DuEulear Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 So i had a job interview recently for a forging press operator position. There was of course the obligatory plant tour included. Sa we progressed they mentioned that most of the mess in the forging department was from the graphite lubricant they sprayed on the dies so the metal would flow properly. Said otherwise it just sticks and wont move correctly. This got me thinking about the ye old slippery stuff i use as a punch lube and wondered if i lubricated the surface of my hammer and anvil horn id this would add an advantage when drawing out stock. So of course i had to try it i am pleased to inform this went something awesome !! It seems to allow drawing to be achieved with nearly half the effort simply by limiting friction between the hammer and anvil or the drawing dies on my treadle hammer etc... every thing i tried it on it sure helped the metal move faster and with less effort. Give it a try next time you are in your shop i am certain you will be pleased. Ye ole slippery stuff is half powered graphite and half powdered Molybdenumdiesulfide with a bit of water and a drop of soap to make a thin paste enjoy susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 How much, how often, and how much of a mess does it create, and how do you clean it up afterwards? Inquiring minds would like to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1 hour ago, DuEulear said: This got me thinking DuEulear, this has to be one of the most exciting posts that I have read in a while, since I have three presses in waiting to do both hot and cold work. I must confess that I have a fear of graphite - I have a quart of the stuff, and it scares me as much as my quart of colloid grade aluminum powder. As per GLENN, I too, would like to know, how messy, et al., is it? I am predisposed toward innocuous, organic cold lubes such as Anchorlube, but I do not believe it is suitable for HOT work. I am thinking of trying carbon fiber slurry, possibly a less pernicious stand-in for graphite. Susan, et al., your thoughts? Robert Taylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuEulear Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 I have no data to share just yet as this was the result of my first experiments which were spur of the moment. I did end up with filthy black hands but that is to be expected as i took a little lube and rubbed it into the face of my anvil and treadle hammer dies. i did add some of tge same lube to a old unused quart of sae30 wt oil (unused) shake it up and used a rag to apply. As another means of application. i am also planning on making a beeswax and lube stick for hot work to keep the crud off my hands It dose not seem to take much and it lasts on your tool surfaces for about 5-10 heats more to come susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 Sounds old school; there are much nicer modern die lubes out there. A friend who worked in industry provided me with the tag end of a barrel of the stuff they used---made to be applied to hot dies that flash off the water base leaving the film to do the work. Now for hobby use, old school is simple and works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuEulear Posted January 13, 2020 Author Share Posted January 13, 2020 9 hours ago, Anachronist58 said: I am thinking of trying carbon fiber slurry, possibly a less pernicious stand-in for graphite. I missed that one sorry i dont know anything about the microstructure of carbon fiber but if ya have it around you can certainly try it the moly is a major factor in this too so give it a whirl It really only seemes to take a thin film of the stuff to work so i assume the mess can be kept to a minimum by finding an application method that keeps overspray to a tolerable level Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 A dew rag is not just for the dew. It keeps debris out of the hair too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 It's amazing how a very small amount (pea size) of ye old slippery stuff, will migrate to cover half the shop in a matter of minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CtG Posted January 14, 2020 Share Posted January 14, 2020 Not quite the same, but.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuEulear Posted January 14, 2020 Author Share Posted January 14, 2020 Yup sounds right Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Murray Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I worked as a hammersmith operating drop hammers for years and we always just used baking soda and water mixture to swab the dies to prevent sticking worked well but did get a little splatter when the hammer hit but nothing bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 I used to use Fuchs punch lube (an industrial punch and die lube used in the big forge shops). Works far far better than any of the home-brews mentioned above. Only issue is it makes your tools rust! Because of the rust issue, a New England Blacksmiths friend of mine, Eric Johnson of Maine, developed a similar product but included a rust inhibitor in his product. Eric is googleabel and is on Instagram if anyone wants to know more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuEulear Posted January 22, 2020 Author Share Posted January 22, 2020 So this weekend i had a chance to further experiment i mixed 50/50 graphite and moly roughly 60 grams of it with 300 grams of high grade beeswax melted in a double boiler stirred it up then poured into a tall thin glass bottle from my recycling after cooling i broke the bottle giving myself a industrial sized crayon i applied wax to warm punch after each heat or so before cooling in the slack tub did a good job and my hands stayed clean left over wax on my punch should prevent rust i hope enjoy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted January 22, 2020 Share Posted January 22, 2020 I experimented with the crayon method too and it likes to roll. I prefer making cakes about an 1.5 inches thick and four inches across. I used a paper fast food beverage cup as the mold but I tried to make it as simple as possible by only using lampblack charcoal dust and beeswax. Pnut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuEulear Posted January 23, 2020 Author Share Posted January 23, 2020 Well my “crayon is 1.5” hex about 6 “ long lol the lampblack and charcoal dust are pretty close to graphite moly is cheap and easy to buy on amazon so is pretty simple in the days of the interweb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.