Eylets and staking tools, again

[Ptron]

Two questions: Has anyone tried on of these relative cheap eyelet setting tools?
Volcano Arts | Embellishments
or 1/8 Eyelet Setter - Tools, Washers

In the past I've just used regular punches and they work sorta ok.

Also, has anyone ever seen eyelets wider than 1/8"? Like 5/16" I've never been able to find any but they sure would be handy for points where a lot of leads star together.

[cminor9]

I don't know about those, but I use an iron weight, and a center punch. I drill the holes, stick the eyelets in, and punch the bottom sides just enough to flare out the ends. Then I bang em with a hammer. It works. That's good enough for me. .

My boards will never win a beauty contest, but the eyelets aren't coming out and they hold the pieces in place.

[tubeswell]

FWIW I use 4mm diam brass eyelets available from most bulk hardware stores (sometimes complete with the right crimping tool) for cheap. Gives plenty of room to put several wires in the hole at once.

[Ptron]

I don't know about those, but I use an iron weight, and a center punch. I drill the holes, stick the eyelets in, and punch the bottom sides just enough to flare out the ends. Then I bang em with a hammer. It works. That's good enough for me. .

My boards will never win a beauty contest, but the eyelets aren't coming out and they hold the pieces in place.

Yeah, that's how I do it. But for five bucks I thought it might be worth buying the tool. I'll just go ahead and get one and report back.

[Ptron]

FWIW I use 4mm diam brass eyelets available from most bulk hardware stores (sometimes complete with the right crimping tool) for cheap. Gives plenty of room to put several wires in the hole at once.

Interesting. How long are they? I've been using the 1/8" thick epoxy board from Hoffman so they would need to be a little longer than that or I would need to find something else to use for the board.

[tubeswell]

Interesting. How long are they? I've been using the 1/8" thick epoxy board from Hoffman so they would need to be a little longer than that or I would need to find something else to use for the board.

The board I use is also about 1/8" thick (3mm) but I countersink the holes on the reverse side of the board and they crimp just fine

[Ptron]

The board I use is also about 1/8" thick (3mm) but I countersink the holes on the reverse side of the board and they crimp just fine

Good idea! I will give that a shot.

[NorCalTuna]

I bought mine from a similar local place, all crafts and leather goods, in fact the journey to get it was kinda hilarious, but thats for another time....

In short I didn't think the guy wanted to sell the stuff to me because I told him what I was using it for! He was offended I think (not like his shop didn't have ELECTRIC lights...) that I wasn't going to be making decorative leather goods.

the point:

I bought two more! One for the bench, one for the garage and one for the toolbox. I trained a friend how to use it and now we bang circuits like no tomorrow. Think about all the work that goes into that couple buck plank of garolite: measuring, holes, the eyelets... do you really wanna risk junking up your work for the cost of a decent electrolytic cap?

What I'd really like to try are the slightly larger 3/16" eyelets, as you could fit a 4-40 through there for a nice reinforcement and design detail to your board mounts!


How about those SWANKY copper eyelets, ehhh? The solder would cover them I'd hope (or they may oxidize) but I have to admit they'd look nice amidst mallorys and orange drops while you're building... you could almost use it as a fast visual check: any copper visually left needs reflow? (Not that You'd ever find such a thing among MEF members!)

[Ptron]

Well I tried two fairly large hardware stores and all they had were giant (compared to our needs) brass eyelets I think the smallest was at least 1/2". I did however find 5/16" ones at a fabric/craft store. Still pretty big but I think they would have worked great for those six or seven lead junctions. But alas, I'm pretty sure they're aluminum. They don't solder. I tried sanding them to make sure they didn't have a coating.

So it sounds like I should start looking at leather tools and supplies.

[Ptron]

Ok, now that I'm searching for leather craft supplies, I'm starting to find things. Thanks for that tip, NCT.

Tandy Leather Factory - Easy-To-Do Eyelets & Setter Kit

There's some stuff on ebay too.

Wish they would say how long the barrels are. They look different in different pictures.

So brass is good for soldering, copper obviously, nickle not so much?

[Ptron]

Sweet. I found theaforementioned kit at my local Michael's arts and crafts store. It was actully a couple bucks cheaper.

Solder seems to take to the nickle ok but not wet to it all that well but that shouldn't be a problem. As long as it wets to the leads. It only came with 20 eyelets but that should be enough if only used in key locations.

[Ptron]

Report

I ended up with a couple different tools because I ordered the "nice" one for 1/8" eyelets and a cheap one came with the 3/16" eyelets. If you're using a thinner board, they actually do make a nice rounded flange. In my case, not enough of the barrel sticks out to do this so the using a center punch to flange it and a hammer to flatten it works better. Who looks at the bottom of the board anyway?

I also got a hard rubber pad that was made to be a backer for setting eyelets in leather without crushing the flange. It's too soft to use with a board. You have to use wood of an appropriate hardness. The 3/16" tool came with a metal backer that works ok. So all the tools were pretty pointless. luckily I only dropped about ten bucks on them.

[NorCalTuna]

I ended up with a couple different tools because I ordered the "nice" one for 1/8" eyelets and a cheap one came with the 3/16" eyelets. If you're using a thinner board, they actually do make a nice rounded flange. In my case, not enough of the barrel sticks out to do this so the using a center punch to flange it and a hammer to flatten it works better. Who looks at the bottom of the board anyway?

I also got a hard rubber pad that was made to be a backer for setting eyelets in leather without crushing the flange. It's too soft to use with a board. You have to use wood of an appropriate hardness. The 3/16" tool came with a metal backer that works ok. So all the tools were pretty pointless. luckily I only dropped about ten bucks on them.

Just to make sure, you're staking them onto somethings about as hard as the tools you're hitting them with, right? I use a 2.5" x 5" (ish) heavywall boxed steel section (onto which I put rubber stick on feet) and get bomber eyelets (never failed or slip ever) with one even strike with the tool and my laughably tiny (umm, 5oz?) ball peen hammer. If your bench has flex or your surface has any give to it-even ebony wood or aluminum- won't really stake them hard enough- it's essentially a bucked rivet, albeit a tiny one. Even a thin (3/16) steel plate works well but it's gotta have that mass and rockwell or.... I tried a piece of like 3/8" t-6061 Al I happened to have around (I used to build custom motorcycles) and left little moons in it.... The eyelets are harder than that. If you're worried about damaging the board on a hard surface, well, just tape your eyelets in from the mushroom side and the tape will keep the steel from scratching the board- and no more rivet chasing.

I just want to make sure you're happy with what i'm pretty sure is the same thing I have.... It's a small detail which the ol' guy who sent me after the tool let me in on, so I don't know if that's common knowledge. I've actually (blind and visible) bucked rivets before so it made sense to me, but I've also never gave the bench you're working on the sit test (can it support my weight with no sweat?) so I don't know if you're hitting the rivet and your bench is sucking the life out of your work.

[Ptron]

Just to make sure, you're staking them onto somethings about as hard as the tools you're hitting them with, right?

Well, no actually. I was using a block of oak 4x4, But it worked fine. The eyelets were tight and it had enough give to not crush the flange. I tried a metal backer before and the flange would get flattened a bit.

[tubeswell]

Eyelet fixing method

FWIW, after I have countersunk the holes on the other side of the board, I gently tap the eyelets in to the 'front' side of the board with a hammer and flip the board over, rest it on the top of my metalwork vice (which is the size of a small anvil) with the front of the eyelet hard up against the steel of the vice and stick a nail punch into the back of the eyelet and wriggle it around so that the back of the eyelet flanges out. This doesn't do any damage to the eyelets, and keeps them firmly in the board.