Wine bottle corkscrew, what type of metal?

[GrumpyBiker]

My wife has been joking about the bottle openers , more specifically that I’ve yet to attempt a corkscrew.

I am a little leary of attempting one this early in my metal moving journey but , why not?

I’m at a loss for what metal would be best for strength and flexibility given how tough wine corks can be.

If I’m able to actually pull it off I don’t want it to uncoil or break.

So does any of the forum gurus know or have experience (successful experience preferred ;-)    in making one of these and what type of steel ?

 

on a side note, where would a person have the best chance of finding the appropriate metal “in the rough / wild”  vs buying from a shop ?

[Stash]

You could use a garage door spring, just uncoil a bit and you're good to go. If you can find a small enough gauge, you don't need to draw down as much, and put a long taper on it then do your twist. When done you just normalize.

Steve

[Daswulf]

You want tough but not brittle, I would use spring steel and leave it as forged, as in no hardening or temprring after. 

Think some kind of coil spring. Car, atv, garage door....

I have heard people using mild steel with no issue but I'd go with medium to upper medium carbon. 

[GrumpyBiker]

So leaf spring steel would be okay?

 

If not I have a co-worker that says he has a coil from his old truck.

[Daswulf]

I'd say yes if you can cut it into a usable piece. 

[ThomasPowers]

Remember free steel isn't free if you have to spend a day pounding it down to something you can use!

Check with a commercial roll up door service and see if they can hook you up with your weight in broken door springs for free...

[GrumpyBiker]

Has anyone attempted one ?

[ThomasPowers]

Well I went to my browser, (google),  search function and typed in: corkscrew site:iforgeiron images   and gave up after the first 30 or so I found..

So I guess the answer is "yes".

[GrumpyBiker]

I meant has anyone attempted one that is viewing THIS thread.

[Judson Yaggy]

 

33 minutes ago, GrumpyBiker said:

Has anyone attempted one ?

I've actually made a bunch of these, and mild steel (what we call a-36 these days) works just fine.  Didn't bother to google it, sorry.

[GrumpyBiker]

Guess I have no more excuse to not try one (or 10) .

Our friends own a winery, I’d love to give them a couple to add to their silent charity auctions.

My wife wants it for personal use  ;-)

[Daswulf]

As I said, mild steel works fine for some, but I would use medium carbon steel. 

Thomas eluded to the fact that this has been asked or stated before. There Are other threads on it. 

Eh, whatcha gonna do. Post your results with what you try. 

[GrumpyBiker]

I have no ego in this.

I’m new to this hobby so I’ll gladly post my results.

[Gergely]

If you don't mind a piece of advice: take a store bought one with you when heading to the shop for forging your first. It's very annoying when you find out at the end that 1. the coil was drawn out too thick 2. it twists the opposite way as it should do.

Bests:

Gergely

[GrumpyBiker]

Good tip.

Makes perfect sense.

[Lou L]

I’ve made a few from a36 steel as well.  They work well and I think I’d break the bottle before I bent the corkscrew.  I’d rather save my spring steel for punches and drifts...but I’m a shameless miser. 

[ThomasPowers]

Having one twisting the other way would make a good April Fools gift for an oenophile.  However I don't think there is a right way and a wrong way; just a more common way... 

[John McPherson]

Oh, but there are right handed and left handed.

 

[Lou L]

That would be a sinister joke, Thomas.

[ThomasPowers]

Thanks for the left handed compliment.

[MotoMike]

On ‎9‎/‎28‎/‎2018 at 9:30 PM, GrumpyBiker said:

I have no ego in this...

Ha you should see some of the cave man stuff I've posted.  

[billyO]

One suggestion/modification I'd make, though is, when you are separating the coils after turning/twisting them, don't just pull the end out like I've seen before and it looks like you did.  You need to use a screwdriver or something like that to separate the twists so that you have even spacing all around the corkscrew so that it follows the same hole.  By having larger spacing at the end than at the top, you will tear up the cork.

I can't take credit for coming up with that though, I learned it from Mark Aspery at one of our weekend functions when he demonstrated "Forging a helical actuator for removing semi-permanent check valves in an enclosed fluidine system"

 

as always

peace and love

billyO

 

[GrumpyBiker]

The cork screw photo is one borrowed from the internet.

Not of my creation.

Ive not yet attempted one.

[Ranchmanben]

I forged these from 5/8” coil spring. Next time I’m going to start with smaller stock and try mild steel.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I was thinking that a lag screw could be used as a mandrel of sorts to keep the coils equidistant to each other.