Tandem Rectangular Wire Straightener

Flat and rectangular wire comes off a rolling mill or reel with kinks and curvature in two planes simultaneously. Correcting one axis at a time on a standard straightener means two separate setups. The Tandem does both in a single pass.

Key features

• 2 × 3 individually adjustable bearings — fine pressure control per block, independent on each axis
• Quick-release per block — re-insert wire between passes without losing calibration
• Dual 90° block orientation — both axes corrected in a single pass through the tool
• Shared calibration base — axial alignment maintained by design, not by setup

How it works

Two identical bearing blocks are mounted in tandem on a shared calibration base that keeps them axially aligned by design. Each block is oriented at 90° to the other, so the wire is worked in both perpendicular axes as it passes through.

Each block contains 7 ball bearings: 4 fixed bearings aligned on the main axis, and 3 individually adjustable bearings that apply controlled pressure on the wire. The adjustable bearings allow independent calibration per block.

The two actions — smoothing and straightening — require different pressure settings and are done in separate passes:

• Higher pressure pass — irons out kinks and surface deformation, leaving wire with a smooth surface but possibly still a long-radius curve
• Lower pressure pass — controls and removes the residual curvature, delivering geometrically straight wire

The number of passes depends on the initial state of the material and the target outcome. The quick-release mechanism on each block allows wire to be reinserted between passes without losing the calibration setting.

Important note on wire profile

The Tandem is designed for flat and rectangular wire — including unequal sections such as 1×3 mm or 2×4 mm. On round wire, the bearing geometry risks creating flat spots on the wire surface. For round wire straightening, see the Wire Straightener V3 (1–3mm) or Wire Straightener V3 MINI (0.5–1.5mm).

Bench scale, not industrial scale

Industrial wire straighteners are large, expensive, and built for continuous feed production. This tool brings the same mechanical principle to the workbench — compact, table-mounted or bench-clamped, and sized for the small shop where floor space matters.

Built from 3D-printed PETG with metal hardware and bearings where it counts. Under normal use the construction is solid; flex becomes a factor only with wire well outside the specified range, and affects tool longevity rather than immediate output quality.

Applications

Used wherever flat or rectangular wire stock must be straight and kink-free before fabrication:

• Silversmithing and metalsmithing — bezel wire, gallery wire, flat stock, shaped wire after rolling mill
• Decorative metalwork — flat wire elements, architectural models, sculptural forms
• Any fabrication context requiring consistent flat or rectangular wire geometry before bending, forming, cutting, or assembly

Specifications

For round wire (1–3 mm): Wire Straightener V3

For thin wire (0.5–1.5 mm): Wire Straightener V3 MINI

What’s included

• 1 assembled Tandem Rectangular Wire Straightener
• Instructions leaflet