Hi, I finally found a screw press that is near my town and wanted to know if it is good enough for what I want to do.
The description says:
ADAMS SCREW PRESS.

TABLE 12 X 7,5".
MAX. DIE HEIGHT 5,5".
SCREW DIAMETER 2".
OVERALL DIMENSIONS 28 X 22 X 64"H.
Cast iron table included.

The screw seems in good condition. It has big threads on it.

It is priced 650 CND $...seems good to me. I know there is a lot in USA that are cheaper but with this one, I can save on shipping. It is only 45 minutes from my home.

I want to slit and drift eyes for hammer head (1 1/2" mild steel stock...I forge weld a tool steel face on it). Is it powerful enough to draw a little of the same stock dimension to make a cross peen hammer?
I also want to use a screw press to make tenons, slitting and drawing out a 1/2 inch mild steel bar.

If it is not enough for the work I want to do, will a #5 Flypress from OldWorldAnvils is better?

Thanks

John_zXz

I think that's a great price - I'd drive a long way for that one! :)

Not a bad price and if it won't do the job you can resell for the same price or perhaps a profit. I suspect if in good condition it will do the work you are talking about. The old presses do not follow the same numbering system that the new imported ones do, so check the actual specs (screw diam., throw, fly weight, etc.) against that chart Old World Anvils or Blacksmith's Depot has on their press sizes. I have an antique Perkins #4, it's at least as big as what they now call a #6, and the castings are WAY heavier. My press would easily do the work you are describing, but be sure to make yourself a good stripper and figure out a way to cool the chisel for slitting that 1.5" stock. Hope this helps.

Ah, the one from Montreal that's been listed on ebay for the last couple of months. I'm glad that someone here got it. Congrats!

It's always amusing to have folks who think that antique tools were standardized over to the smithy to meet my #2 screwpress---stands about 7' tall, H frame, with a 42" toroid with depending handles...

That press looks like it will do a lot of work for you; especially if you use high alloy slitters/drifts and a good punch lube. Remember it's not so much if it will work or not as it is will it take more than one go to do it!

Thanks for the comments. I'll probably see it in person this weekend and if it is in good condition, I'll take it.

I just bought the fly press today. The screw was in good condition. The only missing part is the key to lock the wheel but its not a problem to make a new one.
It was a bit challenging to unload it from the truck by hand as it weigh around 500 lbs and I was only with my father. Now it sits in my shop on its original base
and only need new tooling. Can't wait to work with it.

I have a question for you guys. Do I need to bolt the base on the concrete floor or with the weight it'll be okay? There are holes for this in the legs but wanted to be sure if I really need to bolt them down before. I'm scared to try the press without bolting it. I don't want to receive the ball on my head if the whole press swings...

If the press is bolted to the stand and the whole thing weighs 500#, you shouldn't need to bolt it down.

ok thanks. I'll try it tomorrow.

I just bought the fly press today. The screw was in good condition. The only missing part is the key to lock the wheel but its not a problem to make a new one.
It was a bit challenging to unload it from the truck by hand as it weigh around 500 lbs and I was only with my father. Now it sits in my shop on its original base
and only need new tooling. Can't wait to work with it.

I have a question for you guys. Do I need to bolt the base on the concrete floor or with the weight it'll be okay? There are holes for this in the legs but wanted to be sure if I really need to bolt them down before. I'm scared to try the press without bolting it. I don't want to receive the ball on my head if the whole press swings...

My Flypress weighs about 300kgs and I built a large table weighing about 200kgs for it- when you start "really" using one of these tools you find that the rotational forces are tremendous. My set up is secured with four M12 (1/2 inch) bolts through plates welded to the feet entering drop in wedge anchors.

Drop in wedge anchors are stronger that normal loxins or dynabolts. You drill a 16mm hole into the concrete, blow out the dust with a lenghth of tube, drop in the anchor and hit it hard with a punch to create the wedge. If you ever see a core driller with his rig bolted to a concrete wall drilling a 150mm diameter hole - that is how he is holding the unit on the wall.

Users of flypresses soon need a separate cabinet to contain all the tooling you need to get the maximum out of the machine.

regards

Steve

I finaly got time to try the flypress. It works very well and silently. I just made a fuller and it can handle 1 inch bar easily. I'm very impressed.
Now it is time to make a lot of dies...
Thanks for your comments guys.

John_zxz

Cool. Looking forward to see some of the hammers that you will be making with it.

The rotative forces will tend to spin the frame. Just imagine if you grabbed a spinning flywheel, it would probably twist you. Well, that's what's happening to the frame of the press. That's also a loss of power. All you need to do is drill a couple holes in the floor and drop pins in.