Presses

A guy is selling a motor/pump unit on my local craigslist for what seems like a reasonable price, and I think he'll come down. Here's the link: http://lasvegas.craigslist.org/tls/4155228110.html It's only a 2 hp unit. Can be 110 or 220 volt. He doesn't have the flow rates of the pump, but says it originally came off a 40 ton press. I'm wondering if I can use it for a smaller, say 20 ton press, if it will move the ram fast enough and have enough power. I ordered the James Batson book, but don't have it yet. Any thoughts? The seller is trying to contact the manufacturer of the pump to find out it's flow rates - short of that, is there any convenient method of…

How about this? What about moving a log splitter inside the shop and leaving the engine out side. Can you extend the lines long enough to work? About 15 feet. To cold to work outside and to much exhaust and noise to be inside. What do you think? TJ Smith

Hey guys i was wondering if I could use something like this to make a forging press, I'm able to make dies and what not myself but using one of these could be a little easier than using a power hammer, Im curious as to what i would need in order to make a hammer with one of these say a 5lbs hammer, would i be able to punch hammer eyes with something like this or not.

I've bought a small fly press and have stripped it for cleaning except I can't see how you remove the shaft and nuts from the bottom of the screw. On one diagram I've seen it seems the shaft is pinned to the screw but I can't see any fixings on mine at all?! Any ideas how it's fixed? Without removing the shaft and adjusting nuts I can't withdraw the screw from the body for cleaning and lubricating. What's the best lubricant for the Screw and Ram, Oil or Grease?

Hi I hope someone can help me out. I have a Laycock Hydraulic Press 60 Tonne. Model number 1551. I am looking for the cup leather seal for the hydraulic oil cyclinder/container. Also is general if someone still supplies parts for these presses. Would appreciate any help. Thanks

There has been a fair amount of interest in hydraulic forging presses here on the forum lately. Having seen a variety of presses it seems like many of the presses featured have their hydraulic oil storage tanks below or immediately behind the forging dies. Hoses are frequently unprotected and in close proximity to the work area and exposed to possible damage from a miss-move or mishap involving hot work pieces. Some of the more well developed presses have protective sleeves installed over the hoses or shields intended to keep the hot work and debris away from the tank and hoses and to protect the operator from high pressure hydraulic leaks. I have been consideri…

Just a heads up. I Totally approve of my tax dollars being spent on programs like this.. “The Fifty” Approaching Alcoa’s 50,000-ton forging press feels a bit like approaching an alp: it starts out incomprehensibly huge and keeps getting incomprehensibly huger. From a distance, the thing dominates the horizon of the hangar-like Cleveland Works facility; as you get nearer, catching glimpses through forests of girders and around cliffs of firebrick, it begins to dominate the air above. But even as you stand at its foot, being told that the eight steel bolts anchoring it are 40 inches thick, calculating in your head that that makes them 10 feet around—even then it’s still…

Found this; "Pressure from a Screw Press.- The pressure exerted by a screw press is dependant on the length of the lever attached to the screw, the pitch of the screw, and the force applied on the lever. Thus, circumference of swing X number of threads per inch X force = force or pressure exerted by the press. Example, A force of 100lb. acting on a lever 20in. long which is attached to a screw having a pitch 1/2in. exerts a pressure as follows: 3-1/7 X 20 X 2 X 100 = 12,560lb., or approximately 5-1/2 tons. " So the challenge is on; those who have fly presses with catalog force ratings, compare this with the calculated version. [i'm piking out, two presses with …

Picked up this C G Garrigus screw press for a decent price. Long drive but not too bad. The rough part was getting it into my small 10 x 12 shop which took a few hours. But I did not injure myself so I count that as a success. It is a 3 inch 2 lead 1.5" pitch screw. The wheel is about 40" and weighs 400 or so and the total weight of the press might be over 2000. It has a 1.5" die shank and I tried it out for the first time today with a fuller type die and flat bottom plate. I tried throwing the wheel and also pushing it(moving the die into the piece with pressure on the handle). In both cases it really moves the metal and th bonus is that you get a decent workout at the s…

I started this shop press 15 years ago and never had time to finish it. I cut the 3x3 angles, punched the 1" holes and left it sit in the corner. Then one day i needed to use it to broach some keyways. So i went out and welded it all up then i went to my machine shop and turned the parts to hold the hyd jack and the bottom tooling. The jack, bed plates and bottom angles are all removeable because i am also going to use the frame with a chain fall to raise my 2 metal lathes up to put the legs under them. Then i can bolt the press parts back on. I could use a little bigger jack but it works for U Joints and my keyway broaches just fine...Bob

Hi all, Thanks to help before I have got my hydraulic power pack working. But as I have no info on this I am at a loss regarding the power pack drawing so many amps its tripping the fuse box? I was told the power pack came with a press that was used to push bearings and other garage type jobs. They never had the pack running so were getting rid. When I started to see how the pack worked I had the remains of a pressure needle (now missing). There appears to be two controls. one is a simple screw which increases or decreases the pressure. there is a second screw cap on the hose side of the solenoid that regulates the amount of oil going through to the ram. It runs wel…

Hi all, I have been long hoping to share this video I saw as an apprentice, but hadn't been able to find it- until today;

Hi. I have been thinking of a hydraulic press and am wondering what would be a good size. I would like to do drawing out, punching, drifing etc of bars up to 1.5". There is a 24, 34 or 50 ton available from Tommy McNabb. I'm considering the 34 ton version but i dont want to be frustrated and wish I bought the 50. Any thoughts and recommendstions? Also - what are the operations you use your press for the most? (besides damascus) Thank you!

