Professional Nib Flange Adjusting Pliers

[YokePenCo]

I've finished and received my new line of flange adjusting pliers for oblique pen flanges. You can get all the details and see them on my website at

http://www.yokepencompany.com/products/pliers

I also made an instructional YouTube Video on using them below, hope they help, I'm very happy with the results!

[ExtrasbyAlaina]

These look awesome - thank you, Chris!

[prasad]

This is wonderful Chris.
Will make life so so much easier now.  Already ordered them. 
Like I said already on the IG post you made,  you really have taken holder manufacture to a new level

-Prasad

[prasad]

HI Chris,
A little technical question if it's ok.

The Bail making pliers are 3mm and 5mm dia rounds.  Is there a reason why they need to be of 2 sizes? 

As I could not get Bail pliers here I made my own with 2 drill bits and a bit of tape, using 3 and 5 mm bits. 
I'm a little OCD about info and details  and since all nibs I have, fit into the 3mm round why can't both rounds be 3mm?

Do you use just these pliers to make the Bullock flanges too?  Or do you have some additional jigs for them? Specially to form the circle for the Crowquill.

Once I get these pliers, I will try to make the bullock flange too   As of now, using my home-made pliers, the curves don't match at all.
Just have to figure out how to weld the nut to the flange. 

Once again, thanks for the great video and the pliers. 

Happy Happy bending time
-Prasad

[ExtrasbyAlaina]

Follow up question: is there a limit to how many times you can adjust a standard flange before it eventually gets bent out of shape? Will the round pliers help lengthen that timeframe?

[prasad]

Follow up question: is there a limit to how many times you can adjust a standard flange before it eventually gets bent out of shape? Will the round pliers help lengthen that timeframe?

 I am sure Chris would be the perfect person to answer this.  From my understanding, Brass is a soft material and the Brass sheet for the flange is not very thick.  It will eventually give way, more so at the points where it is anchored to the holder. 

But given Chris' plier design, for both the round and  the flat, the stress seems to be minimised as it's more a rolling motion than a bending (mangling).
It would definitely make a huge difference as the needle nose will tend to mangle it rather than smoothly bend it.

At least that's what I think.
-Prasad

[AndyT]

Well, common types of brass are soft, but they are subject to a phenomenon known as work hardening (actually, it's the copper which is affected).  As the phrase suggests cold manipulation of the metal causes it to harden, and it will eventually display a tendency to tear along bend lines.  There will also be a deterioration in ductility over a long period of time due to oxidisation.  If the flange is detachable the softness can be restored by heating and allowing it to cool slowly - the same process as annealing steel.

How much all this matters is open to debate.  So long as the flange is treated reasonably gently it ought to be good for many adjustments.

[YokePenCo]

HI Chris,
A little technical question if it's ok.

The Bail making pliers are 3mm and 5mm dia rounds.  Is there a reason why they need to be of 2 sizes? 

As I could not get Bail pliers here I made my own with 2 drill bits and a bit of tape, using 3 and 5 mm bits. 
I'm a little OCD about info and details  and since all nibs I have, fit into the 3mm round why can't both rounds be 3mm?

Do you use just these pliers to make the Bullock flanges too?  Or do you have some additional jigs for them? Specially to form the circle for the Crowquill.

Once I get these pliers, I will try to make the bullock flange too   As of now, using my home-made pliers, the curves don't match at all.
Just have to figure out how to weld the nut to the flange. 

Once again, thanks for the great video and the pliers. 

Happy Happy bending time
-Prasad

There is no reason for the 5mm end other than a common size mandrel size for manufacture. My guess is it's jewelry related. The size needed for a Bullock style is 1/8" which is smaller and I so small that if I did a 3mm / 1/8" size pliers it wouldn't be substantial enough to last. So I opted to leave the 5mm size and jst worry about 95% of the flanges in the world. Chances are if you have a bullock, you never need to adjust the shape anyways.

I had a machinist make me a 1/8" diameter piece of hardened and smooth steel rod for the crowquill forming. That is the only additional tool I have for all flanges I make.

[YokePenCo]

Follow up question: is there a limit to how many times you can adjust a standard flange before it eventually gets bent out of shape? Will the round pliers help lengthen that timeframe?

Andy answered the technical end of this very well. The lifetime will depend on how the bending is accomplished. Is it a gentle arc or a steep angle? By using the pliers and only adjusting the gentle arc, the brass should under normal circumstances last well beyond our lifetimes. The best policy is to adjust it to a nib you like and try to keep it at that shape as long as possible. Of course if your nib tastes change, by all means reshape it to the new nib. You just want to minimize the reshaping of the brass as much as possible.

Can I say my pliers will make your pen flange last longer? Yes and no. By that I mean if you are skilled with small hand tools you can accomplish the same thing these pliers do with standard round nose pliers with the pointed ends. The purpose of my designing the pliers for our use was to minimize damage caused by those which don't have detail oriented abilities with small hand tools. It simplifies the process and makes it much easier and quicker. It also makes forming a new nib flange quick and simple as well.

[YokePenCo]

Well, common types of brass are soft, but they are subject to a phenomenon known as work hardening (actually, it's the copper which is affected).  As the phrase suggests cold manipulation of the metal causes it to harden, and it will eventually display a tendency to tear along bend lines.  There will also be a deterioration in ductility over a long period of time due to oxidisation.  If the flange is detachable the softness can be restored by heating and allowing it to cool slowly - the same process as annealing steel.

How much all this matters is open to debate.  So long as the flange is treated reasonably gently it ought to be good for many adjustments.

Very well stated. The brass I use is a 260 alloy 1/2 hard ASTM B3, which is subject to work hardening. And your last statement sums it all up, lifespan will depend on MANY factors, but brass is very forgiving overall.

[prasad]

I had a machinist make me a 1/8" diameter piece of hardened and smooth steel rod for the crowquill forming. That is the only additional tool I have for all flanges I make.

Thanks so much Chris.
Think I should be able to find a drill bit of ⅛" dia, if not will get one machined. 

This was my attempt at home-made bail pliers ages ago


My goal is to make 1 holder for each type of nib I have. So they are going to be regular flanges.  The Bullock flange is just something I want to try to make for kicks

Thanks again
-Prasad

[AndyT]

A drill bit shank should be fine, Prasad - it's what I've used anyway.  If you want guaranteed accuracy without incurring machining expenses a length of silver steel rod is ideal if a little over the top: the usual tolerance for the UK market is +/- 0.00025”.  A 13" length costs about the same as a couple of Gillott nibs here.

[YokePenCo]

I had a machinist make me a 1/8" diameter piece of hardened and smooth steel rod for the crowquill forming. That is the only additional tool I have for all flanges I make.

Thanks so much Chris.
Think I should be able to find a drill bit of ⅛" dia, if not will get one machined. 

Oh yeah, sorry a drill bit shank is completely fine, that is what I did at first. The only reason I had a rod machined is so it was long, hard, smooth and also no sharp edges since I do this repetitively over and over. Many of the things I do are overkill, but I have income from this to offset the costs and I have to look at long term use. Also the fact I'm a little Obsessive-compulsive plays into it, lol.