Shaping metal with a press..

[Dawai]

So far.. nothing but a idea.. using my rousselle C-frame press with the rubber mallet on top coming down.. pressing into a tuck puck.. I can't get a stump in that press..

I think it'll work, no wrinkles.. do away with a lot of helve-hammer work..

I did stainless roses if you remember.. pushing a one inch die down into a rubber mallet (reverse) and it moved the metal in perfect balls one one inch.. I had to pull fingers back to keep them. (small work and tools that bite)

Someone sent me a video of a guy doing 11-14ga plate.. same method.. die over rubber.. he'd did complete sculptures with that.. homemade deal looked like a hydraulic ironworker except it just had a open tool area on the end.. his was made from 1" plate.. or so.. Very big single purpose tool.

(end of day edit)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p904UN377j8
Rubber mallet just created tucks, would not planish them flat.. It would take a male-female matching die.. these doming dies from the helve tooling do not match 100%.. so.. It looks so promising.. I may not need the helve except for creating profiles.. (roll edges)..
This set of stainless tank sides.. about 30 minutes each.. I did planish them some on the ewheel.. the edges still have small tuck -wrinkles.. but.. the planishing hammer should knock them flat..

[whateg01]

I would think it would depend on how far outside the "bowl" the metal extends. If it extends far enough to be "clamped" at the edges, I would expect it to stretch the middle to meet the bottom of the divot. If it didn't reach the edges, then I think you are right... I would force the edge together to shrink it. Wrinkles or not might depend on how steep the sides are. Just MHO.

Dave

[Dawai]

My wife is pushing me to build some small dies.. and make some jewelry..

Not sure which way this will go.. I currently have no precious metals.. some copper to play with..

A larger open face sheetmetal press is in the future for me.. I got a large press I can cut down to suite the new need.. I think I have found the TOY I desire..

THE tuck pucks, rubber mallet stretched the metal, but would not shrink it.. needs a tight fitting male die.. or a one sided tight fitting die to stretch in one direction.. edge turning mostly.. I have it set up universal right now, drop in 3" socket on bottom, top runs on a 1 1/2" tube or solid bar.. clamp..

[oldgoaly]

DC,
if you could take old motorcycle parts and turn them into jewelry, your wife must see something in what your doing, she might be on to something! tt

[bob haverstock]

Hi Dawai,

I've been using flypresses for a few years now. I watched the video that you linked to your post. My wife and I do similar work under a small flypress. I find the flypress to be very friendly to use. We also engrave steel tiles with the flypress.

I demo'd using a flypress at UMBA in 2008, they caught it on video and it is available from umbaonline. It would be worth you effort to get a copy of it.

As a matter of fact, Lilly (my wife) will have the little flypress set up at MM10. Friday and Saturday she will be making non vehicle stuff out of copper. I hope that you and your wife will attend.

Bob Haverstock

[DYCE]

I remember a while back, precrash, maybe 2 years, a link to someone using a press. That looks like a nice fast acting press David. My press would tire me out pumping:rolleyes:

[bobadame]

Papp in Indonesia used to make pretty cool stuff stuff using a fly press.

[Dawai]

My wife is going to have me make some bracelets.. I got tooling drawed up.

A flypress.. has a screw with a counterweight?? it thumps bottom.. not real sure how many tons you hit with the impact... Mine has a 5 horsepower pump, has a dual acting solonoid, a pair of industrial limit switches you can adjust stroke.. to short stroke.. Set the top where it just withdraws a little..
ON the bracelet die.. I am going backwards from the bonne doone?? press.. It has the round die on top.. I am putting one on bottom and the rubber on top.. a one sided arm to bend it around.. you can change dies out on..

We also talked about engraving round dies for the bead roller and a skate wheel to impress designs.. that would mean hooking the A-axis back up on the mill.. Some people use a small 4 axis tabletop cnc milling machine.. Do rings.. bracelets..

Well.. today consisted of a install XP again.. on the cnc milling machine. It was acting goofy.. not repeating.. I reregistered windows.. Reloaded Mach3 new release.. recalibrated.. redone all the set up. It still needs

Made the spring clamp for the overhead helve.. and/????? Well.. I stuck a bottle jack in the gap of the new frame to see if it can hold a cylinder to stretch metal.. in about 5-10 tons pressure (guessing) .. the 6x8 frame flexed about 1/2".. so NO.. it can't. It did not pop, nor make strange noises during the loading...

Goofy thought was to have a helve and a cylinder on that machine... THE helve still has a use.. to do profiles like a pullmax..