Handling roll of shim stock

[dbasberg]

I have my first 3 rolls of shim stock. They have a cardboard tube around the roll. How do people deal with them? There is a lot of spring to the roll. I have problems removing and replacing the collar. Is there a better way of handling these?

------------------
Doug Basberg
Independent Engineering
Consultant

[gvasale]

at one time they came in a box like aluminum foil. Wearing gloves helps prevent nasty cuts, but its awkward. Using a paper cutter does a nice job, quicker and neater than scissors or snips until the thickness becomes too great for the paper cutter.

[wierdscience]

Carefully stick about four fingers inside the roll and get traction on the inside end and twist to the inside while holding the out side with your thumb.Then remove the roll from the sleeve. Clamp the roll on both sides with a couple of heavy spring clamps and cut off what you need.Or you may again carefully remove the sleeve and toss the roll out in the yard and unwhind and then cut the snake up in pieces!If you think that was fun wait till use music wire! basicly you need about six or seven hands

[This message has been edited by wierdscience (edited 02-10-2003).]

[Thrud]

What Weirdscience said about music wire is very true - especially the heavier gauge stuff - very nasty to handle! The safest way to handle it is place it under a plywood sheet - place your foot on the sheet and then cut the retaining wires or ty-wraps. This will allow it to unwind in a more controlled manner. Once the wire has relaxed to a larger diameter you can ty-wrap it in a new coil.

Guy Lautard outlines this in better detail in his "Bedside Reader".

[Forrest Addy]

The skinny stuff I spiral shim out the center and snip off what I need leaving the cardboard tube in place. As the shim stock gets thicker securing a short piece can be a PITA some times requiring two men for the job without getting the stock all bloody.

The two stick method works well. Take two 1 x 1 hardwood sticks an inch longer than the width of the shim stock. Drill clearance holes for a couple of #10 carriage bolts at each end. With one stick inside and one out, run in the carriage bolts and spin on wing nuts. Tighten to clamp the roll and keep it from unspooling. Loosen just enough to thread out a piece.

The clamp keeps the roll from running away too.

A radius in the face of the inside stick roughly matching the roll ID helps avoid kinks and wrinkles. The wood keeps from scratching up the stock.

If you're a woodworker, make enough 3 1/2 sided end-less boxes to house all your rolls of shim. Then you can pull it out like foil. Be sure to make the ones for thicker shim stock strong. There's a lot of expansive force trapped in all those coils of shim.

[This message has been edited by Forrest Addy (edited 02-10-2003).]

[dbasberg]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Thrud:
it in a new coil.

Guy Lautard outlines this in better detail in his "Bedside Reader".[/B]</font>

I have all three "Bedside readers, I'll look it up. THX

[dbasberg]

I am a woodworker. The 3 1/2 sided boxes will be made...great idea!

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Forrest Addy:
The skinny stuff I spiral shim out the center and snip off what I need leaving the cardboard tube in place. As the shim stock gets thicker securing a short piece can be a PITA some times requiring two men for the job without getting the stock all bloody.

The two stick method works well. Take two 1 x 1 hardwood sticks an inch longer than the width of the shim stock. Drill clearance holes for a couple of #10 carriage bolts at each end. With one stick inside and one out, run in the carriage bolts and spin on wing nuts. Tighten to clamp the roll and keep it from unspooling. Loosen just enough to thread out a piece.

The clamp keeps the roll from running away too.

A radius in the face of the inside stick roughly matching the roll ID helps avoid kinks and wrinkles. The wood keeps from scratching up the stock.

If you're a woodworker, make enough 3 1/2 sided end-less boxes to house all your rolls of shim. Then you can pull it out like foil. Be sure to make the ones for thicker shim stock strong. There's a lot of expansive force trapped in all those coils of shim.

[This message has been edited by Forrest Addy (edited 02-10-2003).]</font>

[dbasberg]

Thanks to all. Plenty of good ideas. Perhaps piano (spring) wire could be captured in a wood container as well. When I get into that; I will try extending the wood container idea to a wire dispenser.

This board (& the magazine) are a major asset to a new metal worker like myself. My thanks to the magazine for sponsoring this forum and to the great guys who help others.

I tried rec.metalwork, but a few of their members get verry long winded wayyy off subject (CIA, gun rights, whatever). Sometimes someone mentions metalwork .

[Tibertus]

Yep lot's of very bright, intelligent and friendly people here willing to discuss metal working or meatloaf. Whatever you need it's right here.

Peace

[Al Messer]

Speaking of meatloaf, has anyone got a GOOD recipe for Scones?

[Thrud]

Yeah, we rarely get off topic - what were we talking about?

[wierdscience]

Thrud,we where talking about women, how to get them to unwrap shimstock,music wire and make meatloaf scones-I think?

[Thrud]

Weirdscience
I thought so - thats why I prefer the Porter Cable Plunge routers over the others. Better ergonomics and a heavy duty collet - although the Elu/B&D/DeWalt have (or had) a superior collet. For some reason, Porter Cable hides the 3/8" collets on everybody.

The Milwaukee Magnum 1/2" holeshooter with the cast gear case is the toughest drill I have ever used. Even tougher than my sister's meatloaf.

[Spin Doctor]

Ideally if you are not going to be using all that much shim stock or even if you are the better alternative is to buy shim stock in flat sheets. Precision sells kits of SS, MS, TS and brass sheets of various sizes. Sheets are available in several different width and length combinations. The primary advantage is because it comes flat you are not fighting the spring from being coiled up. They are also available as all one size. Another alternative is if you are not really to worried about exact thickness is to check out the local hobby shop for sheet styrene. That is available in .005,.010,.015,.020,.025 and up.
And buy all means either make or buy a shim punch

[dbasberg]

I am interested to learn what a shim punch is. Perhaps I can make one. If you would enlighten me about what they do and how they are made. TIA

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Spin Doctor:
Ideally if you are not going to be using all that much shim stock or even if you are the better alternative is to buy shim stock in flat sheets. Precision sells kits of SS, MS, TS and brass sheets of various sizes. Sheets are available in several different width and length combinations. The primary advantage is because it comes flat you are not fighting the spring from being coiled up. They are also available as all one size. Another alternative is if you are not really to worried about exact thickness is to check out the local hobby shop for sheet styrene. That is available in .005,.010,.015,.020,.025 and up.
And buy all means either make or buy a shim punch</font>