This is a method I use to make power circuits.

Problem: How to connect a heavy wire to small component leads?

Solution: Flatten solid wire and drill through it.

I first used this technique in a project I have posted to this site previously, but I did not elaborate on it then. This whole article is about the method I am doing. The introductory picture shows the top of the board I will be using this method with. What interests us is what is going on underneath though. We'll get to that shortly.

Step 1: Shaping and Flattening

In this image we can see I have already bent a piece of thick wire and flattened it where I need to drill through it.

Step 2: Marking Wire

Here I have used a felt tip marker to mark where I want to work on the wire. Look carefully for blue marker marks on the wire.

Step 3: Flattening Wire

Here we can see how I am flattening out the wire. I am using an anvil, and a small hammer with a flat face on it. Note that I am not using a large hammer, this is delicate work.

Step 4: Fitting Wire

My piece of wire hardly looks like a piece of wire any longer. Now it more resembles a small flat bar. Try to form the wire while it is still round, because the wire becomes more difficult to bend after it has been hammered flat.

Step 5: Aligning Conductor

Here we see the conductor aligned over the leads the conductor needs to attach to. I'm not calling it a piece of wire anymore because it really isn't.

Step 6: Marking Conductor to Drill

Again I am marking where I wish to work on my material. In this case where I want to drill my holes. Try to line things up well here so it will be easy to fit the workpiece onto the project.

Step 7: Centerpunching to Drill

I have brought my conductor back to the anvil in order to centerpunch it so I can drill it out.

Step 8: Drilling Conductor

Here I am drilling holes in my conductor so I can put my component leads through it.

Step 9: Fitting the Conductor to the Project

Now I have to put the conductor on the board, on the leads it needs to attach to, in order to solder it. I took this photograph when I test fit the conductor. It fits.