right behind it and a nut welded to the end. Another has a small 2" bearing race with a cotter pin stuck through a small hole drilled into the side with a small nut welded to it. All the others are variations of those two. I could go with the spinner in a hollow handle but that limits me as to what I can do to make it look nice and unique because it's basically going to be the same as half the others in the department. If I had a solid handle I could do several different things to make it different. Maybe I'm just overthinking it a little. I hope to have something figured out and built this weekend but if not I have a temporary one I can use until I do get mine made. And as far as safety goes, my belt doesn't get near moving parts on machinery. The moving parts are also pretty well contained behind safety shields of different types but I definitely don't wanna get snapped up by a machine just because I want a nice tool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted June 25, 2016 Share Posted June 25, 2016 This is the type of tie wire tool I use. It free spins 360 deg as long as you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted October 15, 2016 Share Posted October 15, 2016 I agree with DSW. Were it I, I'd rivet/weld a ring onto the "pommel" of the spinner and use a cheap carabiner to hook it to a belt loop. Relatively quick to make and no great loss if it did grow legs at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted October 15, 2016 Author Share Posted October 15, 2016 I haven't done anything with this idea other than think on it some more. I have decided it's going to be a through handle construction with a hook instead of a loop. I had a really good picture in my head one day but wasn't able to sketch it and have since lost some of the finer bits but I think I'll manage. Unfortunately 10 hours were cut from the work week about a month after I started there and I'm looking for something new. They say it should pick back up around April so I might tough it out depending on what happens between now and then. Thanks guys for all the input. If anything ever does come from this I'll be sure to post some pictures. Truth is I might make is just as a challenge project even if I don't need it anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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