Gave the impress a try with 5 mm sterling silver tube with 3/16 inch mandrel boro bead holes. Seems that it is one of those maybe it will work and maybe it will not sort of thing. Found that making a new center pin with a closer fit plus moving the pin up higher (unscrewing) seems to help. Plus making sure the bead is well seated on the center pin.
With 1/4 inch SS no luck at all. The tube just likes to swag to one side. So far collecting a lot of cores that just did not make it. Too bad that it is not .999, then it could be used when making beads.
Not sure if the amount of movement in the impress is the issue. Or if a tool with a dead center that was true and no movement would be the answer.
It would be great if a tool would have a 98% or better success factor. Perhaps that is asking too much!
However the dapping set should be here this week. Maybe that in combination with the some of the above processes will have a better outcome.
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