Feeling like a greenhorn: problems with eyelets

Kentucky

Kentucky

Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
2,986
Alright, first off I have a good set of eyelet dies and a press..Up until this last two batches of eyelets(same size we always used) we never had a problem with eyelets splitting..I mean maybe one in a hundred..Probably flared a couple thousand eyelets with this same dies and press..So the dies are the same and the press is the same..Now cant get better than 50/50 without splitting one:mad: First batch was worse probably 90%..Had them replaced now at about 50%..Something just isn't right..Have not changed a thing so I cant understand what the problem is..Dies are still in great shape:confused: Good brand eyelets too..Tried rotating the dies,tried oil all that..nothing is helping..I cant help but wonder if its the eyelets? what do yall think?
 
I've used wax on my flared tube dies to fix this in the past or cutting compound paste... never had any problem with the eyelets yet, so fingers crossed. best of luck with it.
 
Got a little sidetracked looking for the thread aarongb beat me to posted above. Sounds pretty similar to me too. Did your eyelets come from the same place?
 
A comment about annealing brass. Unless you have a special brass annealing is very simple .Annealing temperature is 450 F to full anneal. For the thickness of the grommets [ eyelets] all you would have to do is heat to 450 F and quench to stop the softening. The quench will NOT harden the metal !!!. The most malleable brass is cartridge brass 70 Cu-30 Zn. It's characteristics are the best when they are making cartridges !!!.
I have no idea what they actually use nor the alloy of steel or aluminum . Thickness and hardness are the two things most important for the grommets.
 
That is good info Mete, but I have to say were it me I would send them back and expect a refund. Eyelets should be ready to use out of the package, no annealing required. Especially if they came from the same source as those from the other thread. It appears that there a few other sources able to supply quality eyelets and even if more expensive I doubt that they will cost twice as much which is the cost of the defective ones when 50% fail.
 
Could be a bad batch of eyelets (for Kydex, I assume?) that is too hard. I recently was having trouble with splitting eyelets and tried all kinds of different things. I finally noticed that the arbor press was jogging a bit as it came down. After messing with that without being able to get it to work straight, I chucked up the male die in my milling machine/drill press, held the female die in the milling vise, and tried it. No splits after that. I still use the arbor press for flaring tubing rivets for handle slabs, and will probably eventually replace it with a new press, but in the meantime, I'll just use my drill press for Kydex eyelets.
 
Ive been trying a lot of stuff you guys suggested..I thought Id share this pic..Those two sheaths are two of my personal knife sheaths..Made from the last batch of rivets I bought before these..Notice they are perfect and shiny black? Those 9 trys(5 of which split) are the new batches..Same dies,same press,same everything..Also notice that the coating is gone from every single one of them?
 
I get Siska eyelets from Tracy over at USA knifemaker. Everything else I've tried split and did all kinds of funky business.
 
Sounds like maybe you got a bad batch?

I have found in the past, that grinding the "flare" (where the eyelet tapers and thins out) off the end of the eyelet, before I press it, can help eliminate splitting. you just have to make sure there's enough left to roll over and cover the shiny spot.
 
Where did you buy them?
Send em back
Try the ones from Knifekits never an issue unless it was my fault
 
Just an update..I got a new batch of eyelets..Thought his time I got nickel and brass..I did a test batch from each lot.All went perfect, perfect rolls no splits at all..Just like before..Supplier I bought them from was johnny-on-the-spot in replacing them and said they would check the rest..All is well.
 
Glad it got sorted. Few things more aggravating than splitting rivets, because there are so many different factors that could be the cause, and in the end it might just be a bad batch like you got and none of your careful testing will solve it until you get a fresh supply of good ones.
 
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