Purchased this fly press yesterday,

on getting it home found that the ram as a threaded tool location approx 11/16"  and not a 1" hole and locking bolt.

What your thoughts on drilling out to 1" and adding a tool locking bolt ?

Regards Paul

 

Drill it to 3/4" 

Cheers arftist

Any reason why you cannot use it as is? Is all your existing tooling 1"?

Match the thread. Buy a length of all-thread and a few lock nuts, a tap and a tapping drill to match.

Or even just buy a few hex bolts and lock nuts of the correct thread which you can weld to the top tools.

It has evidently served the previous owners satisfactorily or they would have drilled it out.

At least try it before you drill it out, you will have a job putting it back in.

I can think of some instances where being able to alter the length of the top tool with a simple lock nut may enable you to get the operating handle in just the right place for the operation.

Alan

Use it for a while before you start modifying things. Unless you have experience with the things you're running a high risk of doing damage that will take time and money to correct.

Frosty The Lucky.

that may be a piece inserted into the normal hole, check first

also in your last pic it looks like a small grub screw at the back, remove the block and inspect it further

Thank you all for your sound advice after which I will certainly take it slowly and not rush into a hasty decision.

I will clean it up and see if there  is indeed a grub screw as iron dwarf close observation suggests .

I would like to fit it with a tool holder in which case the thread could be cleaned up and used so it would stay as is 

Thank you for your comments and advice 

I will let you know what transpires

Greetings Arc,

You might try making up a tool receiver with a 11/16 counter bored to 1in and use a 11/16 Allen inside to attach it to the ram,,   Just a thought.. 

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

Don't forget to calculate how much room this tool-holder is going to take up.  That's a small press and you don't have much throw to sacrifice.  By the time you add up the thickness the anvil plate, and the tool, and the tool holder.....  well, just how small a chunk of steel will you be able to fit between them?

Thank you for your replies .

I have strip it down and found :-

                                                  The screw shaft and locking collars are very good condition 

                                                   The slide adjustment and locking bolts will need replacing.

                                                    There is some slight scoring on the slides and ram due to grease being used as a lubricant and not being cleaned regulary

 

 The ram lower thread is well beaten up internally through I suspect being used with loose fitting tools .

 

So I will clean it up replace faulty parts fettle scoring and lastly drill out the ram and drill and tap for top snap locking bolt.

Oil the slides and fabricate a new  handle . when purchased it came with two balls and no handle,   poor boy.

 

Well I have managed to sort out my No 3 fly press the no is stamped on the ram see photo with chalk circle " photo's a bit poor sorry" made a handle out off 1 inch bar .

Drilled the ram hole out to 1 inch . to take tooling .  it doe's the job.

Also aquired another press for £40 with some tooling ,once again no handle or balls , I have two large weight lifting discs and I shall use the to make a fly wheel .

Thanks for all your advice see you soon ?.

 

Very late to this thread but I have a S & B fly press with threaded hole in the ram. I borrowed a range of 7/8 bolts from a fastener supplier with different threads as I didn’t have room to use a thread gauge and didn’t want to disassemble. One fitted so I returned bolts got its thread name 7/8 coarse ..... can’t remember rest. Drew up a tool holder with a threaded end and 1” hole with locking bolt had it machined. Works a treat the tool holder cost about 2/3 what I paid for fly press but made it usable. Working on tools now and a stand for press. 

Cheers