My source of steel wire for making prickers are guitar strings. Here is my stock of wires, with the actual measured diameters. Yonadav
Good post Yonadav. I've been using both piano wire and old (I used to play a bit) guitar string for cleaning all types of jets and channels for years. Grady
I cut hardened wire with the wire cutter in my SOG Multi-tool then deburr it on a hard wachita stone. I then examine it with a 10x eye loup. Music wire does not burr badly and a few careful strokes on a fine, hard stone or 1500 to 2000 grit wet or dry emery paper will deburr so the newly made pricker has a clean end. I've examined as many "factory" made ones as I can and most have a burr one can feel with his fingertips. Remember, an average person can feel protrusions of 1/15000 of an inch. I'd figure it out in metric, but that dang foriegn money confuses me. Even more so now that I have attained official geezerhood. Gerry
The finest string you got there is 0.21 mm. Does guitar or piano strings come in any smaller gauge? 0.15mm. and 0.17mm. would be the ones I would need.
I'm guessing those smaller gauges could be useful for some lantern jets Christer - and for the butane stoves I've a fondness for. Definitely one for the 'favourite post' file. Though I've been using guitar strings as a source for a while it's handy to have that well set-up photo to remind me which is which. Thanks Yonadav. John
I think 0.007"/0.1778mm are the smallest available. Can be found as either PS007 or PL007 here: http://www.stringsbymail.com/store
As a guitarist I'll opine that 8s are pretty much the thinnest gauge of guitar string you'll get off the shelf. Banjo and Mandolin strings also don't offer any thinner gauges, and as acoustic instruments typically start thicker than the lightest 8s for an electric guitar. Beyond that, you might be better off looking at old fashioned low ampage fuse wire? Beyond stove pricker wire usage, 8s are for girls anyway Cheers, Graham.
Spot on, John! It's for lamps or lanterns. So... 8 probably is the smallest, then? Oh, well. There are other options, but it would be conveniant with a guitar (or other instrument) string, so I thought it was a good idea to ask when the topic was up.
I'm deliberately bumping this old thread. I've been making up a few prickers for 0.23mm jets using old pricker handles and 0.19mm stainless steel guitar string. This is not a new idea. I paint them gold to distinguish them from larger diameter prickers. @shagratork I note your concern about flared ends of homemade prickers. I file the ends of ALL my prickers (including bought ones) with a 1200 grit stone just to make sure they haven't got burrs Cheers Tony
Have a look at wire brushes, I use them ,the plain steel ones seem a bit smaller than the stainless steel ones. Been useing them for ages. Just pull one out , leave it long , then attach , when your satisfied it's tight cut it to length. Could not tell you what size they are but they work. By the way your wire brush will not be compromised by a fiew strands missing. Cheers Rob
It is always satisfying to use something that you have made yourself. However, for those who would rather not do so there are lots of prickers available on eBay, but nearly all of them are the larger 0.32 mm type. However, some new 0.23 mm prickers are sold. I bought some of these and the size is quite accurate.
I buy my wires in the shop for woman. She needs wires for coral rings making.Some shops for artists have too. D.
HI Rob, Yes that's what I did for quite awhile too, just held it with long nosed pliers. Its also how I got into trouble when the darn thing broke off in the jet and I ended up spending 7 pounds in Pommiland just to get a tool to fit the jet. I'll be using stainless steel from now on. Cheers, Peter.
