different flypress

[lbas]

Yes, please look at the photo and tell me about this little press. The frame is 17 inches front to back, 15 inches top to bottom. Wheel 17 1/2 inches diameter, 3 start screw advances an inch per revolution and is a tad over 1 1/2 inches O.D. There is a flat table, no holes, that slides on the cast-in dovetail. The ram guide doesn't look strong enough to take abuse and the depth should be strictly limited by the stop nut so as not to bend the rod holding the springs. Ram arrangement limits travel to 2 inches.

The frame weighs about 130 lbs and all together the press weighs about 180. The nut is brass and held by 2 pins.The piece of junior channel cutoff and rod are what I had for a first try on what it might do. The "tool" is a cutoff 1 inch bolt and it would bend or straighten the rod a bit with the flat tool face and over that span. Not cranking hard. First time I've ever spun a press, lots of hours on a hand hammer.

The thrust washer was missing and the one I made from a bronze pipe cap is too big O.D. I measured and think I can file that down to go up in the nut and gain half an inch of stroke. But there's just not much clearance there. The hole into the ram is just under an inch diameter and 7/8 inch deep. I'll just have to play around and see what I can get under it and do. This baby was hiding among a lot of electric motors up on end. When I first saw it the motors made it seem small and I thought it was a No. 0. Then we started lifting it out and I realized it was bigger. I want to start getting a feel for what it can do. Very little wear.

Thanks,
lbas

[John B]

Cute little fella. I am not familiar with that specific type of fly press but no doubt others will help out there, I would imagine it has been used for blanking out, piercing or crimping, the point of a fly press is to achieve a load of force over a small stroke, the fact we try to use them as forging tools is not what they were originally designed for, although they can be succesfully used for some forging operations

Possible uses, punching holes, incising, blanking out rosettes, discs, or leaf patterns, bar straightening, flattening, forging tenons, cutting off, joggling etc (limited by your imagination and the space you can access under the ram

Good luck with it and I'm sure you will have fun

[lbas]

Cute little fella. I am not familiar with that specific type of fly press but no doubt others will help out there, I would imagine it has been used for blanking out, piercing or crimping, the point of a fly press is to achieve a load of force over a small stroke, the fact we try to use them as forging tools is not what they were originally designed for, although they can be succesfully used for some forging operations

Possible uses, punching holes, incising, blanking out rosettes, discs, or leaf patterns, bar straightening, flattening, forging tenons, cutting off, joggling etc (limited by your imagination and the space you can access under the ram

Good luck with it and I'm sure you will have fun

Thanks John,

I filed down the bronze nut and now have the full (!) 2 inch stroke to work with. Yesterday got a couple of odd step nuts at the flea market for possible forms, today I'll go to the port ship supply area and nose around the section of shops with old stuff. That's where I found the press. I want to make something simple I'll enjoy and other people will too and have no idea what it will be. Belt buckle? Thinking about 0.401" shank air chisels for tool blanks, all I have is the kitchen stovetop burner for annealing and heat treating now.

lbas (life begins at sixty)