Vol. 64, No. 4 winter 2019 378 Tips & Techniques


Making eyebolts with round eyes By Steve Wheeler


Making eyes in wire is commonly done with round- nose pliers whose jaws are conically shaped with a long taper. With these it can be diffi cult to make eyes that are both uniform in size and truly round. One option, of course, is to just go out and buy them but I would rather make my own.


1. Starting an eyebolt.


T e process is simple, starting with a supply of wire in the size, or sizes, you will need. Brass wire is available in many diameters and can be found on the internet (Amazon and eBay have a large selection) and, occasionally, at your local hardware store. Some wires out there, particularly those for use in beading, are not brass at all, rather they may be copper wire that is plated or otherwise colored. Always look for “solid brass wire”, and it should be dead soſt if available. Annealed and blackened iron or steel wire or anodized aluminum wire can also be used; sources for these are available on the internet, too, and include some jewelry making and ship modeling sites.


2. Twisting the eye.


All that is needed to make your own eyes is a pair of pin vises and a mandrel. T e mandrel can be anything cylindrical; drill bits are available in many sizes and are particularly handy. Simply clamp a loop of wire in one pin vise and place the loop over the mandrel, or bit, in the other pin vise. (Figure 1) Begin twisting the vise with the wire loop until an eye forms on the mandrel and continue twisting until it pulls up tight. (Figure 2) Slip the fi nished eye (Figure 3) off the mandrel, clip off the twisted part to the length you need, and you are done.


T ere are several advantages here: you can make eyes of any size you need, they will all be uniform, and the twisted shanks provide more resistance to pulling out when they are glued into holes.


3. Eyebolts.


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