Wire through a hole - diameter question

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    Diameter Hole Wire
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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around determining the diameter of a hole in a bead to assess whether a specific silver chain can fit through it. Participants explore methods to estimate the hole size based on the fitting of thinner wires and consider practical implications of threading multiple wires.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that a 0.3mm wire fits through the bead five times, suggesting a method to estimate the hole's diameter.
  • Another participant references a mathematical model for circle packing, indicating that if five 0.3mm wires fit, a 0.9mm wire may not fit due to the optimal packing ratio of approximately 2.7 times the smaller diameter.
  • A different perspective suggests that if a 0.9mm wire fits, then three 0.3mm wires could fit in a straight line, proposing that seven wires might fit in total, though practical threading challenges are acknowledged.
  • One participant recommends using a welding tip cleaner as a practical tool to measure wire diameters, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional measuring tools.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants present multiple approaches and considerations regarding the fitting of wires through the bead hole, with no consensus reached on the exact diameter or the feasibility of fitting the 0.9mm chain.

Contextual Notes

Participants express uncertainty about the exact diameter of the bead hole and the practical challenges of threading multiple wires, indicating that assumptions about fitting may vary based on real-world conditions.

Kissyboots
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I'm trying to find a silver chain that can be used for a small bead with a small hole. Obviously, the chain needs to be thin enough to fit through the hole, but I can't measure the hole inside the bead by hand.

I found a chain that is 0.9mm in diameter, but I'm not sure the bead will fit. So I went home and threaded the bead with a 0.3mm wire that I have. It fit through 5 times. So basically, I have a bead strung up on 5 0.3mm wires. With this information, how can I figure out the diameter of the hole, or at least if it is greater than 0.9mm?

TIA
 
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Kissyboots said:
I'm trying to find a silver chain that can be used for a small bead with a small hole. Obviously, the chain needs to be thin enough to fit through the hole, but I can't measure the hole inside the bead by hand.

I found a chain that is 0.9mm in diameter, but I'm not sure the bead will fit. So I went home and threaded the bead with a 0.3mm wire that I have. It fit through 5 times. So basically, I have a bead strung up on 5 0.3mm wires. With this information, how can I figure out the diameter of the hole, or at least if it is greater than 0.9mm?

TIA

http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CirclePacking.html

From the case of five circles packed into one larger circle on this page, you can see that with optimal packing, the diameter of the larger circle is about 2.7 times that of the smaller circles. This means that in your case, if 0.3mm is the diameter of your thinner wire, the chain with 0.9mm diameter may not fit.
 
Turning it around the other way, if a 0.9mm diameter wire would fit then that means three 0.3mm wires would fit with their centres in a straight line; so you should manage 7 wires - a central one and six more arranged around it.
Of course, practical considerations might mean that 0.9mm would just fit, yet it's quite hard to thread 7 x 0.3mm.
 
Go buy a welding tip cleaner at the hardware store. They are very cheap, and have many wires on different sizes in very small increments. Makes a very cheap alternative to a pin or wire gauge set.
 

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