Knowledge of die makers

[Dillon Sculpture]

Any good reference books? With pictures preferable. Press dies, power hammer dies, etc.

[HWooldridge]

"Drop Forging Die Sinking" by Joseph V. Woolworth from Lindsay Publications.

[Toreus]

http://books.google....king%22&f=false

and

http://www.archive.org/stream/makingsmallshopp00vandrich/makingsmallshopp00vandrich_djvu.txt

Googled 'em, but I don't have the experience to say if it's good or if it's dreck.

[youngdylan]

Any good reference books? With pictures preferable. Press dies, power hammer dies, etc.

My bible is "Blacksmith's Manual Illustrated" by J.W. Lillico.

It's more a series of line drawings from the 30s. It's stacked with meat but it doesn't spell it out for you, you've got to read between the lines.

Starts relatively simple eg forging tongs, hammers etc then gets into larger more complicated industrial open die forgings but the tooling techniques can easily be scaled up/down. Plenty of "step by step but pay attention" drawings on how to forge big (100s of kg) specialised parts for steam engines but its all good, all good

A must for anyone running a hammer.

You can down load it here for free

http://p1.countrysid...ions/manual.asp

but it's availlble from amazon for around £15. Guess it's nice to have a hard copy to thumb through at meal brakes

http://www.amazon.co...68906008&sr=8-3


PS since posting this I've just had a quick flick through and I'd forgot just how useful it is if you don't need everything spelt out for you. It tends towards flat die work with swages sets etc etc rather dies. There's a lot of ingenious ideas that clearly have only come from years of experience learnt by doing. We don't know how spoilt we are these days with so much info at the click of finger and cheap power hammers and other tooling everywhere. I've nothing but Total respect for the old guys. It does make me wonder when you see old videos/ photo's of the conditions people used to work in years ago. A lot of them were maimed/ burn't out/ ground into the dust way too early and yet these days its seems every man (or women .... Beth) and his/her dog/female dog wants to dress up and play at being Ye Olde BlackSmythe.

[Dillon Sculpture]

Thanks,

Lillico is very informative, just got it. The die sinking is probable more the direction I am looking for, to use in the screw press, maybe a combination of the two. I am trying to form a penny scroll out of 1/2" by 3/4" with a 8" taper. I have a couple ideas I'll try and sketch up, I have attached the photo of what my end result would be.

[youngdylan]

Thanks,

Lillico is very informative, just got it. The die sinking is probable more the direction I am looking for, to use in the screw press, maybe a combination of the two. I am trying to form a penny scroll out of 1/2" by 3/4" with a 8" taper. I have a couple ideas I'll try and sketch up, I have attached the photo of what my end result would be.

You and your bl***y screwpress

[Dillon Sculpture]

Ahhh, come on, its the topping on my cake, thinking of nicknaming them, 25 cent, 50 cent, 75 cent and a buck!

[Richard Furrer]

Ahhh, come on, its the topping on my cake, thinking of nicknaming them, 25 cent, 50 cent, 75 cent and a buck!

When in Florida we made these a lot...the fastest given the tooling we had was to form a taper and scroll it around leaving a hole and filling the hole with mig weld and then forging a bit flat (with a scaling heat) to get rid of the evidence. Not traditional, but it worked.
I have seen a bottom die used in one of the COSIRA books which allowed for swaging or at least clean up of a pre-formed end.

Maybe 17 years ago (18-15?) in a copy of "The Fabricator" by NOMMA there was a punch press article by a one armed smith who had three or four presses tooled to do these in one heat. I do not remember his name. I thought it foolish at the time, but now it is not...the difference between the young smith I was working for someone else and the slightly broken shop owner I am now. The floor is further away then it was.
Maybe a call to NOMMA to see what shakes out.

OH,
There was also a wonderful two part article on the Anvil's Ring some decades ago by the family who owned/ran "By Hammer and Hand" studios on air tooling in the shall shop...I wish I had copies of that. I believe the father passed some years ago and I do not know if they are still in business. I assume not.

Ric

[Glenn Gilmore]

Michael, I have found a number of books on die making at used book stores. When I travel about used book stores are one of my favorite stops. When we did my flat die power hammer workshop everyone got a copy of Lillico.
In my demo at the 1990 ABANA conference in Rouchester NY I showed the book to and said "This is the only book you need for blacksmithing".
I was being somewhat facetious, sort of. When I first had the book I thought "I won't make locomotive arms what good is this". Then I saw the light and the book became the bible. Attached photos from workshop.

[Randy]

Here you go: "DIES, Their Construction and Use for the Modern Working of Sheet Metals", Lost Technology Series, reprinted by Lindsay Publications. There's a lot of press work even showing the machines and of course the dies used. Great drawings, too!

I'll also ask: What tooling have you found is handy for your press? Fly or hydraulic press. And how do you attach it to your press for quick exchange?

[Dillon Sculpture]

When we did my flat die power hammer workshop everyone got a copy of Lillico.
In my demo at the 1990 ABANA conference in Rouchester NY I showed the book to and said "This is the only book you need for blacksmithing".
I was being somewhat facetious, sort of. When I first had the book I thought "I won't make locomotive arms what good is this". Then I saw the light and the book became the bible. Attached photos from workshop.

Now there we go, finally a picture of your shop... please let me know if you intend on doing another workshop, I'm real interested! Bill brown is having one in April, maybe I'll have my shop set up in a year or so I'll be able to do something like this.

Ric, Randy, Thanks I'll check it out.

[youngdylan]

I have attached the photo of what my end result would be.

Danger just wondered what you use for the black finish. Does the "gold" = forged bronze, gold leaf or guilders paste. Kinda expect it's not paint

[Mainely,Bob]

When looking for old books or info the 3 places I start are; Lindsay Publications as Randy mentioned,Astragal Press and the folks at the Davistown Museum here in Liberty Maine.

Between those 3 I have never failed to get more info or leads than I bargained for on most any trade subject.

A search on the ABE books site also is a help if you know what you`re looking for.

[Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver]

There's a new kid on the block for the first place to look: GOOGLE BOOKS! And many are free! Couple hundred books on die making:

http://books.google.com/books?q=DIE+MAKING&btnG=Search+Books

[Dillon Sculpture]

All I need is a full time machinist (CNC) too bad I don't like computers.

Interesting me right now is rolling and trimming. I have manual machining capabilities but not much knowledge in metallurgy or heat treating, I guess there is always time to learn.

Any pictures of failed die work or stuff that is not proprietary you would share STOCK.

[Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver]

Failed die work? Never! Never take pictures of my failures, that is. And if I did, what makes you think I'd share them?

[Dillon Sculpture]

I always like to know what not to do first? Especially with large industrial equipment. You can show your best die ever made if you want? I'll bet it has at least 5 progressions...