A drawing plate is a tool used to thin wire to specific gauges, often used by artists making handmade jewelry. It requires a vise, lubricant, files, and grippers. Wire drawing machines can save money for those using large amounts of wire. A drawplate is also used for stamping sheet metal.
A drawing plate is a plate used to thin wire, also called drawing wire. Usually metallic and often rectangular, this tool is used to thin wire to specific thicknesses, called gauges. Some wire drawing methods can strengthen the wire. Although used by some manufacturers, drawing plates are usually used by artists making handmade jewellery. When using a draw plate, a jeweler inserts a wire into a hole which presses the wire into the desired new gauge.
Threads can be drawn one at a time or in smaller thread groups. Drawing plates can have a hole of one size or multiple holes for drawing multiple sizes. The pattern is usually used to thin metal wire, but the technique has also been used to fashion wooden dowels and glass strands for fiber optics. The material used in a die can be different to suit the type of metal being drawn. Harder metals to draw require stronger materials such as tungsten carbide and diamond.
When a jeweler aims to draw wire by hand, the plate isn’t the only tool needed. This process also requires a vise, wire drawing lubricant or die lubricant, metal files and grippers in addition to the perforated plate. The vise is used to hold the die in place for the procedure. The lubricant is to help the wire through the holes, and files are used to taper the wire to fit the holes. Grippers are used to grip the wire, holding it tightly as it is pulled through one of the holes in the die.
Drawing wire may be a money saver for some, but for others, sizing wire by hand may prove more trouble than the money saving is worth. Purchasing wire can be cheap, making wire drawing work an inconvenient choice. For those using a large amount of wire, a wire drawing machine can save money by allowing the user to scale back excess wire that is too large. The flat plate can also be used to straighten bent wire.
Another tool called a drawplate is also used for stamping or punching sheet metal. In stamping, it is the plate that holds the mold used to form the sheet metal. The tool is used to shape metal into blank shapes or sheets, a process usually performed by a hydraulic press.
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