wshelley

@Borntoolate - a 14.4v pack would require 12 NiCd cells at 1.2 volts each (nominal). You make a good observation, good cells cost real $$. To be honest, I'm not sure what cells the pack re-builders are using but it probably falls under the "you get what you pay for" advise. It sounds like you made a decent informed decision, I hope it works well for you. I know the Dewalt packs I've purchased have been good buys. They are not cheap but they use quality cells and are built well. I've used and abused my Dewalt packs and they give very good service. I priced some good quality 2400 mAh cells recently and they were over $6 each so a rebuild is nearly full price of a replacement direct from Dewalt. I'd probably pay for the convenience factor in that case even though I have the tools and techniques to rebuild it myself. If I had a dozen good cells in my parts bin it would be a different story. Ward

Hi Guys. Update, I bought the press! For some reason I can't upload pictures to my gallery so here is a link to my webpage with the blog. www.http://wardscorner.net/fly_press.htm There are also a couple of links on the home page for short videos of the press knocking out some studs from a wheel hub and turning a spray paint can into a hockey puck... Ward

Depends on the battery chemistry: #1 For NiCd and NiMH it is best to discharge them and store them someplace cool and dry. With good quality cells they should be fine for a long time. I've had new, unused cells, stored for years and built packs that worked great. The downside is that NiCds are suceptable to growing dendrites or wiskers that short out the cells. They can often be blasted away with a high current pulse but damage has been done to the seals and then cells will fail fairly soon so it is at best a short term fix. The dendrites tend to form more rapidly in cells with a partial charge that sees infrequent use. NiCds are happier when used regularly and recharged soon after use. The manufactures quote 500-1000 cycles as typical. Power tool use is a bit more sever but hundreds of cycles should be normal. #2 For lithium cells it is best to discharge to around 60% and then store them cool and dry. They should be checked occasionally (I look at mine every few months). They should not be allowed to self discharge to 0. They usually won't come back from that allthough there are some techniques that work sometimes. Ward

Well, I hadn't planned on writing a book but I'll cover the basics and answer questions from there. #1 memory in most battery technologies is a myth, simple as that. It did happen in the early days of the space program when the batteries were monitored and charged by computers but it isn't anything to worry about these days. Charge when convenient. Don't worry about completely discharging them unless your charger has a special function to do it for you. If you run it down past where you see a drop off in performance you will reduce the life of the pack. In other words, don't wait until the battery is completely drained to charge. #2 if you are going to abuse your batteries, stick with NiCd cells. They can handle amazing amounts of current and come back for more. NiMH cells are pretty robust but will offer a shorter service life when abused. The lithium cells are great because they hold a charge for a long time when not being used and are lighter (greater energy density). #3 Charging. In the context here, portable power tools, I will assume you are using the charger supplied with your tool and designed to work with your batteries. Follow the instructions that came with the charger and you should be golden. One caveat, if the battery pack is warm to the touch while still in the charger more than an hour after a complete charge (charger indicates done) you should adopt the habit of removing the battery from the charger after the charge completes. The reason is the charger is still performing a trickle charge (only supposed to put in enough to counter the self discharge rate). On some chargers (one of my older Dewalts for example) the trickle charge is too high and it results in the cells being overcharged which results in shorter service life. My point is, don't store the battery in the charger if it stays warm after the charge is complete and it should have cooled to room temperature. #4 Rebuilding packs - if you can solder well and are handy you can rebuild your own packs. Lots of info on the web about how. When I build mine I use a high power soldering iron, 75 watts, clean everything well, use rosin flux (not acid flux like used in plumbing), tin the cell and the wire/bars used for interconnects (I use heavy duty braided copper), and solder quickly. If you overheat the cells, especially the positive button you will degrade or melt the seal leading to, yep you guessed, decreased service life. If you are not comfortable soldering, get someone to help or use a battery re-builder. As for the cells, there is huge range of quality. This is a place where you get what you pay for. Buy good cells or plan on re-building more often. The last time I did a pack, the cells were around $2.65 each but they were bought in bulk, about 200 cells I think. They were about $4.50 in small quantities. That was a few years back. The packs can be built with any capacity cell you choose as long as they are all the same. The higher capacity cells will be able to provide a higher current because thier internal resistance will be less. They will also run cooler for the same reason and last longer. 2400 mAh cells are a good choice in NiCd. Lets start there and see what questions you have. Ward

