Source for eyelets

[Laggard]

I need some eyelets for suitable for 3 mm blocks for my 1:48 longboat.  
 

1.  I cannot make them myself.   Two hours of trying only lead to some blood from being stabbed by the wire.  I have a vice, hemostats, needle nose pliers, etc.  I simply cannot do it. 
 

2. An hour of Google only lead to one place that carries them but they are in England.  Shipping cost and time is crazy.  
 

I have checked every resource available here and can find no sources.  
 

Anyone have a supplier?  Thanks. 

[Dziadeczek]

If you are referring to tiny wire rings, you can make them by wrapping a  piece of wire around a shaft of a drill bit (of suitable thickness) fastened in a vise, to look like a spring. Than stretch this spring a bit and cut off individual rings. If you want to, you can solder the ends of each ring together with a tiny soldering iron.

If you are referring to small thimbles, you can make them from a piece of small brass tubing, by cutting off short lengths on a small table saw (I have the PREAC) and than gently hammer each end out with a nail that has its end shaped (filed) like a funnel.

Edited September 6, 2021 by Dziadeczek

[Laggard]

4 minutes ago, Dziadeczek said:

If you are referring to tiny wire rings, you can make them by wrapping a  piece of wire around a shaft of a drill bit (of suitable thickness) fastened in a vise, to look like a spring. Than stretch this spring a bit and cut off individual rings. If you want to, you can solder the ends of each ring together with a tiny soldering iron.

If you are referring to small thimbles, you can make them from a piece of small brass tubing, by cutting off short lengths on a small table saw (I have a PREAC) and than gently hammer each end out with a nail that has its end shaped (filed) like a funnel.

Thanks.  I need these. 
 

 

[barkeater]

Model Expo and Historic Ships both carry eyebolts. I'm sure just about any hobby outlet catering to model boat builders would carry them. They are pretty easy to make. Use silver wire (26 guage should work in your scale) for metal fabrication (eyebolts, ring bolts, hooks, etc.) as it is stronger and holds a shape better than craft wire which bends to easy. I silver solder my metal work but for eye bolts you probably don't have to unless you are going to have them under a lot of tension. I just use two needle nose pliers without a form such as the drill bit mentioned above but doing them on a form would give you more consistency.

[Dziadeczek]

I don't know what size of these eyelets you need?

In any case, I once found a plastic box of tiny eyelets (I think they were 1/8 in.) on Amazon for dirt cheap (their shafts were threaded though, and not smooth).

But, if you have a pin vise, get a short length (about an inch) of wire, the thickness of which is the same as the size of your eye on the eyelets you need.

Shape its end into something similar on the pic you attached above (but do not close the hook completely!). Take a similar length of the wire for your eyelets and bend it into "U". Clamp both ends in a vise and catch the "U" with your hook mounted in the pin vise. Twist the pin vise in your hands until the wire will clamp tightly around the hook. Cut off ends for desired lengths. Release the eyelet from the hook. 

If you want to have smooth shaft, cover the twists with a melted solder, otherwise left alone, they will act like a thread and pushed into a hole and CD glued, will sit there tightly.

[mtaylor]

In addition to those places mentioned by Barkeater, there's places like Ages of Sail, possibly Blue Jacket,.  As for the 3mm blocks, you'll have to size the eyebolts for your needs.   Are you looking for the bolts that go into the ship or into the block?

 

BTW, how many do you need?   I look in my stash and see what I have.  I'll need the diameter of the ring.  I think I have some very tiny ones both wire and photo etch.

[allanyed]

Dziadeczek

What is CD glue?  Maybe it's a typo, but if not, just curious about it. 😄

Laggard,

I use tapered round nose pliers to form the eye bolts from brass wire or sometimes copper wire although copper tends to be too soft in some situations.

 

[PRS]

These are easy to make:

 

Take a piece if small wire and fold it over.

 

Make yourself a small hook our of piano wire and chuck it in a pin vise. Then just twist it.

 

 

[Laggard]

2 hours ago, PRS said:

These are easy to make:

 

Take a piece if small wire and fold it over.

 

Make yourself a small hook our of piano wire and chuck it in a pin vise. Then just twist it.

 

 

Wow thanks!  That is easy.  I was trying to do it with 28 gauge wire that is just impossible to bend.  Tried some lighter gauge brass stuff and it’s quite easy.  I need an open eyelet which is easily created by snipping the loop.  Thanks again!

[Gregory]

Another easy place to find them without having to pay shipping, are places like Walmart, Michaels and Hobby Lobby.

 

Look in the jewelry crafting department.

