Ok... so I put forging in quotes because I know by what most blacksmiths think of as a forging press... This is actually a industrial forging press... (at least thats what I think) It makes 210 ton. Has a 12" stroke and has a 15HP motor with a two stage pump. Im not sure how much oil it moves on the fast side, but on the slow(high pressure) side it moves 14 gpm. It has 1 1/2 steel lines and the manual control valve must weigh 200 lbs. It has quick change die holders and came with a set letter stamps and a holder for them. It was used by a railroad switchgear manufaucture to mark there name in their parts... Its over 10 feet tall and a 8000lb forklift couldn't pick it up...... Im pretty excited to get it up and running. I have a friend who is an engraver and would like to try coining some tokens.. Of course there is lots of other fun things I can think of doing with it as well.... The best part was I got it for $350:) the only down side is we dropped it in the middle of my shop right in the way of everything... and I now I cant move it...(at least not without some major effort, the thing is over 10 feet tall, weighs around 5 ton.... and only has like a 30" square foot print... "top heavy" is a huge understatement!)

That's probably taking up way too much space in your shop, just bring it over to me and I'll take care of it for you. Looks like a real score for sure. Good looking machine.

that just looks lovely!

wow that looks amazing - so exciting that these things are for sale!

sweet find! You can call it the smoosh-o-matic. You can make some cool stuff with that thing.

Wow,

Pretty darn cool.....this and a Nazel....

Wow,

Pretty darn cool.....this and a Nazel....

(dont forget the Chambersburg )

Larry you suck! Cool find buddy. That ought to smash a damascus billet real good.

Larry you suck! Cool find buddy. That ought to smash a damascus billet real good.

Well its not like you have no "gems" in your pile Bill... How is that vise coming?

Larry currently the vise is in storage under the fab table until I can get it outside to wire brush it up and start getting it cleaned. Started in the shop but the dust got thick really quick!

Just an update... I have this thing running and am quite excited about it. It will stroke 12" in 6.5 seconds which is pretty impressive for a 20" diameter cylinder It will do a full 12" stroke and return in 10 seconds... blazing fast for a 210 ton press... I have slumped 4" sch 40 pipe cold and can squish 8" of 2 1/2" solid to about a 1" thick hockey puck at forging temp in about 4 seconds....

Here are a few things I have squished

Oh boy ! Can we all come over and play hockey in your 10,000 sq.ft. shop ?

Sure anytime... I had about 60 people over this summer for our "metal head o rama" party and think having like minded souls over to play is about the greatest thing there is..

Here is a few pics of the press in its natural environment nestled in back with the power hammers. Im surpized how little the 110 lb hammer looks next to the "big" stuff,.

How's this for a couple of forged ''hockey pucks''

Edited December 2, 200916 yr by SGropp

Wow ! nice shop. What do you make mostly ?

Ignore the previous post ,I can't seem to figure out how to insert an image

Well when some gawking passerby asks what I make, I tell them I can make anything but money... I wish that was a little less true:rolleyes: I am a small fab shop. I have basic machining capabilities, a well equipped fabrication shop and then the forge area... I dont do enough forge work to justify the forge shop, its more hobby than income generation. As far as work that comes through the door im not picky. If they can pay shop rate I will weld a muffler their pinto. Some of my best customers are industrial contractors. This year I have built a bunch of carts used that went to Seattle's light rail project, 6 machine rises for a aerospace outfit that weighted 3 tons each ( I ran 9 45lb spools of 1/16 dual shield wire in two weeks) They went on a huge six spindle Gantry CNC mill to space up a titanium forging that became part of a 777 Last year I built over a 100K worth of brackets and little parts for the 40 ton truck to train gantry cranes at the BNSF rail yard at the port of Seattle. The first job I did for them was kind of funny, the crane service manager called me up and said I got eight brackets that have the holes drilled in the wrong spot, could you weld them shut and drill new holes?.. I said sure, drop them off by my door you can pick them up tomorrow. He kinda chuckled and said I better look at them first... He showed up with the first "bracket" It was about 10 feet tall and weighed two tons... the holes he wanted me to weld up... well they where 10 1.412" holes through 2" plate.. and the new holes overlapped the old.. So I had to using a annular cutter make the new hole, machine a copper slug to drive in the good hole, weld up the bad hole then drive out the copper slug with a 20lb hammer... 80 times The brackets hold the emergency clamps that lock the 100 ft tall gantry to the rail in case of a earthquake or cyclone... Needless to say I didnt have them done for him the next day.. Anyway so yeah I am not really picky, I can find joy in just about any metalwork ( although I really do hate welding on mufflers, a red hot bb always seems to find a way into my ear:o )

Well, these days it is a good thing to be nimble.
Many larger outfits dedicated to a narrower field of product are hurting right now.
If you can weld up a bronze wine rack one day, taper jackhammer bits the next and forge a colonial era reproduction latch on friday, you might just be o.k.
That is a real nice shop, by the way.

ps
is that shipping container for painting or blasting and do you ride all those cruisers parked on top?

It's a regular full size paint booth. And sadly no. I own about 30 bicycles and haven't ridden one more than a 1/4 mile in years

Man that is some shop! Parts of it look so crowded that you would be hard pressed to break wind in there.

beauty to have in the shop!