ironman186 Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 There was a post a month ago or so about a sculptor who had stopped by Macbruces shop ,with photos of his die system .I'm trying to build a few sets and was interested in how they were made and what material ie tool steel .I have built a few recently with mild steel for hot work ,but they are giving out. Any thoughts . Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 4140 is the most common steel to use for dies for forging hammers. For cold work I would go with S1, S5, S7. It really depends on how much work you do and how much you want to spend on steel. In a hobby shop I would stick with 4140. Almost any kind of hardenable steel will work better than mild steel. I have had good luck with old forklift blades as a scrap source of steel for dies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 Good Morning, Get some 2.5" or 3" salvage plate, T-1. It is used by whomever makes excavator buckets. I made a couple sets of dies 15 years ago and they work wonderful. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herb Upham Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 I have had good results with recycled forklift tines as well, the 15 ton variety fits my SayHa SSM50 perfectly. I flame cut blanks then machine the dove tails on a verticle mill then machine or grind to the shape I want and oil harden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted February 22, 2013 Share Posted February 22, 2013 There was a post a month ago or so about a sculptor who had stopped by Macbruces shop ,with photos of his die system. I can't recall what thread that was or who it was but this I do remember.......http://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/30169-flat-dies-vs-dovetail-dies/ (post 31) Allot of my best dies are a mystery as well as far as what they're made of... :huh: but they were something 'good' I found at salvage yards usually and I got lucky heat treating them....A bunch wound up in the pile too. Mild steel dies are great if you're gonna build up the face(s) with weld(s) for texture. Always heat treat before you weld the die(s) to the base plate. Curve the base plate slightly before you weld. If you don't counteract weld shrinkage before welding the flanges will pull up and the die will rock, better to have it a tad concave on the bottom than convex because at least it will sit flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnie Posted December 22, 2013 Share Posted December 22, 2013 Go with fork lift tines. Its works for my 50kg Beaudrys. No heat treatment if you use a grinder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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