Early Wire Drawing Through Dies

The history of wire drawing through dies is reviewed and the description of the process by Theophilus, dating from about 1100 A.D., is discussed. It can be assumed that the fact that this early metal worker did not mention a die angle was due to his lack of knowledge of its function. It is suggested that deburred holes, or holes in which the boring operation inherently produced conical surfaces possibly were sufficient to make the wire drawing process successful without the operator knowing the reasons for his success. The recent data presented by Okolo and Wistreich seem to confirm that wire drawing is possible over a wide range of operating conditions and die angles.