Hozan Rolling Die Head for Spoke Threader, $120+tax!

I need the thing. They say "use cutting fluid", but what about the rollers? Don't the rollers need some heavy duty grease? Or will frequent application of cutting fluid (maybe once per spoke) keep the rollers from wearing on the pins/shafts?

Seems I messed up the cutting heads that came with the original Hozan Spoke Threader. That head was made for 14 and 15gauge spokes. The replacement head is made for only 14gauge spokes. I suppose precision is important, so they aren't making it for two different size spokes anymore.

Must be difficult to make those cutting heads, since it's over $100 and there is no Chinese knockoff of that Japanese product.

Reply to
John Doe
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This is a video of their current version...

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I'm impressed they make videos of supposedly precision products that WOBBLE. That is not uncommon for Chinese products, it's like they don't even care. But that's Japanese, not Chinese, so that's weird. McDonald's would go through 50,000 hamburger patties to make one commercial.

Reply to
John Doe

So how rigid does it need to be to chase after a bicycle spoke? I've not used this particular device, but Hozen electronics tweezers have a fit and finish that even makes ones from Germany look like toys.

Reply to
Cydrome Leader

The threading head is designed to center on the spoke and has some free play in order to thread a spoke that is less then perfectly straight.

Reply to
John B.

I guess it's just flexing the spoke. The first model (base part), the one I have, used to bend the spoke a bit, but seems that stopped. I wasn't much worried about it.

I guess the rollers that press the threads into the spoke are the only difficult part to make.

Their second version (thread making part) has a different part number for each size spoke, and hopefully does a better job than the one that was made for two different size spokes 14-15 gauge. Seems I duled the first few cutting spirals. But now I have cutting fluid instead of grease.

Will cutting fluid keep the roller pins properly lubricated? Seems to me heavy grease would be better for the roller pins, but the two lubricants won't mix well?

Seems to me a steel ring should be put around the end of the roller pins to keep them from spreading apart. But I have a little trouble making a steel ring the precise size (within a tenth of a millimeter).

Too bad sanding only works in one direction. You know, like to make a hole a tiny bit smaller instead of larger :D

I made a rotary tool jig to cut the stainless steel spokes at precisely the same length. Using a low to medium rotary speed, with constant pressure applied, they cut quickly. Then they get beveled.

Reply to
John Doe

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Their new version clearly looks better. It is better suited to a single spokes size (unlike the first version that tried to handle two different spokes sizes), and the whole thing is beefier. The posts for holding the barrel cutters are fatter/stronger, so they are less likely to spread apart when pressing threads into the spokes.

I wrote:

Reply to
John Doe

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