Presses

I'm looking at fly presses but I don't know what size to get. I'm looking at the ones from Old World Anvils/Pieh Tool. Mostly I'm trying to decide between the #5 or the number #6. I have never used a fly press before so I don't really know what they're capable of, and I cant find any information comparing the size of the machine with the amount of work it can do. I Know the #5 and #6 are supposed to roughly correspond with the tons of force it can exert but I have no idea what that translates to in metal moving abilities. Would a #5 pretty much do everything a #6 can do just with a few more swings? I would love to be able to punch hammer eyes with it. That would probably …

I finally built myself a hydraulic press to push my drifts through hammer and axe billets instead of hammering them through by hand. It’s a 24” adjustable stroke 24 ton and it takes about 8 seconds to travel the 24”. Overall it has exceeded my expectations so far.

My first press of this design finished well, its only got a 16T powerpack as client wished but the frame design i have can do a 50T powerpack no issue. Im starting on a 28 Ton for a client and will be building a 40T for myself over the winter. Will only use a single cylinder for the 40 as i want to minimize potential for side loading the ram with two cylinders that flow at incrimentally different lengths.

Hi all, new to hydraulic presses and though i understand the basics and have read a lot of posts about what bladesmiths use what press and some of the stats, I have a chance to build a dream hydraulic system that should run my whole shop. I recently acquired a demil 50 hp self contained hydraulic power unit. It has about 100 gallon reservoir and it is 3 phase electric. i think the lines are 3/4" and 1". The unit has 2 separate pump systems with individually adjustable flow rates and filters for both systems. I know that’s a bit of overkill, but for $200 I couldn’t pass it up… What I need to know is, just what would be the most bang for the buck in cylinders for…

Hey guys was going to pick your brain about a press I purchased recently from a machine shop that closed down. It started its life as a 50 ton Carolina press....that’s had modifications. It has a separate hydraulic power pack made up of a 10hp Baldor 3ph motor & paired w/ a Eaton pump. I will attach some pics of the parts...could use some help w/ the ID of the the various parts & their capacities!! One issue is the motor...I don’t have 3 phase and am not really interested in getting a converter...so was considering replacing motor w/ a 5 hp single phase. I’m not sure on the brand/specs of the hyd cylinder?? I will attach the spec sheet for the hyd pump. Am just w…

Hello all. This is a public service announcement. My housemate just got an e-mail saying the hoses on her recently purchased press has inadequately rated hoses and they are sending replacements and a how-to replace them. If you've purchased a Coal Ironworks Press recently, you might want to hold off using it and check to see if your press is affected.

I don't quite understand how flypresses work in terms of efficiency. I understand the mechanism and how to use one, but I don't get why or how it becomes more effective then hitting it with a hammer. Why do flypresses squish metal really well? My other question that's related the the first one is whether it would make sense to convert a pipe vise into a small flypress. I'm not if sure this would make any sense at all, but they work in similar ways as far as i understand.

So my dad is willing to pay for some machines for me if I quit this guitar and vocal performance program that costs 300 dollars a month. I was thinking about a press so I can draw out metal faster. what kind of press should I get? and would a cheaper one be okay

Has anyone yet put together a plan for a hydraulic press which is easy to build and safe to use, meaning the thing is not going to experience spontaneous rapid disassembly? I would like to use it to disrupt an 8” length of 1.5” until it is 2.5” in diameter. Or draw out 2” stock until it as the desired thickness Perhaps a book I could search for and find?

Could a hydraulic flow control valve be used to control the speed of the ram? If yes I’m guessing it would go between the pump and main valve? I’m planning on getting two, 4.5” bore hydraulic cylinders which should give me 47 - 48 tons, what size pump, motor, oil reservoir etc do I need? What is the best way to set up your press in terms of valves. One that automatically raises the ram up or one that you have to manually tell the ram to go up or down? I think Big Blu presses automatically make the ram go down when you let your foot off the pedal but it futures adjustable limit switches which stop the ram wherever you want.

Hello everybody oh, it's been a very long time since I've posted. I just wanted to have a share of my press progress so far. I opted for a 5 inch cylinder with a 12 inch stroke powered by + 11 + 3 gallon a minute pump. I have a 3 horse electric motor that runs on 220 to go with it. I've seen and heard mixed things about whether or not that much power will be adequate but I figure worst case scenario I buy a larger motor to get me up to 3000 psi instead of 2000. These are a couple pictures where I'm at. Just need to clean everything up and prepare it for welds.