 

 

 

It is easy to resize them if you need to..

[Laggard]

17 minutes ago, Gregory said:

Another easy place to find them without having to pay shipping, are places like Walmart, Michaels and Hobby Lobby.

 

Look in the jewelry crafting department.

 

 

 

It is easy to resize them if you need to..

Cool. Spent a lot of time at Michael’s and didn’t look hard enough.  Thanks!

[Dziadeczek]

6 hours ago, allanyed said:

Dziadeczek

What is CD glue?  Maybe it's a typo, but if not, just curious about it. 😄

Laggard,

I use tapered round nose pliers to form the eye bolts from brass wire or sometimes copper wire although copper tends to be too soft in some situations.

 

Should be CA. Sorry...

[allanyed]

Thanks Dziadeczek,  I thought that might be the case 

 

Laggard,

Keep in mind your scale.   28 gage is too thin for 1:48.   Assume an eye of 3/4" rod forming a 3" ID for example, this is about 26 gauge wire bent to a  1/16" ID eye.   Huge eyes are often seen on kit models similar to the chubby belaying pins and take away from on an otherwise fine model.  If your eyebolts are supposed to be bigger than 3" , the material gauge should be proportionally bigger in diameter.  

 

If you find brass to be too stiff, heat it until it is red and it will be as pliable as copper wire.  To heat it, a propane torch (or a cheap propane cigar lighter) does the job.   Stainless steel or steel wire are not necessary and are more difficult to bend and blacken.   Copper eyes can be blackened in situ with thinned liver of sulfur and brass can be pre- blackened before being installed with a number of agents such as Birchwood Casey liquids.   

 

Allan

 

[Chuck Seiler]

44 minutes ago, allanyed said:

 Copper eyes can be blackened in situ with thinned liver of sulfur

    Won't that stain the wood?

[mtaylor]

1 hour ago, Chuck Seiler said:

    Won't that stain the wood?

Not according to what I've read here on MSW.  

[Laggard]

2 hours ago, allanyed said:

Thanks Dziadeczek,  I thought that might be the case 

 

Laggard,

Keep in mind your scale.   28 gage is too thin for 1:48.   Assume an eye of 3/4" rod forming a 3" ID for example, this is about 26 gauge wire bent to a  1/16" ID eye.   Huge eyes are often seen on kit models similar to the chubby belaying pins and take away from on an otherwise fine model.  If your eyebolts are supposed to be bigger than 3" , the material gauge should be proportionally bigger in diameter.  

 

If you find brass to be too stiff, heat it until it is red and it will be as pliable as copper wire.  To heat it, a propane torch (or a cheap propane cigar lighter) does the job.   Stainless steel or steel wire are not necessary and are more difficult to bend and blacken.   Copper eyes can be blackened in situ with thinned liver of sulfur and brass can be pre- blackened before being installed with a number of agents such as Birchwood Casey liquids.   

 

Allan

 

The problem was I purchased some .20 inch piano wire.  I was simply unable to work with it as it was so stiff.  I switched to .20 brass wire and it’s a breeze to work with.  Eyelets came out the perfect size. 
 

I have so much to learn about when it comes to material.  

[allanyed]

 Chuck,

The liver of sulfur should be watered down a little and it will NOT stain the wood.  Apply, then rinse with water with a brush.    Do a search on Ed Tosti's build logs here at MSW for the Naiad and/or Young America.  He teaches how in some detail.   It works beautifully with copper, but not with brass in my experience.

Allan

[Chuck Seiler]

Excellent!!  I was thinking about using VERY thin copper wire for nails in my Sea of Galilee boat.  I will look into it.  Many thanks.

[GrandpaPhil]

I like to use annealed steel wire from the hardware store.  It bends easy, but holds its shape.  Plus, it’s already blackened.

[allanyed]

Phil,

Thanks,  I found black annealed in diameters  down to .014" at McMaster Carr so there are lots of sizes available.  BUT when you cut it, is the end black or steel color?   If steel grey is the case how do you blacken it and otherwise prevent it from rusting after blackening?

 

Thanks again for the tip.

Allan

Edited September 6, 2021 by allanyed

[GrandpaPhil]

It’s steel.  I usually just paint them.

 

I’ve never had a problem with corrosion. Although, I tend to clear coat everything, too.

