Hozan spoke threader

( Doug Goncz ) said:

Before threading stainless spokes with the Hozan C-700 spoke threader, which
says in the instructions that it works on stainless spokes and comes preset for
14 gage spokes, do you have to anneal the spoke by heating it red in a torch
flame and allowing it to cool slowly?

No. Don't do that-- spoke threads are cold formed on fully hardened
stainless steel wire. (FYI, most stainless steel is not heat
hardenable and anneals fully regardless of cooling rate.)

Quoted message said:

I say this because I am familiar with the work hardening produced in many
metals by cold working, e.g. wire drawing, and wonder if my seemingly
inconsistent results with this threader is due to it being provided with steel
wheels instead of carbide, or whether I should be annealing the spoke ends
first.

I expect if you anneal first, you will get beautiful threads on spokes
that break quickly with use.

Quoted message said:

Anyway, what I am most interested is in the carbide wheels. They'd be dark
grey, wouldn't they? Mine are light silver grey and I am almost certain they
are steel.

I should test one with a magnet,

Cemented carbide is composed of some 8% to 10% metallic cobalt, which
is strongly magnetic. I find that the attraction between a NbFeB
magnet and carbide tooling is approximately half as strong as between
the same magnet and M42 molybdenum-cobalt tool steel, and roughly
one-quarter as strong as its attraction to M2 molybdenum-tungsten
(HSS) tool steel.

Chalo Colina

Hello, all!

Without a working spoke threader, I decided to try the OEM spokes from
the smaller flange hub which was laced three cross, laced onto the
bigger hub four cross.

It worked!

Er, well, it came close. Spoke penetration is low, not full, but the
wheel is rideable.

I will thread a spoke into the nipples from the outside, using it as a
measuring gage, and buy slightly longer spokes that will fit right,
instead of shortening the OEM spokes and threading them.

I will return the spoke threader if AE Bike will take it back. I
believe I have a reasonable case. It's supposed to work right out of
the box.

By the way, I did four cross with no cross, that is, side to side four
cross, but on each side, all "pull" or "push" spokes. I did this on my
Peugot and it has worked just fine for hundreds of miles. It all
depends on hub windup, and this is so small it is simply not
measureable. The hub is effectively a rigid body.

This makes plucking spokes easier, to even tension during building
since they vibrate freely, and makes replacing spokes easier, but does
allow vibration during riding, which can loosen spokes. I will be
adding shell covers to make an aero disc wheel soon, of clear 0.020
inch thick Lexan. These will damp the vibration.

I'm off to ride close to home today.

Yours,

Doug Goncz
Bless me, father, for I have sinned.
It has been 7 1/2 hours since my last cigarette.