This is it, my new hammer. I wish it was bigger but it will do.


Actually I’m kidding. This is one of the forge presses at work, 50K ton, it is the largest in North America, but not the world. I will try and get a pic of the tongs we use and the furnace too.

So, what do you make with it? Anything you want would be an acceptable answer, but really, what do you make with it?

thousands of BB's at a time, sure makes quick work of scraps

For the most part, titanium aircraft parts. At the time of the photo the die in it was for an F22 raptor part. Now and then we forge Inco for nuke subs and stuff. Like I said I will try to get some pics of the tongs and I will see if I can’t get a pick of the billet before it goes into the die. I would like to get a pick of the oven but in the space it sits in I can’t get far enough back to fit it in a pic. this is the big one of 3 (there is a 35K ton and a 10K tone they use for making the billets the right shape).

Am I right in guessing that this is at Alcoa's Forged Products plant in Clevland Oh? Do you do any open die work with this press or is it all closed die work?

GLK, nice piece of kit. One of our Senior Projects was to determine how many hits a 4" round by 4" high piece of cold steel would take from a 50K forge to flatten it to 1/2" thick. The effects of work hardening and friction between the workpiece and the hammer had to be included. I don't remember how we did it, but we did it. I don't remember the answer either!

You could forge old cars into big swords, in one heat!!

It’s at Wyman Gordon in Grafton MA actually. We do no open die in this press we do all the open die stuff in a smaller press. I’m pretty sure the big one in Alcoa is only 35K tons, I’m also pretty sure it only works in Al.

It would take 1 hit to do what you’re asking. It only takes 1 hit to turn a 10”x10”x160” piece of titanium into an 8” diameter landing gear section. Or a 6” thick piece of Ti into a 2” thick wing beam is also 1 hit. Nothing we make in this press takes more than one hit, the forge operator says if you can’t get it in one hit, the press is not strong enough to accomplish it. You haft to relies the press forms with pressure not impact. The interesting part is the piece goes into the die and comes out of the die both at near white hot, there is really not that much heat loss.

Yes, I have been thinking a pair of plane die blocks and a car would make an interesting piece of Damascus. I would love to make a general blade die for the press and then work the blade once it has been given general shape/welded that way, the grain in the blade would be amazing I would think.

Well it's a simple and fast way to squash your fingers :)