Here is a picture of the fixture I use to flatten brass wire for organ barrel pins.  I started with two ball bearings with an inside diameter that fit a 3/8-inch shoulder bolt.  These are mounted on a block of aluminum about an inch thick.  The 1/4-inch bolt at the end controls the distance between the rollers by squeezing the slot.

I flatten the end of the brass wire a little with a hammer and start it between the rollers.  Then I use vice-grips to pull the rest of the wire through.  I think I can reduce the thickness 0.005 or 0.010 inch each pass; it requires a little experimentation.  If 0.030" wire is too wide when you get it to the right thickness, just file off the few thousandths before you start so it doesn't squeeze out so much.  I think the wire got 30 or 40 percent longer in the process.

You do have to be careful of how you pull it because the wire tends to walk out from between the rollers, so next time I'll probably make a little guide plate to keep it straight.

Regards
Craig Smith
Upstate New York, USA
11 Jul 2009 13:06:49 -0400