Make and Install Custom Eyelets

by KrushIndustries in Craft > Sewing

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Make and Install Custom Eyelets

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I did this project at Techshop Detroit. Not all of these tools are provided by the shop, but I certianly would not have been able to pull this off very easily without the shop.

The link to the website is here:
www.techshop.ws

Check out my last instructable about how to make a custom guitar amp motherboard here:
https://www.instructables.com/id/Make-a-Guitar-Amplifier-Motherboard-out-of-Phenoli/

This is the next step in the series. I needed to have eyelets in all of the holes that I made so that I can add all the components (Resistors, capacitors etc.) This is How I did it.

The tools and Materials needed:
Clamps
Jeweler's saw
Tube cutting jig
Dapping Punches
Brass Tube
Something to insert the eyelet into (in my case, I am using Phenolic)
Ball-Peen Hammer
Bench Pin (The wood thing in the foreground of the picture)

Prepare the Tools

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I am using my friend's bench pin and tub cutting jig. He is actually doing an Instructable on the proper usage of these tools. I will update this link when I get the link.

The Bench Pin was mounted to the table. 
The tube cutting jig was set to make tubes that were slightly longer than the thickness of the material I am setting it into. I did not measure the length as it was not critical. If you would like to measure, I left approx 1/16th" on either side of the Phenolic.

Make the Eyelets

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Using the Jeweler's saw, the bench pin, and the tube cutting jig, I cut the tubes to length.

You can see the tubes I cut are just slightly longer than the Phenolic is thick. This extra length will be hammered into the flange of the eyelet in the next steps.

Insert the Tube Into a Pre-drilled Hole

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The holes were drilled in the Phenolic to be a compression fit around the brass Tube. This is a piece of scrap that I had left over from my last Instructable.

The holes were drilled to be 1/8" and the outer diameter of the tube was 1/8". It took considerable force (and a hammer) to get the tube into the hole that I drilled.

Create the Flange on the Top and Bottom

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Using the dapping punch, I rounded over the top of the eyelet. The ball end pushes the brass into a nice rounded over flange. Next, I flipped the work over and did the same procedure on the bottom. The flanges are what actually hold the eyelet in place. They also give the work a nice appearance.

Class, Class, Class...

Flatten the Flanges With the Face of a Peen Hammer

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The flanges are ready to Flatten, but be careful! If you work too quickly or leave too much material on one side of the work, the flange might split, ruining the look. An example of this is in the lower right corner of the first picture. Yuck! Good thing I was practicing on this scrap!

The Second picture shows what a nice eyelet with a flat flange looks like. Nice and concentric.

The Third picture shows the reverse side. Perfect!

Ready for the next stage? Check out my Next Instructable as I populate the Motherboard with the guts of a guitar amp (Resistors, Capacitors...) and solder them in place.