October 14, 20178 yr The link below has a huge amount of data on the various flypresses and their specs. http://www.flypress.com/manual_sizes.htm
October 15, 20178 yr It depends on the manufacturer. My Perkins #4 is bigger than what that anvilfire chart or the modern manufacturers call a #6.
October 16, 20178 yr Very much what the manufacturer decided to call it. My Hopkins #2 has an appx 42" toroid as the wheel and stands about 7' tall when in the down position.
October 17, 20178 yr Author Aha. This explains my confusion perfectly. I should have expected the trade standard of "there is no standard"! Thanks guys. Now, if anyone has one they want to trade for a case of beer, just name the place and I'll start drivin'. I hear they're awful dust collectors and I'd be happy to unburden you!
November 20, 20196 yr On 10/14/2017 at 5:02 AM, Zeroclick said: The link below has a huge amount of data on the various flypresses and their specs. http://www.flypress.com/manual_sizes.htm Does anyone know what happened to this website or recommend a new one?
November 20, 20196 yr flypress.com has a Domain For Sale splash page. Looks like they forgot to renew and were dry gulched by a domain sitter. We will have to see if the original page(s) moved to a different url...
February 3, 20215 yr What do the # (as in #1,#2,#3) on fly presses mean? Looking to purchase one but i don’t know what power they will actually deliver. Does anybody’s have info?
February 3, 20215 yr Those numbers are MANUFACTURER SPECIFIC! Here is a picture of a #3 Hopkins screwpress: with original manufacturer's base it stands about 7' tall when the die is down. Now compare it to a #3 Old world anvils press!
October 2, 20214 yr Here is an extract from “ link removed” How to estimate the fly press capacity Some fly presses have no number cast on the body. You can make an estimate of its capacity by measuring the diameter of the screw. See below. Size 2 to 4 screw diameter 44 mm / 1-3/4" Size 5 to 8 screw diameter 54 mm / 2-1/8 " Size 10 to 12 screw diameter. 64mm / 2.5"
October 4, 20214 yr The information from the original link is available on the Internet Archive: https://web.archive.org/web/20120217002927/http://www.flypress.com/manual_sizes.htm
January 20, 20224 yr I just purchased an e.w. bliss #3 fly press. Does anyone know the weight of these machines? How about an estimated tonage?
January 20, 20224 yr Have you simplified the model number? That is, is there actually more to it? Or add the description/nomenclature. I am coming up with nothing yet.
January 20, 20224 yr The "numbers" are generally manufacturer specific; my Hopkins #2 is HUGE compared to the "number 6" presses being sold new by blacksmith supply places. Here's a press similar to mine:
January 20, 20224 yr If you are looking for one, the Old English pattern of bar and ball fly weights makes for a more versatile tool than the flywheel type. I discovered this while trying to demonstrate my bowl tools on the flywheel type press in the shop at the National Ornamental Metal Museum in Memphis a couple of years ago. The big advantage being that you can remove the ball weights and have a much more responsive dynamic for multiple light blows even with a larger heavy tonnage press. With the flywheel type you have to put in almost the same amount of energy lifting the ram as dropping it. Removing the weights on the ball weight type and the bounce back does a fair amount of the lift for you. The disadvantage is that sooner or later you get clonked on the side of your head by the bar…only the once but it makes your eyes water! Alan
February 28, 20224 yr This is my purchase from about a month ago. It’s been living outside for 20 years. It’s currently frozen in the ground. Spring is very near. I am curious about how it is rated as far as tonage. I have a 6 ton in the shop already and am familiar with its capabilities. The ram screw is pretty steep, this Bliss #3 is a massive machine. I have contacted several industrial machinery people and not much info as of yet. Any info is helpful… IMG_0850.MOV IMG_8731.MOV
February 28, 20224 yr How many leads on the screw? I have a large manual screwpress, (2 leads, Hopkins), and it definitely works differently from a more lead (3+) flypress.
February 28, 20224 yr If it's 2 leads then it's a screw press and not a fly press. Mine looks like this:
March 2, 20224 yr here is my press, it looks like 2 lead ins. It is, as in my above description, frozen in the ground a few hours north. Very soon it will be at my shop. I am trying to figure out my rigging needs. I would need it’s weight figured so this is why I am asking for info.
March 2, 20224 yr I moved mine 16 miles to my shop when I bought it in s 4banger small pickup with a sheet of 3/4" plywood on it's bed to help. Paid the US$35 for a rigger to load it, I won it on a US$50 bid so after buyers reaming the rigger was about 1/3 of my payout! Drove slowly and very carefully in the left hand lane of a 4 lane city street all the way from the beltway to the center of the city. NOBODY cut in front of me or honked, it was the most room I've ever had on that street! By the state capitol I turned left and went down to my house---sort of inner city---and used the largest tree in the neighborhood and a come-a-long to take it out of the bed and set it on 2 4x4 skids. Then chained it to the back bumper of the pickup and drug it over in front of the shop doors and used rollers and a lever to put it inside. When I moved to NM I just hired a rigger to take care of everything and get it on the semi on pallets and had a family friend use his 4wd mega forklift to unload. GOOD LUCK!
March 2, 20224 yr Randy, using the bucket for scale and mentally putting the metal into an anvil shape I would give a SWAG of about 250-300 pounds. Once you free it from the frozen ground you can try lifting one corner or end and that will give you a better estimate. Overestimate on weight when planning lifts and moves. You don't want any equipment failures and it landing on someone or snapping off a leg. BTW, please put your general location in your profile. The only hint we have of where you are is that it is somewhere a few hours south of somewhere where the ground freezes in the winter. Northern US? Canada? Lapland? Alaska? Siberia? "By hammer and hand all arts do stand."
March 2, 20224 yr 10 hours ago, Randy slaysman said: I am trying to figure out my rigging needs. The only scale reference accidentally given are the empty beverage cans in the trash can . Given the horrible lack of information on line, you may find your self in a unique position to curate the information that you gain from the recovery and refurb of this machine. Because Bliss went on to build many mechanized presses, data on your new aquisition are nearly non-existent. Here is what I can offer: on the blog page for ronreil dot abana dot org, (find in text: Hopkins, or, way toward the bottom of his blog), you will find an image of a Hopkins # 2 disassembled and loaded into the back of a pickup truck. Use this for scaling against YOUR press. He cites the weight at 1,400#. similar footprints for H-frames cite weights of around 2,000# and up. Again, you have a bonified adventure on your hands. I would not be surprised if your Bliss #3 exceeds ten working tons on the ram (20,000#). Soon, you will become our top authority! Robert Taylor Addendum: Thanks to Scott Nodebt, we have something from the horses mouth - Found by searching "google books presses dies and special machinery". Please note that machine weight for a #3 is shown as 3,200#... Edited March 3, 20224 yr by Anachronist58 addendum
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