What is the original wire used in wireforms?
I Like Wires
there has the specs for the original wire used to make them with, I
would love to hear it. I could only find limitted info in previous
posts.
I plan to make a jig to hold the parts.
I plan to use TIG to weld them, as I do not have the spot equipment
that they did.
I plan to use electrostatic powder coat (pay to have it done), as it
is not worth chroming at this point.
I plan to collect a couple of bending systems to bend with.. any
pointers? How does one bend a perfect circle? How does one take a roll
of wire and make it perfectly straight? Start with straight wire?
I am open to all of the advice available.
I Like Wires
I measure the wire on LOTR at 0.120. If we take plating into account,
that appears to be 12 gage.
I measure the attached plates at 0.072. That appears to be 18 gage
plus paint/plating.
I am guessing mild steel, un-anodized, un-galvanized, un-anealed for
workability and paintability.
I see a place in Chicagoland, Worth Steel and Machinery, that appears
to be able to supply the wire.
Surely someone out there has tried / failed / suceeded at this.. show
me where the trees are please!
twilightzonepinball
kurtok
If you try and bend a piece of wireform you'll find it pretty stiff.
My guess is it some grade of cold rolled. Mild carbon just seems too
soft.
Here's an idea that might get you in (and out) of the business cheap.
Bring a case of beer to your local welding shop and bum some tig wire
from them. It comes in a load of different diameters and the 3 foot
lenghts should be long enough to try out a ramp or two, but I'm not
sure that anything other than mild steel is supplied that large. I
don't know how well different materials chrome plate but almost any
grade of stainless wire would work, or even Inconel. If you can't get
a chrome on the stainless you can polish it pretty close to chrome.
As far as welding, make it a good case of beer and see if they will
let you use the spot welder. Tig puts too much heat into a weld and
it'll be hard to keep the wires from warping around. Of course that
could just be that I suck at tig.
Good luck and let us know how you make out.
KK
I Like Wires
whatever I use, there are links in there to figure out how.
By the way, you used solder. Do you think that that would be strong
enough to withstand some serious pinball abuse without breaking?
KK, thanks for the thoughts. I do have a welding shop near me. Maybe
if I cruise the dumpster, I can see what brand of beer they like
(smart, eh?)
I agree that it would not have to be super hard to prevent it from
bending in the machine when in use.
I would ultimately like to powder coat, though, as you can get some
stunning colors today. Candy apple, rainbow, et cetera. So I think it
easiest to start with uncoated steel.
Thanks gents.
erickit
I used to work for Acme Wire and Spring many moons ago when we still
made stuff like this here.
Wire is straightened by pushing it through a series of opposing offset
rollers.
For rings we had spring coilers that pushed the wires through the
rollers and the adjustment of the end roller determined the diameter
of the coil, wire feed determined the length and a cutter cut them
off.
For the large automotive coils once made they were heat treated.
Stuff like pinball wireforms the individual parts were made on the
four slides and jigged for spot welding.
Softer wire like mild/carbon steel is hardened by heat treatment.
The spring coilers and four slides shook the earth when everything was
running.
You can make rings by hand on a round mandrel, wrap the wire around
it making a coil then cut it into individual rings and weld the loops
closed.
We made everything from dishwasher racks to stainless wires used in
artificial heart valves.
We made thousands of hooks for Ancra motorcycle tie downs, this is a
job "Americans won't do" now and they are made in China.
I am probably one of the last guys in America that can set up a 4
slide or even know what one is.
All those slides and coilers made in Allentown are now over in China.
:(
Eric
Dflrm
Cold rolled hot rolled and mild steel are chemically the same steel
and are probably not what they used. If a chrome plated surface bends
dents and/or flexes the chrome plating flakes off. I was going to
suggest that they might have used spring steel wire also known as
piano wire but the stuff I used to use on chain mail is only .080 and
then it also dawned on me that you would lose the spring temper near
where you welded.
The secret to bending a complete circle is bend a piece of wire longer
then needed into a spiral. Cut the flat ends with an abrasive wheel
(thiner the better). Bend the ring so both ends are flush. With
spring steel this accomplished with two bends. First squeeze ring
together so ends go past each other just a touch. Second twist ends of
the ring past each other and release. You are left with a near
perfect circle with a very tight joint.
Daniel
martin
Check out the video at the bottom of this link:
http://www.aimmachines.com/
If you could find someone with one of these, you could have some real
success with wires.
erickit
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Wow Martin, that is waaay cool!
The wire feed rollers look the same but that unit can make stuff a
slide could never bend.
Eric
I Like Wires
be cool to watch, though.
Chris~
twilightzonepinball
Yes I did solder my sculpture, but I am experienced at it. I will say
that solder will not be strong enough. The lead is too soft. I have
never done it, but brazing might work. Welding is the way to go IMHO.
I have a "Mighty Wire Bender". But I cannot find a link to give you
for it. A lot of RBS guys use a traffic cone filled with concrete as a
bending jig.
-Tom
http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze8f4tt/tomstwilightzonepinballmachineaccessories/index.html
1st
erickit
>
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Back then $1.65 an hour was min. wage, $2.00 was good money.
:)
Eric
twilightzonepinball
I remember someone in Germany doing custom wireforms for TZ. If you
can find that guy and ask how, might be a good lead.
-Tom
http://home.myfairpoint.net/vze8f4tt/tomstwilightzonepinballmachineaccessories/index.html