Draw plates are used to draw wire to make it thinner. They can also be used to draw tubes of wire (chenier). They come in many different sizes and shapes: round, square, oval, half-round and hexagonal for example. The plate has rows of holes drilled through it which go down in size by tiny increments. The holes are wider at the back. Wire is annealed and then filed at one end to taper it. The tapered end is inserted into a hole that is next down in size from a hole that it can easily pass through. Pliers or draw tongs are used to hold the tip of the wire and pull it through. The wire can be drawn about 3 times in a row before it needs to be re-annealed. The draw plate doesn't shave the wire off to make it thinner, it stretches it, so you don't lose metal, and end up with a piece of wire that can be many times longer than what you started with. The plate is held in a vice, or on a special piece of equipment where the tongs are attatched to a chain and a handle is turned to move the chain, pulling the tongs and drawing the wire. A wire is a single, usually cylindrical, elongated strand of drawn metal. ... Needle nose pliers Pliers are hand tools primarily for gripping and cutting that use leverage and numerous different jaw configurations to grip, turn, pull, cut or crimp a variety of things. ... Tongs are gripping and lifting tools, of which there are many forms adapted to their specific use. ...
In the images the plate is 165mm wide and 35mm high. The largest hole on the front of the draw plate is 2mm in diameter. The plate is 6mm thick. On the back there are only 3 sizes of hole - 5mm, 4.5mm and 4mm in diameter.
Wire is usually drawn of cylindrical form; but it may be made of any desired section by varying the outline of the holes in the draw-plate through which it is passed in the process of manufacture.
Wire has to be pointed or made smaller in diameter at the end before it can be passed through the die; the pointing is done by hammering, filing, rolling or swaging in dies, which effect a reduction in diameter.
Wires and cables for electrical purposes are covered with various insulating materials, such as cotton, rubber, or plastic, wrapped in concentric fashion and further protected with, substances such as paraffin, some kind of preservative compound, bitumen or lead sheathing or steel taping.
Drawing is performed on the draw bench, which comprises the draw plate and a power reel for pulling the wire through.
In wet drawing, the wire is given a lees coating by passing it through lees liquor composed of water and some kind of flour, sometimes fermented and sometimes mixed with milk of lime.
In galvanizing, the wire is passed (a) through a lead bath to anneal it; (b) through a weak pickling solution to remove the scale formed; (c) through a rinsing bath; and (d) through the molten spelter contained in the galvanizing pan.