[Bob Cleek]

The twisted wire method of making eyebolts pictured above works wonderfully for small eyebolts. I find, however, that as the wire size increases, the twisted shaft's diameter increases as well and can easily require a drilled hole much larger than you want on your model. (Sometimes too large to work on a slim spar, making them too weak and likely to break.) Really, what you will find easier, and useful for many purposes, is a jeweler's round-nosed pliers such as Allan pictured in his post above. They are not expensive at all, although I'd urge you to buy the best tools you can afford because they will last you a lifetime and these will get used a lot. They come in various sizes, some with very slim points.

 

 

 

They are also made with stepped points which will ensure that you easily make the same sized diameter loop at each step.

 

 

And, last but not least, there are pliers which have a round point and a concave anvil point for making perfectly half-round bends which are really handy for making hooks:

 

 

Having the right tools for metal work is pretty important. This last tool is really what you want for eyebolts that are open. Cutting the "twisties" may work, but you'll probably end up with twisted shanks that are too fat and you don't need them, anyhow.

 

Check out online jeweler's tool and orthodontic instrument retailers. You can get these various pliers for as little as five or six bucks apiece, on up to fifteen or twenty bucks in brushed stainless steel for the fancy ones. "He who dies with the most tools wins!"

[Laggard]

14 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

The twisted wire method of making eyebolts pictured above works wonderfully for small eyebolts. I find, however, that as the wire size increases, the twisted shaft's diameter increases as well and can easily require a drilled hole much larger than you want on your model. (Sometimes too large to work on a slim spar, making them too weak and likely to break.) Really, what you will find easier, and useful for many purposes, is a jeweler's round-nosed pliers such as Allan pictured in his post above. They are not expensive at all, although I'd urge you to buy the best tools you can afford because they will last you a lifetime and these will get used a lot. They come in various sizes, some with very slim points.

 

 

 

They are also made with stepped points which will ensure that you easily make the same sized diameter loop at each step.

 

 

And, last but not least, there are pliers which have a round point and a concave anvil point for making perfectly half-round bends which are really handy for making hooks:

 

 

Having the right tools for metal work is pretty important. This last tool is really what you want for eyebolts that are open. Cutting the "twisties" may work, but you'll probably end up with twisted shanks that are too fat and you don't need them, anyhow.

 

Check out online jeweler's tool and orthodontic instrument retailers. You can get these various pliers for as little as five or six bucks apiece, on up to fifteen or twenty bucks in brushed stainless steel for the fancy ones. "He who dies with the most tools wins!"

Excellent post!  The twisties work really well but as you mentioned the end diameter is to wide for some drilled holes.  Going to buy some round pliers.  

[Laggard]

Wow!  Michael’s is a goldmine of eyelets, wire and useful tools!  

[mtaylor]

3 hours ago, Laggard said:

Wow!  Michael’s is a goldmine of eyelets, wire and useful tools!  

The deeper you go into this hobby, and the more time you spend at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc. (including fabric stores) the more stuff you'll find you can use.  

[Laggard]

For the size of city I live in (L.A) there are very few hobby shops.  It’s crazy. 

[Bob Cleek]

34 minutes ago, mtaylor said:

The deeper you go into this hobby, and the more time you spend at Michael's, Hobby Lobby, etc. (including fabric stores) the more stuff you'll find you can use.  

And the hobby-oriented retailers frequently have lower-quality less expensive things which, if you search on line, you can find in much higher quality versions for sometimes even lower prices.

 

Consider these online retailers for "ideas." Note also that if you sign up for the email advertisements and catalogs, they are frequently running quite deep discount sales:     Micro-Mark - The Small Tools Specialists ⚙️ (micromark.com)    Model Expo - Historically accurate wooden model kits made in the USA (modelexpo-online.com)

 

Check out jewelers' supply houses like: OttoFrei.com - Jewelry Tools & Findings Since 1930  Rio Grande Jewelry Supply  Jewelry Tools | Jewelry Making Supplies | Wholesaler | Stuller  Esslinger Watchmakers Tools and Watch Parts  Contenti Jewelry Making Tools | Contenti (Watch for the sales. Prices are often cut drastically, especially around inventory tax time.)

 

Also, check out eBay for any of the things you are looking for. There are often close-outs and tons of Asian knockoffs (buyer beware on those, though.) The Used dental and medical tools on eBay are often great bargains, particularly for tweezers, forceps, dental burs, scalpels and such. One surprisingly fertile area to mine on eBay is the manicurists' supplies. Small paintbrushes for painting women's nails can be had at amazingly low prices compared to the art supply stores. The same goes for abrasive boards and rotary tools. The drafting instrument section on eBay is also excellent for finding useful used drawing instruments such as scales, straight edges, ruling pens, and proportional dividers, often for pennies on the dollar for what they originally cost. While eBay is full of junk, if you know what you're looking for, there are great bargains to be had. I just scored a brand new Buffalo Model 16 dental lab engine and handpiece, a total retail value of close to $1,000.00 for seventy-five bucks on eBay. It was listed as a "steampunk decor item" with the caveat that it was not operational. Knowing they were still in production, I took a chance it might be repairable. It turned out the motor brushes, which are shipped uninstalled with the new units, were never installed and lost, and the belt and one of the pulley wheels was missing. Buffalo is shipping me the missing parts for $45.00. Life is good!

