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.

I guess I think that a small jack press would do more work for less thrash.  A 20 ton jack is pretty cheap.

 

Geoff

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.

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.

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 ...

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...)

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 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. 

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!

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.

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.