How to attach stainless wire mesh so it doesn't fray?

Hey all, I’m working on the trommel I was talking about in this other thread.



I now need to figure out the best way to attach stainless wire mesh so that it won’t fray over time. A couple hundred pounds of sawdust will be rolling around inside the machine, and at some points I can’t avoid the mesh needing to have holes to allow the support spars to connect through to hold the outer layer of screen. Obviously, I’m not going to put holes in it where I don’t have to – but the dual chambered nature of the machine means that the inner layer of mesh has to have some holes in it.

I’m worried though, about the mesh fraying over time like cloth would.

So first, is this an issue I need to be worried about? The mesh will be pinned between a traversing piece of angle iron and a radial hoop of flat bar. Doesn’t it seem like, over time, the wire mesh will fray? Or perhaps the stiffness of the stainless wire threads (60 mesh and 30 mesh) will mean that won’t be a problem like it would with cloth?

Second, what can I do to minimize the effect? I need 14mm holes in it for the spars to pass. I was planning to punch the holes on a bench punch, figuring that’d be the cleanest cut I can make. Would it be worth trying to braze around the hole after (or maybe before?) I make it – kind of like paper hole protector rings you use in a binder? Or, I was also wondering about using an external tooth lock washer against the mesh, figuring its teeth might kind of grab on to the wires and spread the pulling load, so it’s not as easy for individual wires to fray.
Or another idea – could I use my cnc plasma to cut the holes, assuming that the cut is going to fuse the ends of the wires together? (Perhaps with a sacrificial backing piece of stainless sheet metal?)

I looked around online for ideas on best practices for affixing wire mesh cloth, but most of what I found was for much bigger, heavier cloth where you can put a bolt through the (much larger than mine) holes that are already in the mesh. An approach that doesn't disturb the mesh might be a worthwhile "thought experiment".

Make the spars in two parts, 'top' and 'bottom'. Bottom spar holds inner mesh, top spar holds outer mesh. Spars are hollow, stacked, and set diametrically opposed to the pair on the other side, as needed. Spars have spikes on, say, 2" washers/plates, that 'mesh with the mesh' it's supporting. (Bigger washers=more stable spar.) (Spikes go into recesses of mating washer/plate, so it fully penetrates and locates mesh without cutting any wires.) To secure everything, run wire cable completely thru spars on one side, mesh x2, center member, spars and mesh on other side of 'diametrically opposed spars' and out the other side. Next, tension cable so spars support mesh appropriately. Number of spar locations, cable tension, cable diameter, and even number of cables within each spar are user-adjustable variables to give the support required while minimizing mesh disturbance. You might need to use a 'needle' to thread the cable, and you might need to bend the mesh to enlarge an existing hole for the cable to pass thru, but hopefully without wholesale cutting of mesh 'fibers', reducing the possibility a fraying quite a bit. The spikes in the washers will help locate mesh even if a few fibers are cut when penetrating mesh with needle/cable.

Or just weld the damn thing. As dgfoster said, try to keep the flame away from the relatively thin mesh. In my opinion not so much to keep it from melting but more to keep the SS from oxidizing or whatever it does when it gets too hot. I have silver soldered quite a bit of SS and if you overheat it, the solder will not stick. I'm not sure if it is in fact an oxidation issue but something very squirrely happens to the SS and nothing will stick to it unless you grind it down and start over.

As dgfoster said, try to keep the flame away from the relatively thin mesh. In my opinion not so much to keep it from melting but more to keep the SS from oxidizing or whatever it does when it gets too hot. I have silver soldered quite a bit of SS and if you overheat it, the solder will not stick. I'm not sure if it is in fact an oxidation issue but something very squirrely happens to the SS and nothing will stick to it unless you grind it down and start over.

I don’t think that overheating issue is limited to stainless. I’ve done it to just about everything—-certainly lots of alloy steels, copper, bronze,etc. I (perhaps incorrectly) attributed it to burning away the flux. Once the surface is oxidized no amount of additional flux will allow flow of solder. As you said, clean back to bright metal and don’t be so ham-fisted next time! ;-)

Denis

Crimped Wire Mesh

The crimped wire mesh is woven by pre-crimped metal wires through the method of double crimp or lock crimp. Crimped wire mesh is also called crimped woven wire mesh, The pre-crimping weaving method can ensure an accurate opening area and make the structure stable. Crimped mesh can also be used in the food industry and industrial applications. Lightweight crimped mesh can be used as barbecue grill mesh, stair railings, fences, construction grilles, and decorations.

Link to Dashang

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