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Hello to all! I bought a couple of days ago this fly press. It weights 700 kg and has a 3 lead screw. The fly wheel diameter is 120 cm (47 inches). I did find some German inscriptions on it, a serial number and a logo that seems to be three letters "CKZ". If anyone has any info about the origins of that tool and/or the pressing power of it, it would be nice to know. The wheel is stuck but according to the junkyard salesman it used to spin freely a couple of years ago, I am not sure if it will turn to be a good buy or a failure. For now i plan to soak everything into petrol for a week or two and after that try to spin the wheel. If it turns there is a question: should i leave it or proceed to a full restoration? I am not sure but i think it will be better to dismantle everything , electrolytic remove all rust, polish all parts, paint the body and reassemble the little monster. Thanks in advance! Any feedback is welcome! Victor ]

Hiya folks. I'm buying this old fly press and I'm curious about its origins. I googled around to my best capacity but was unable to find anything about the press or the manufacturer. The press is about 2 meters/6,5 feet high and weights around 350kg/770 pounds Any sort of info on it would be greatly appreciated, cheers.

So i finally pulled the trigger on a # 5 flypree from OWA and while i am wating for it to arrive i have been reading up on tooling. I made it to ron reils page on flypress toolong through ABANA and saw his integral tool holder wich is just a extra tool holder clamped into the tool holder that is allready stock on the press ? Is there a good reason for this? It seemes to me if top tools are made correctley with a flange so the force is on the ram face not the end of the tool. Then this tool holder idea is just a silly way too waste 3" of working room. Or am i missing somthing?

Hi all, Prompted by a comment about tooling pics, here is a nice set-up I didn't do. Is at a local technical college I go to. Red thing is a soft plastic/ hard rubber that strips the job off the punch, after cutting. cheers, AndrewOC

Recently got a total score on a fly press for only $50. Brought it back to my shop cleaned it up oiled everything up and built a stand for it and got it anchored in the concrete. Started building some tools for it and realized that I have an issue I can't figure out how to solve. i was making some pins for bending material out of 1" stock and went to set the stop on the screw so I could get a consistent bends for multiple pieces of material and realized that the threads for the screw do not go down far enough to set a stop for any material less than 1" thick. The only solutions I can see would be raising up the pins on the baseplate, but the problem with that is its only a #2 press and the travel of the screw is only 4" total and I already have a 3/4" baseplate then lose another 2" from the 1" pins, so that gives me only 1-1/4" of travel so raising higher is not an option. The other solution I could see is having a machinist try to thread the screw deeper so the stop can go down a little deeper. I am not sure if I explained the problem well enough but if there is any solutions or advice id greatly appreciate it. I will add a couple pictures of the press so maybe you can picture it better. Also if you have any information on the make of the press I'd also appreciate that. No markings other than the 2 that is an impression in the castings.

I am looking to purchase my first fly press. I am still new to smithing but have wrist issues. I've been looking at eBay and was thinking of going up to gold machinery in Rhode Island. Im not in a hurry though So I would like your opinions: 1) I was thinking a c frame was more versatile but would like to know what most people use. 2) how large to purchase. I usually work with 1 1/2 thick and less metal 3) in the Mid-Atlantic where should I look for a press 4) what should I look for in a press I appreciate any input

Hi, I wanted to share a few photos of the fly press that followed me home in the early summer. Not a machine I have often seen in my travels. I have wanted one for a while as they seem most convenient for certain forging operations. I also wanted a solid press that I could do simple punching/blanking operations in. I have a few ideas for dies I would like to build. With all due respect to power hammers, I like the idea of a quiet, hand controlled machine. Plus the garage floor won’t withstand a power hammer. I have seen some neat work smiths have done with fly presses and I hope to learn to do the same. I would love to see ideas about tooling people have made for their presses, as well as what they are capable of. This press, in my opinion is rather nice. It’s in almost immaculate condition. Only the paint needs to be touched up where it chipped when I moved the machine. I had to separate the press from its base. It’s made in Switzerland and it shows as the machine work is exquisite and many surfaces are actually hand scraped! The hold-down clamps are also a convenient feature. The press even came with a wrench to remove the cross bar and as well as the spanner nuts holding on the weights. The size of the machine seems to equate to roughly a number 6 press. I measured the screw diameter and over all dimensions and compared it to data on the new Indian fly presses. I am curious what size presses other smiths are using. Since this machine is an H frame, I have been wondering if other smiths find the C frame machines more convenient. For what I intend to do I think I prefer the rigidity of the H frame. Due to the shape and color of the counterweights this press was known as the “M & M machine” by its former owners. I think it’s a very fitting name! Thanks Dan

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 no details] enjoy, AndrewOC