Flypress index head

[NeatGuy]

I was thinking of building a indexing head for my flypress and was interested in input from anyone who has built such a device. I have a simple design that I would post to be scrutinized if there is any interest.

brad

[HWooldridge]

If you mean 'indexing' as in a turret on a lathe, then I'd say it's a lot of work unless you are into production. You also might potentially have a problem with tools being off-center from the ram but that can be worked out of the design if considered ahead of construction.

Grant Sarver uses electrically powered flypresses to make his tongs and other tools so he'd be a good one to ask about the benefits of such a device. However, it's my guess that most people leave the press alone and focus on quick change tooling.

[NeatGuy]

I was thinking more like an rapid indexing head as used on a milling machine. I wish to incise, reasonably accurately, radiating line on a disk.

[ThomasPowers]

Perhaps for light duty work; with the flex apparent in even inch thick cold steel on my large manual flypress I don't think a geared indexer would work very well.

I would be more inclined to tape or etch measurement scales along the sides of two large disks and put in a blind pin in the center of both of them so you could simply rotate the upper disk to match the next lower disk line. Using the shrink/expand functions on a good grade of copier you can make scales that would fit a given set of disks.

How exact does this need to be? A degree, a tenth of a degree, a 10,000th of a degree?

[NeatGuy]

I was thinking of pretty much as you describe. As with most working folks with young kids I have little enough time for blacksmithing and did not want to put out the effort if the tool was not worth the time or there was a better solution.

I have been rotating the disks with a pair of tongs but this is awkward at best with out consistant results.

[Ed Thomas]

It sounds as though you are doing these hot, in which case you might be better off with a treadle or power hammer. I have done quite a few 6" eschutcheons (5/16" thick) with a star pattern in a circle. I have always outlined the pattern cold on the treadle hammer and then hot-forged the star with tooling under the power hammer. It is much easier to move the tool to the right spot on a hot piece than to line up the hot piece under a tool. Or at least it should be a faster and more efficient use of heat in this particular instance.

As Thomas asked, just how complex IS this pattern??? What size material are you working? What is the tooling?

If these are smaller disks ( < 2") to be used as rosettes, AND they have a hole in the middle, then any block with a peg should do the trick. Put two indexing lines on the block. Line up the flypress tool to the first index mark. Pull the rosette out of the fire, plop it on the peg, press, rotate the impression to the second index, press, repeat till no heat. Reheat. Set to music.

[ThomasPowers]

For the eight fold path---I have some rock drill bit ends with 4 radial blunt symetrical chisel edges for a small rosette around 2" dia you could strike once then rotate 45 deg and strike again to get 8 lines. Unfortunately they don't meet in the middle there being a small gap (perfect if you will be punching or drilling out the middle for other reasons.

These are "replaceable tips for rock drolls and are not very tall at all, easy to fit under a screw press. Perhaps I should add that these come from mining drills not core or "household" drills.

[NeatGuy]

I do have a treadle hammer, power hammer and a trumpf nibbler and would normally use my treadle hammer or the nibbler for this but I currently have no shop to put them. We have moved and I will be building a new shop (30x40) hopefuly this fall. I am making rossetes and rivets I just bought this flypress as it fits my current space and is quiet. As with all new tools a bit of time is needed to understand the capabilities. The pattern is not complex and there are not alot of them I would just like to streamline and experiment a little with the tooling.

[Ed Thomas]

Can't blame you there. I think you already have the right idea... a sturdy disk that rotates on the table. Leave a hole for rivets, and put a pin in it for rosettes. Press, rotate the disk, press, etc. You could probably attach a short handle or pointer on the disk to line up with marks on the table as long as the handle/pointer clears your frame on the far side as you rotate it.

For tooling, simple is best. The more generalized the tool, the more likely you can use it for something other than its original application. More important, though, is that you don't get trapped into just making things that only work with tooling you already made.

This is interesting enough, I just might have to go try it soon. :)

[ThomasPowers]

You know anybody going to Quad-State? I could throw a rock drill tip in my bag to take up there in a couple of weeks for you to experiment with---you may want one with the central hole to allow alignment on a pin...