caintuckrifle Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Would something like this be any good for blacksmithing as a fly type press? Too small? Thoughts, ideas, and opinions welcome. www.vintageprojects/machine-shop/press-shop-2-ton.html Has anyone built a small flypress? from what I understand there is a lot of technical details that go into one, so I am wondering if anyone has built one that works well. Pictures and thoughts welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Keyes Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I guess I think that a small jack press would do more work for less thrash. A 20 ton jack is pretty cheap. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 any hand operated press is going to be too slow. I can move more material with a 4lb hammer then a bottle jack press. I modified a pipe bender when I first started, so yeah, I've got experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 The problem is the screw. You need a multi-start screw. The last time Grant Sarver and I talked about it we figured it couldn't be done in a standard lathe. I then offered to make the screws and nuts in my CNC Bridgeport but there was no interest whatsoever. It would have been a big program to write and I already have a flypress so I shelved it. Unfortunately I couldn't possibly fit anything like that in this year. Someone here did build a supposed flypress though, maybe you can find it with a search. No idea how or if it worked. I recomend saving up for a good used one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Mullins Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Once again IFI has forced me to seek further info from Google, today I learned what a multi-start thread was : ) . I also found a source for them in Mumbai if anyone wants to order a 1,000 LOL ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Unless you have heated dies a press really sucks heat out of your work so to be effective it has to be *fast*, (or your work so large that there is plenty of heat to go around...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geoff Keyes Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 A fly press (or a screw press) is good for repeated processes, like stamped texturing, slitting, squaring, that sort of thing. If you're looking to draw a bar or billet, that needs more power (IMHO). An air powered jack press can do it, but not as well as a "real" press. Over on the Bladesmith Forum there is a pinned topic about an air powered mini press. It's about 500 entries deep, so there is some interest in it. You should have a look. Geoff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 A fly press (or a screw press) is good for repeated processes, like stamped texturing, slitting, squaring, that sort of thing. If you're looking to draw a bar or billet, that needs more power (IMHO). An air powered jack press can do it, but not as well as a "real" press. Over on the Bladesmith Forum there is a pinned topic about an air powered mini press. It's about 500 entries deep, so there is some interest in it. You should have a look. Geoff A screw press has a much slower screw than a flypress and is not nearly as useful for forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I bought a large H frame screwpress for US$100 FOB and have found it quite useful for forging; now I'm not doing production and I don't use it for what a triphammer excels at and sure I'd love to have more leads than the two it has; but I loves it anyway! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuge Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 You can't build one in a cost effective scenario. Old world anvils sells the real deal for a bit more than 2.50$ a pound with very reasonable freight. Guys pay this money for anvils all day long. Anvils just sit there, a fly press is a squishing machine. Bite the bullet, save your bills, get the right one the first time. Quiet, precise, controllable hand power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 You can't build one in a cost effective scenario. Old world anvils sells the real deal for a bit more than 2.50$ a pound with very reasonable freight. Guys pay this money for anvils all day long. Anvils just sit there, a fly press is a squishing machine. Bite the bullet, save your bills, get the right one the first time. Quiet, precise, controllable hand power. Yup. Quiet, accurate, controllable. I have pierced 1/2" square on the diamond and passed 1/2" square on the diamond through it. Yes I had to upset it. I don't think I could have done it by hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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