Spoke head former

[bigduke]

Hello all,
I have a bundle of 3.2 mm motorcycle spokes that I would like to shorten. As I don’t have a thread rolling tool, I have been thinking about cutting the spoke and forming a new head.
Don’t know if anyone has tried this but I’m looking for ideas to make a jig/tool.

 

[Erie Fred]

How much does a thread roller cost ?

 

[Nomad]

Hi. I'm very happy getting "creative" (see my recent "How to bodge a Renault engine" etc), I also rebuild my own wheels for my pushbikes & motorbikes but I'd not trust cutting the head off spokes and reforming them.
Cutting the spokes shorter and reforming a new thread (rolling? cutting?) would be my choice *but* I'd be a lot happier offloading those spoke and buying new ones to suit my needs.

Keep us updated, and good luck !

 

[frank horton]

cheap enough to buy new, even st/st......
I think best left alone....
at the factory, done hot ? or on some 50 ton press.......

 

[Bladevane]

If you do decide to shorten them don’t forget that the cross section of the wire body has to be smaller than the root diameter of the thread to ensure the highest stress zone is not in the thread. Same goes for the bend and head.

 

[Morrisman]

I’d say you need to get the end red hot, hold it firmly in something, and hit it with something, hard, to get the end swaged correctly. After which they’ll need bending, and re-plating.

 

[DanZac]

Most spokes will be cold headed.

I don't know about motorbikes, but most push bike spokes are also wire drawn (thinner in the centre section) for fatigue resistance and weight so if you cut the end off your likely to be Messing with the thinner bit (if that makes sense).

What's the deal with butted spokes?

Butted spokes are touted for their durability and weight savings. How do they work, and are they worth the extra cost?

bicyclewheel.info

 

[bigduke]

How much does a thread roller cost ?

They are no longer available to buy in motorcycle spoke diameters.
They come up second hand on EBay now and again.

 

[bigduke]

Most spokes will be cold headed.

I don't know about motorbikes, but most push bike spokes are also wire drawn (thinner in the centre section) for fatigue resistance and weight so if you cut the end off your likely to be Messing with the thinner bit (if that makes sense).

What's the deal with butted spokes?

Butted spokes are touted for their durability and weight savings. How do they work, and are they worth the extra cost?

bicyclewheel.info

Some motorcycle spokes are butted but no the ones that I have.

 

[bigduke]

Hi. I'm very happy getting "creative" (see my recent "How to bodge a Renault engine" etc), I also rebuild my own wheels for my pushbikes & motorbikes but I'd not trust cutting the head off spokes and reforming them.
Cutting the spokes shorter and reforming a new thread (rolling? cutting?) would be my choice *but* I'd be a lot happier offloading those spoke and buying new ones to suit my needs.

Keep us updated, and good luck !

The threads need to be rolled, not cut.

 

[bigduke]

If you do decide to shorten them don’t forget that the cross section of the wire body has to be smaller than the root diameter of the thread to ensure the highest stress zone is not in the thread. Same goes for the bend and head.

Don’t know what you mean. They already have rolled threads.

 

[bigduke]

cheap enough to buy new, even st/st......
I think best left alone....
at the factory, done hot ? or on some 50 ton press.......

If you just want to buy stuff, why are you on here?

 

[Maker]

A hundred quid for a thread roller sounds like a bargain vs machining a fixture and hot working new heads, just to build a pair of wheels with questionable integrity.

 

[Erie Fred]

What capabilities do you have in your shop to make the forming parts and then run them ?

 

[Morrisman]

If you just want to buy stuff, why are you on here?

It’s not a question of just buying things to save making them, some things are far safer to buy from places that manufacture them correctly. Spokes are a little bit of a safety issue, in most circles, so modifying them to save the price of a round of drinks is not something many people will do.

 

[bigduke]

A hundred quid for a thread roller sounds like a bargain vs machining a fixture and hot working new heads, just to build a pair of wheels with questionable integrity.

Can you tell me where you saw the thread roller for sale?
9G, 10G ?

 

[Agroshield]

Can you tell me where you saw the thread roller for sale?

Is 3.2mm close to 10 gauge? And does it have M3 x 0.5 thread?

This seller in Ukraine has some thread rolling heads in that size:

Thread Rolling Die Head-M 4Ñ 0,7, M 3x 0,5 (rod/spoke threading head) | eBay

Dies provide the formation of threads of the 6th degree of accuracy. Thread rolling head м4 Ñ 07 and m3 x 0,5. The total resistance of such dies is 25-30. as well as manual work.

www.ebay.co.uk

Could you send the spokes to someone either from the vintage car or bike service industry who specialises in wire wheels and get them to chop to length and re-roll the threads?

 

[Bobupndown]

Just buy the proper spokes.
Why **Language** about bending and forming or cutting and threading and re plating existing spokes? If they weren't available to buy anymore then I can see why you'd have to be creative and inventive.