Eyelet Press

[cusebassman]

Hey all - search turned up nothing, so I'm curious. I'd like to make my own eyelet fiber boards, by drilling the holes and then manually installing the eyelets. What type of eyelet/grommet press is recommended for boards 3" high and smaller? How big should the eyelets themselves be? There appear to be many options on amazon, but none of the presses indicate how deep the press can fit over the work being pressed.

[EL34]

Info here
http://el34world.com/charts/toolhowto.htm


Eyelets and tool is here
http://hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/catalog/BoardBuildingMobile.htm

[sluckey]

I just use my benchtop drill press and Hoffman's staking tool. I also use my bench drill press for making holes in various materials. You should be able to buy a decent bench drill press for under $150.

[cusebassman]

Thanks for the advice. I actually have a drill press, so it wouldn't be an issue.

[pompeiisneaks]

Hey I'm curious, your docs show how to use your tools for turrets, do they work fine for eyelets as well?  I've ended up just using a flat end of a bolt for the top and a metalworking stake that has a 60' angle on the tip that I press down into it.  You mentioned it for eyelets but all of the demos seem to be setup for turrets with the hole in the one side for turrets as well.  Do you  need some kind of special receptacle end for the curved side of the eyelet? 

~Phil

[bnwitt]

The best accessory I've ever purchased for improving my board building process is my Drill Press table.  I can get consistent turret or eyelet stamping and straight rows of turret or eyelet holes with the fence.

[sluckey]

Here's my simple turret press using Hoffman's turret staking tool...

[EL34]

Hey I'm curious, your docs show how to use your tools for turrets, do they work fine for eyelets as well?  I've ended up just using a flat end of a bolt for the top and a metalworking stake that has a 60' angle on the tip that I press down into it.  You mentioned it for eyelets but all of the demos seem to be setup for turrets with the hole in the one side for turrets as well.  Do you  need some kind of special receptacle end for the curved side of the eyelet? 

~Phil

You flip top tool around and just use the flat side to push down on the rim of the eyelet. The bottom pointy tool works the same on the bottom of an eyelet or on the bottom of a turret lug

[pompeiisneaks]

cool yeah I thought so, I'm thinking I may buy yours, mine's showing signs of wear already and I don't know how well it will last, but I'm on the fence right now.  Thanks!

~Phil

[EL34]

On my press i Custom sculpted both tool pieces much nicer than the basic tool I sell.
I used a small lathe to cut my custom tools.
My bottom tool has a spring attached that pushes the board up and seats the terminal just before its swages the backside


Somewhere here on the Forum I posted a picture of my press recently for Steve

[pompeiisneaks]

Yeah I remember it, I saw it, I read most posts but don't always comment :)  I definitely like that spring, it's a good idea.  So far with eyelets I don't get any 'sticking' but I am sure it would stick with the turrets.

~Phil

[EL34]

Nothing sticks, the spring pushes the board material up and seats the terminal flat against the surface
The spring I use is quite hard to compress with your fingers and it pushed up hard on the board material

You do not have to physically lift the material with your arm
Doing lots of terminals sucks without the spring, and I do lots of terminals

Also, your hand is grasping the edges of the material and it tends to cut into your hand

It is possible to seat a turret lug incorrectly if it's not fully down flush with the surface of the material

The spring solves all the issues nicely

[pompeiisneaks]

Oh gotcha, that makes sense, thanks!

~Phil