 

EquipmentCatalog_2013.pdf (buffalodental.com)  Home - Buffalo Dental Manufacturing Co. Inc.

 

As you may have guessed, I like to shop for tools like Imelda Marcos likes to shop for shoes.  One thing I've learned, though, is not to buy a tool until you need it and then, unless it's something relatively disposable, buy the best quality tool you can afford, and never pass up a good deal. You usually have to buy a cheap tool twice. A good tool should last a lifetime, or close to it and they are a joy to behold. It's certainly true that many a model has been built with the most basic of tools and very few of them, so don't let collecting tools get in the way of your modeling. Just start picking them up as you go and before you know it you'll have more tools than time to use them.

 

Start saving now for your JimSaw! Byrnes Model Machines Home Page

 

 

[Laggard]

13 hours ago, Bob Cleek said:

And the hobby-oriented retailers frequently have lower-quality less expensive things which, if you search on line, you can find in much higher quality versions for sometimes even lower prices.

 

Consider these online retailers for "ideas." Note also that if you sign up for the email advertisements and catalogs, they are frequently running quite deep discount sales:     Micro-Mark - The Small Tools Specialists ⚙️ (micromark.com)    Model Expo - Historically accurate wooden model kits made in the USA (modelexpo-online.com)

 

Check out jewelers' supply houses like: OttoFrei.com - Jewelry Tools & Findings Since 1930  Rio Grande Jewelry Supply  Jewelry Tools | Jewelry Making Supplies | Wholesaler | Stuller  Esslinger Watchmakers Tools and Watch Parts  Contenti Jewelry Making Tools | Contenti (Watch for the sales. Prices are often cut drastically, especially around inventory tax time.)

 

Also, check out eBay for any of the things you are looking for. There are often close-outs and tons of Asian knockoffs (buyer beware on those, though.) The Used dental and medical tools on eBay are often great bargains, particularly for tweezers, forceps, dental burs, scalpels and such. One surprisingly fertile area to mine on eBay is the manicurists' supplies. Small paintbrushes for painting women's nails can be had at amazingly low prices compared to the art supply stores. The same goes for abrasive boards and rotary tools. The drafting instrument section on eBay is also excellent for finding useful used drawing instruments such as scales, straight edges, ruling pens, and proportional dividers, often for pennies on the dollar for what they originally cost. While eBay is full of junk, if you know what you're looking for, there are great bargains to be had. I just scored a brand new Buffalo Model 16 dental lab engine and handpiece, a total retail value of close to $1,000.00 for seventy-five bucks on eBay. It was listed as a "steampunk decor item" with the caveat that it was not operational. Knowing they were still in production, I took a chance it might be repairable. It turned out the motor brushes, which are shipped uninstalled with the new units, were never installed and lost, and the belt and one of the pulley wheels was missing. Buffalo is shipping me the missing parts for $45.00. Life is good!

 

EquipmentCatalog_2013.pdf (buffalodental.com)  Home - Buffalo Dental Manufacturing Co. Inc.

 

As you may have guessed, I like to shop for tools like Imelda Marcos likes to shop for shoes.  One thing I've learned, though, is not to buy a tool until you need it and then, unless it's something relatively disposable, buy the best quality tool you can afford, and never pass up a good deal. You usually have to buy a cheap tool twice. A good tool should last a lifetime, or close to it and they are a joy to behold. It's certainly true that many a model has been built with the most basic of tools and very few of them, so don't let collecting tools get in the way of your modeling. Just start picking them up as you go and before you know it you'll have more tools than time to use them.

 

Start saving now for your JimSaw! Byrnes Model Machines Home Page

 

 

If my wife catches me on these sites I’m finished!

[Bob Cleek]

3 hours ago, Laggard said:

If my wife catches me on these sites I’m finished!

Tell her "Better these sites than porn!"   

 

I'm sure you can figure out how to avoid getting caught. Most model-building husbands acquire those skills early on. If you have trouble figuring it out, just study how she buys clothes and kitchen gadgets on line!