A bladesmith friend of mine asked me if I could rebuild his forging press and here are some photos of how it came out. Sorry I don't have any before pictures but they some how got erased from the camera. Just a suggestion, don't let you kids borrow your camera ;) . The press was first built from the James Batson plans and had the pump, motor, tank was on a seperate cart and the press sat on the floor mounted on a plate. If you look at the photos all the rusty material was previously there. He wanted the press to be mobile so I cut the plate off the bottom and mounted the press, tank, motor and pump, on a platform with expanded metal and casters. He also did not like the h…

Hi guys, A local guy is selling an antique book binding press. I didn't take a pic, stupidly, but it looks pretty much like this, just cleaner and a bit more heavy duty: (image taken from google) Anyways, the handle comes off easily enough and I figured that if I replaced it with a heavy wheel I could use it as a small fly press. What do you think? any chance it could be useful? Harris

Hi all, I have a (2.2kw) 3hp power pack that I am trying to see if I can get to work. It has a Rexroth solenoid with bent three pin tabs. After trying several hydraulic companies to get a switch system made. The best I have managed to get is some three pin plugs and a up down switch. Now I need to wire up the solenoid? Obviously one side is power in. What happens on the other side? I have a four cable line which goes to two pairs of contacts on the switch side. How do I wire this to the three pin plug? I can’t get my head around how wiring two or three wires will get the ram moving in different directions? What I am concerned i…

Hello all. I can get a cheap 12ton air jack for around 60-70bucks. I wonder if this is enough to make a Hydraulic press? Or shoud i try to get a 20ton?

I have a 20 ton lever operated bottle jack mounted inside a frame that I plan to use for forging small knives. The frame is only experimental to get a feel on how much pressure is required to squeeze leafspring-steel. As long as the lever isn't putting up much resistance, that is, in the beginning of the squeeze, I'm not too worried. But as the spring-steel starts to flatten, the piston movement is being restricted and the lever is getting hard to operate pretty fast. I'm not comfortable with using all the strength I've got on the lever as long as the frame is just an experimental frame. I have several feet of large H-beam outside the house and I plan on making a fra…

I recently picked up a manley press. I believe it was originally a H press but somewhere down the line it was converted to a side by side set up with arbor press and mounted on a pedestal. The pressure gauge seems original to the press and its 0-30 tons psi. The number on the tag which i think is the model number reads 3-44 , i dont have the serial on hand at the moment but i do know it ends with a B if that is any help at all. So that said i have some questions about this press that i hope you guys can help me with. Is there a way to convert the from manual to powered or air fairly simply or is it worth the effort? What type of forging applications would this best b…

I bought a huge OBI punch press, 10 ton capacity: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-5TI_SjzmZ1w/UZ7GRJdYHDI/AAAAAAAACg4/kuosq6G1oYc/w369-h492-no/20130523_132600.jpg On that press, there are two solid predrilled "bolster plates" appx. 42x27 inches and 4 inches thick. I will keep one for my large hydraulic press that I recently put in service, however, I have another plate since this press has two plates. So, I am thinking, what are the possible blacksmith or home shop type uses for those bolster plates? Weight estimated at 1,400 lbs each. They do NOT have T-slots, just a row of predrilled tapped holes. i

is it possible to build a hydraulic forging press for under 200 dollars, a mini one, like this picture, because i dont got much room?

I picked up a small fly press, weighs about 450lbs. It is missing some of the tooling and I was wondering if anyone has one that is similar? It had a name plate but that is long gone so I'm trying to figure out the brand and also get some pictures of one that is the same or similar so I can make the correct ram, tool holders etc. If you can help I sure would appreciate it! Thanks

Well a local blacksmith wants to buy my shop built forging press so I decided to let him have it and build a new one. I am kind of torn because I have some big stuff to build a press but not sure if big is the right thing. I have a 30 hp 19 GPM self contained pump and a nice heavy 8" cylinder. That would give me about 60 ton squeeze with a 90 IMP extend and 114 IPM retract. I think more ideal would be a 6" cylinder which would give me a bout 160 IMP with this pump or a 5" which would give me 222 IMP and 25 ton. I have found that speed is much more important than tonnage when punching and forging and really if the thing is rigid and fast you can get a lot of…

I have a 1/4" touchmark that I need to hot stamp into some pieces I am making. It is the final step and I do it with the remaining heat I have left so I only have a dull red heat. I do these 50-100 at a time. Due to the shape of these parts it is a lot better if I can hold them in a pair of tongs rather than setting them down to stamp them. Both my other presses are used in the process of making these parts and I was thinking of picking up a cheap 1 ton arbor press for stamping these. Anyone know if this would be enough pressure to stamp them?

I am affiliated with a local museum and they have tasked me with finding a ~200 Ton Hydraulic Press for stamping out aircraft parts. I have been looking for a while with not much luck. Figured I would ask on here if anyone had a good site to check for that type of machinery on. Thanks