Solder Mandrel

Solder Mandrel

This is a tool for winding wire solder to be used in a dispensing tube.

The mandrel has a slight taper to make removing the wound solder from the mandrel easier.  I've used a dowel in the past for this and because it's cylindrical, removing the solder can be difficult.

The mandrel is sized for 0.8 mm (~ 1/32") solder.  The feed end of the solder, which passes up the center of the coil, lies in the keyway while wrapping, producing a smooth, slightly tapered wrap of circular coils.

There's a narrow flange at the big end to keep the coil in place at that end while wrapping.

This tool may be used to wind a coil of solder up to about 65 mm long.  The big end, not including the flange, is about 9 mm diameter; the small end is about 7.5 mm.

Rev 1 extends the keyway all the way through the end flange.  The photos were taken before this revision so they show the keyway stopping at the flange, resulting in the first few wraps having a lump.  With this revision the entire wound coil consists of circular wraps with the feed end entirely contained in the keyway.

Printing Notes:

PLA

0.1 mm layer height

0.8 mm shells

20% infill

No supports