If you guys are interested, I'll write up some info on battery life based on usage and charging. There is a tremendous amount of mis-information circulating about this topic. I've been involved in electric radio control airplanes for a long time and have picked up a few things. On the high performance side, I routinely pulled over 100 amps from sub c ni-cads just like what they use in cordless power tools. I used nickle metal hydride cells too and these days mostly LiPoly. Let me know if you are interested. Ward not a battery expert but I play one in more than one industry ;-)

@Monster - thanks, I sent Jake an e-mail. @Eric - I've seen another press similar to yours, it looks to be a nice design. I'd agree it doesn't fit my wish list very well. I'm mostly ready to jump on the big press. If all else fails it will make an awesome piece of lawn art Ward

@Thomas - life is a funny ride at best. I'm actually in a three day spot between gigs, just enough time to organize and execute a purchase and move if it makes sense. Been there for the layoff part of the equation too, way too many times. I worked a bunch of start-ups when I move to CA about 15 years ago. Lots of fun, stress, and not very many lasted more than about 18 months... @Monster - can you shoot me a pm or e-mail with contact info for Jake James? If this press doesn't make the grade I'm still looking for one. I like the sound of a container full of them to pick from! Ward

Thanks Thomas, Your description meshes pretty well with what I've gathered so far, basically a little faster than a hydraulic press. Punching tool eyes is on the list, nice to know it works well for that. I'd love a slightly smaller, faster screw but so far they are very hard to come by around here. Same with PH but that's another thread. Ward p.s. What a screaming deal! Lucky dog...

@Eric, What do you expect to get for your press? Did you use yours for anything similar to my short list? Thanks again, Ward

Thanks for the quick relies! I saw a Hopkins #2 on Ron Reil's site at http://ronreil.abana.org/flypress.shtml and it sounds like he found it quite useful. I understand it would be a slower squish vs a hit but there is huge amount of inertia in a 150# wheel, right? I would expect it to be able to move metal easily. I could always ask the seller to rotate the wheel one turn and see how much the ram moved. In your opinion, what is a minimum usable pitch? My thoughts are to use it for some larger forging (think hammer heads and such and hopefully some pattern welding) and also open/closed dies (I want to try coining sometime). I have a CNC mill so I am keen to make some dies to try. Ward

One other question has occurred to me, what would I need as a base to set the press on? Short term I can put in my side yard on timber sleepers, long term a concrete pad would be ideal? Any suggestions there? Thanks again... Ward

Hi guys, I've been watch for a screw press to pop up in Northern Ca for over a year. One is available and I'm looking for some advise. It is an American Can Company #3asp press and looks to be in good condition from the pictures. I spoke with the seller and it has a stop collar, a two start screw about 2 3/4" in diameter, about 7" of travel and 10" of daylight under the ram. He has a lift to put it on a trailer and estimates the weight at 1500-2000 pounds. He is asking $800. I've been looking at one of the #3 presses from old world anvils so the price in in the ballpark but this is a much much bigger machine. At the moment I don't have a way to get it off of a trailer at home but I can solve that problem. The seller compared it to a Hopkins #2 (rated for about 20 tons) and Google told me lots about that press and it sounds more than capable. My questions :-) What do you think? Any personal experience with one? Is the price reasonable? Anything I should specifically ask or look at before handing over cash?I really don't the need the capability at the moment but I rarely buy small. Thanks for any comments or suggestions! Ward press1.psd press2.psd

Great video, good luck and keep us posted! Ward

Wow and yikes I hadn't thought about its use as a weapon. Thanks for that, though I'm not sure I'll be able to lose that mental images for a while... Ward

Very nice! Does the sharpened section in the beard have a funtion? Ward