Senior ole salt Posted February 24, 2014 Share #1 Posted February 24, 2014 One particular detail that is giving me trouble on my New Bedford whale boat has me stumped. That's the thimble needed to furnish a tying point for the boat's erected mast shrouds. It needs to be about 1/8" inside dia. I tried the method outlined in Mr. Ronnberg excellent book but it doesn't work for me. Are there any other methods to achieve making this round thimble ? Thanks S.os Archi 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BANYAN Posted February 24, 2014 Share #2 Posted February 24, 2014 (edited) Hi S.o.s. - could you please advise exactly what part of the process is not working? If you find that the split tube sides are collapsing when bending, then you could try putting a bit of wire (same OD as the ID of the tube) into the channel as you bend it and that might help. If it is that you cannot obtain/bend a circle around the pliers perhaps a temporary jig using an old/broken drill bit of the appropriate OD, set into a wood offcut (secured to the bench or a vice), around which to form the ring might assist - similar to making wire rings. These two ideas can work together as a combination as I have used them successfully but I was using copper not aluminium. I hope this helps? Pat Edited February 24, 2014 by BANYAN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jud Posted February 24, 2014 Share #3 Posted February 24, 2014 Only way I can see to do it is to use sheet brass well annealed and just long enough to match the ID wanted and wide enough plus a little of the OD of the channel, form it and leave it on the inside forming tool. Then tightly wrap a wire the diameter matching the ID of the channel and peen the flat ring over that tight wire from both sides. probably need to fabricate a jig and turn the ring in the jig at least once. Only way I know that you can stretch metal into the shape shown in your sketch. Or make it from a rod on a lathe. jud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ulises Victoria Posted February 25, 2014 Share #4 Posted February 25, 2014 I don't know if this would be the right size or not for your needs, but steel guitar strings have something very similar to a thimble in one end. You probably can modify one of those to fit your needs. It'll cost you a few pennies to research that. bhermann 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
druxey Posted February 25, 2014 Share #5 Posted February 25, 2014 Another method for making thimbles is to cut short pieces off a suitable brass or copper tube. File these flat to the same length in a jig. (This is simply a piece of wood of suitable thickness with holes drilled through.) Place the piece of tube on a hard metal surface and use a centre punch to flare one side of the thimble. Turn it over and flare the other side in the same way. It will take a little experimentation to get the correct strength of 'punch' to do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonyUK Posted February 25, 2014 Share #6 Posted February 25, 2014 (edited) Hi. Use annealed copper tube of the correct size. Fill with casting sand(very fine sand). And block the ends. Bend around a bar of the required diameter. Can use heat if required. Bend as many turns as required. Remove the sand. Cut to make rings. Then grind outer part away. Regards Antony. Edit -: Turn it on a lathe. Edited February 25, 2014 by AntonyUK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior ole salt Posted February 25, 2014 Author Share #7 Posted February 25, 2014 Thanks for all the good tips in solving my problem. I decided to go with the simplest, a kind of a combination of the suggestions above that is: Take a strip of copper (soft) cut about 3/32 wide and suitable length to make the desired eye. I filed one end to a sort of blade or better yet a "scarf". I then bent it around a twist drill with a 1/8" overlap. I then sodered the assembly together. To mount it in place on the model I first formed the rope grommet,and seized it in the "thimble with thread. Right now it resides P & S on the model . If you look real close you can see the thimble has no flange, but tell anybody. Thanks Pat,Jud,Ulises,Bart,Druxley,Antony S.os AntonyUK and jud 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael mott Posted February 27, 2014 Share #8 Posted February 27, 2014 take a look at this thread and here scroll down to the bottom of the page where I show a step by step method for making thimbles I made a thimble for the 1/16th cable first I filed a couple of grooves at each end I annealed the centre part only and shaped the thimble using the same tools and methods as before At the moment it is attached to the bowsprit end cap but it will be attached to a traveler on the bowsprit, so that it can be hauled it to change sheets. Michael garyshipwright, WackoWolf and Q A's Revenge 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsjax Posted March 1, 2014 Share #9 Posted March 1, 2014 (edited) Hi. Use annealed copper tube of the correct size. Fill with casting sand(very fine sand). And block the ends. Bend around a bar of the required diameter. Can use heat if required. Bend as many turns as required. Remove the sand. Cut to make rings. Then grind outer part away. Regards Antony. Edit -: Turn it on a lathe. You can also use low temperature melting metals to fill the copper tube and when finished forming heat the copper to remove the core metal. Edited March 1, 2014 by grsjax jud 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capnharv2 Posted March 2, 2014 Share #10 Posted March 2, 2014 What about 2 brass eyelets (of the correct ID) soldered back to back? Thanks, Harvey tkay11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grsjax Posted March 3, 2014 Share #11 Posted March 3, 2014 Read this somewhere many years ago. Take rosin core solder of the correct size, split down one side and remove the rosin, bend into the thimble shape and you'r done. Never tried this myself so have no first hand knowledge but it sounds like a workable idea. Senior ole salt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior ole salt Posted March 3, 2014 Author Share #12 Posted March 3, 2014 grsjax, Sounds good. Wish I thought of it sooner. Thanks S.os Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbondy Posted July 7, 2016 Share #13 Posted July 7, 2016 I recently had great success turning some small thimbles, with an outer diameter of 0.050" and inner diameter of 0.031". I will try to do a fresh post later today describing the process. Above is a picture of the (unblackened) finished product. mtaylor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdbondy Posted July 7, 2016 Share #14 Posted July 7, 2016 Sorry, didn't mean for that picture to be quite so big... JD Canute and mtaylor 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.