This might be a stupid idea but has anybody ever tried making a forging press using a really big lever? I’m not great at math or engineering but I wonder how much force could be generated by a device like the one pictured. If you maximize the length of the lever and all the little angles and, if the lever was sufficiently strong, I’m guessing you could get it done. For those of us who can’t afford a hydraulic press it might offer the opportunity to get a pretty good number of presses per heat.

Yesterday I worked on my project. The frame is almost finished.

Hello, I have purchased a 40ton pneumatic shop press for my husband as a Christmas gift. He wishes to use this primarily for forging and knife making. I realize now I should have never made such a bold purchase without being properly informed about the types of presses as the one I purchased is a bearing press and the speed is very slow, too slow to use for forging. I’m trying to learn how to increase the speed in order to salvage my gift and make it usable for his needs. I’m reading that perhaps replacing the cylinder with a smaller size or adding a control to the air lines could help? Yes, I’m the typical female and do not really know anything about this but I’m …

Time for the winter project shenanigans to begin. To hopefully be completed by late spring (as the scrapyard treasures permits). No idea of the stroke or speed. There's some writing in it, but I can stumble along in russian. Definitely not Italian. I can post a picture is anyone speaks Italian. This will be similar in design to the one blacksmith-450 made , but turned 90° with a pass through in the main beam probably 6" x 6" for those longer jobs. The main beam is a probably excessively stout. 12" x 14" x 12" & 7/8" thick x 5' long. Found it years ago at a job for just a few bucks. The cylinder and anvil are to be mounted in the channel of the bea…

I was at Harbor Freight where I found a 20 ton Air powered Jack on sale for $89. The Air Supply hose had a hand held lever that allowed the air to enter the jack. To lower the jack, there was the traditional Cross Pin to turn. Has anyone tried a building a press out of a Air Powered Jack? if so, could you discuss what you made and how well it works.

Howdy: Ok my press is not working...It was working just fine this afternoon... it was running..doing what is was suppose to......took a break, turned off the electric...both the 120 and 240... a while later I tried to turn it back on to do some more work and now nothing.. The motor will not start..all I get is a click of the switch when I turn on the 240.. Did a current check..things look OK as far as I know....and to be truthful electric stuff scares the bee-gees out of me... Plus I have no idea now what could be wrong as I am now in above my pay grade.. ANY ideas and how do I trouble shoot?? THANK YOU ALL I do not want to be a grease spot on the fl…

So I haven't decided if I am going to build my own press or just buy one. One of the reasons I don't want to build is I really don't know how comfortable I feel with it. So assuming I choose to not build my own, what are some good budget friendly presses that can handle basic tasks. I am not looking for top of the line and I don't do huge projects. Any ideas? Thanks.

Hey people does anyone have any experience using a 20ton log splitter to make a forging press. Thanks for the help.

I'm building a 24 ton C frame press, this is the first one I've build has some minor mistakes. Should have got the cylinder closer to the frame. The die plates don't match up the top one is longer than the bottom. Should have it up and running soon.

I am new to this forum, and I thought I would post some work I am doing on the flypress. Recently I disassembled my flypress for cleaning and a re-paint. The ram dissasembles from the screw in a manner I have not scene posted on the web. Two dovetailed strips of steel needed to be drifted from the ram I order to remove two triangular retaining clips. I do not know what size the press is, but the screw is 2.5" in diameter. Sorry for the sideways pics.

I'd like to stamp sheet metal blanks using my fly press. If I make a "blade" out of e.g. H13, can I bend it (hot or cold?) in to shape (also with the press) as I would mild steel? Thanks.

I just found a Hydraulic power pack at the scrap yard with a 5hp 1700 single phase motor on it. No idea on the pump, that might get replaced anyways. Is 1700 rpm adequate for a forging press? Goal is to have something at least in the 2 inch per second range. Not to picky on the tonnage as long as it moves some metal.

Long story short I got a little too excited and bough a "log splitter" that in reality is a hack job with a rusted out piston. Given my materials would it be more economical to go with a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder. In my mind I need to take the I beam, put the cylinder on it with a couple dyes, and attach that to a steel plate, which is subsequently put in the ground. However I'm definitely over my head and would appreciate any feedback I can get. My other option is to go buy a working one off of craigslist that is $250 with a cylinder that has a 14" throw. Of coarse I found this the day after I bought the log splitter. Thanks -Will

Hi; I am working on a hydraulic press and was wondering if the dies should be hardened steel or can any steel I can find work. I' am leaning towards hardened steel but not really sure. Appreciate ant advice. Thanks. Grinder