Clapton coils the Amish way...
I started off making clapton wire with a drill but found it cumbersome and prone to mistakes that were not easily fixed. I got sick of wasting wire and came up with this handcrank clapton jig. It's slow but you can stop at anytime and pick up again right where you left off without issue. I feel overlaps immediately and can easily pull the outer wire and reverse crank to backup and unwrap the bobble. I've been using this jig without fail for months, but it is definitely a "Version 1" and a little rough around the edges.
I've been posting pics of my jig for quite sometime but have never done a detailed view of it.
So without further ado...
The jig is constructed from 4" X 1/4" and 2" X 1/4" pine project board from Home Depot, they are sold in three foot lengths. The sides are 4" X 5", bottom is 4" X 15" and back support is 2" X 15". I used Gorilla Wood Glue and small 1" brads to nail and glue the wood together as in the pictures.
On the left side in the center of the end piece about 1 inch from the top, I screwed in a small eye hook to attach a ball bearing fishing swivel. The ball bearing fishing swivels are a necessity to ensure smooth operation without binding up.
On the right side, I drilled a hole just large enough for the top chimney of an old timey Kanger Evod coil to tightly fit through (I don't remember the drill bit size). I took a large steel paper clip and bent the outer loop straight, fed it through the hole then bent it to make the crank handle. The green "sleeve" is the outer wrap of some 14 gauge wire I had, not needed but makes it a little more comfortable to crank.
Before I attach the wire to the jig, I hand straighten the core wire using these...
I measure out a length of wire as long as the jig, then make two small loops on either end. I secure the metal "stick" (usually under my legs with the wire coming up between). I pull the wire tight and crank the wire for 15 seconds to take the curl out. (same tools I use to make twisted wire too)
With the wire straight I slide one end onto the paperclip crank, then fed the wire through the fishing swivel, pull tight, bend and twist it.
I then use two small Dewalt wood clamps attached to the back support with a wood shish-kabob stick stuck in the ends for the outer wire spool to spin on. The Dewalt clamps have a small hole in the ends, perfect for the stick to fit in. I had to tightly roll a 1" strip of paper towel to stuff in the wire spool so it would ride evenly along the stick with some resistance.
I attach the outer wire by putting the end through the fishing swivel then wrapping it around the end of the core wire.
Now to start wrapping! I pinch the outer wire between my thumb and index about an inch from the core wire, pull with some pressure (not enough to move the jig but enough to pull the core wire slightly toward you). I slowly crank clockwise as I carefully keep the outer wire in tight close wraps for an inch or two.
Once I am far enough from the swivel, I pinch the outer wire just before it starts to wrap on the core wire and put some pressure on the point where it wraps with my index finger. Now I start cranking with more speed and following along as it wraps.
At points I have to stop cranking to move the spool further along the stick. At the end when I get about an inch from the crank, I have to hold the outer wire out like at the beginning and keep wrapping until the end where I crank the wire a few times around the loop to secure it. Cut the wire at the crank end then open the swivel to completely remove the 12 inches of completed clapton wire.
If the wraps begin to space out you can stop and use you fingernails to pull and tighten the outer wrap. If the outer wrap starts to overlap you can stop, pull the outer wire toward you as you reverse the crank and fix it. I can also stop at any time and it will stay tight and in place until I start again. I have also used this jig to make fused clapton wire and it works quite well.
I hope that this may give some people ideas. I know it can be improved upon and if anyone has a better idea for a crank I'd love to hear it, or any other ideas for improvements. I'd like to make a better "Version 2" jig sometime soon.
I started off making clapton wire with a drill but found it cumbersome and prone to mistakes that were not easily fixed. I got sick of wasting wire and came up with this handcrank clapton jig. It's slow but you can stop at anytime and pick up again right where you left off without issue. I feel overlaps immediately and can easily pull the outer wire and reverse crank to backup and unwrap the bobble. I've been using this jig without fail for months, but it is definitely a "Version 1" and a little rough around the edges.
I've been posting pics of my jig for quite sometime but have never done a detailed view of it.
So without further ado...
The jig is constructed from 4" X 1/4" and 2" X 1/4" pine project board from Home Depot, they are sold in three foot lengths. The sides are 4" X 5", bottom is 4" X 15" and back support is 2" X 15". I used Gorilla Wood Glue and small 1" brads to nail and glue the wood together as in the pictures.
On the left side in the center of the end piece about 1 inch from the top, I screwed in a small eye hook to attach a ball bearing fishing swivel. The ball bearing fishing swivels are a necessity to ensure smooth operation without binding up.
On the right side, I drilled a hole just large enough for the top chimney of an old timey Kanger Evod coil to tightly fit through (I don't remember the drill bit size). I took a large steel paper clip and bent the outer loop straight, fed it through the hole then bent it to make the crank handle. The green "sleeve" is the outer wrap of some 14 gauge wire I had, not needed but makes it a little more comfortable to crank.
Before I attach the wire to the jig, I hand straighten the core wire using these...
I measure out a length of wire as long as the jig, then make two small loops on either end. I secure the metal "stick" (usually under my legs with the wire coming up between). I pull the wire tight and crank the wire for 15 seconds to take the curl out. (same tools I use to make twisted wire too)
With the wire straight I slide one end onto the paperclip crank, then fed the wire through the fishing swivel, pull tight, bend and twist it.
I then use two small Dewalt wood clamps attached to the back support with a wood shish-kabob stick stuck in the ends for the outer wire spool to spin on. The Dewalt clamps have a small hole in the ends, perfect for the stick to fit in. I had to tightly roll a 1" strip of paper towel to stuff in the wire spool so it would ride evenly along the stick with some resistance.
I attach the outer wire by putting the end through the fishing swivel then wrapping it around the end of the core wire.
Now to start wrapping! I pinch the outer wire between my thumb and index about an inch from the core wire, pull with some pressure (not enough to move the jig but enough to pull the core wire slightly toward you). I slowly crank clockwise as I carefully keep the outer wire in tight close wraps for an inch or two.
Once I am far enough from the swivel, I pinch the outer wire just before it starts to wrap on the core wire and put some pressure on the point where it wraps with my index finger. Now I start cranking with more speed and following along as it wraps.
At points I have to stop cranking to move the spool further along the stick. At the end when I get about an inch from the crank, I have to hold the outer wire out like at the beginning and keep wrapping until the end where I crank the wire a few times around the loop to secure it. Cut the wire at the crank end then open the swivel to completely remove the 12 inches of completed clapton wire.
If the wraps begin to space out you can stop and use you fingernails to pull and tighten the outer wrap. If the outer wrap starts to overlap you can stop, pull the outer wire toward you as you reverse the crank and fix it. I can also stop at any time and it will stay tight and in place until I start again. I have also used this jig to make fused clapton wire and it works quite well.
I hope that this may give some people ideas. I know it can be improved upon and if anyone has a better idea for a crank I'd love to hear it, or any other ideas for improvements. I'd like to make a better "Version 2" jig sometime soon.
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