My latest set of shrink dies

[oldgoaly]

Well the dies I have now shrink fine, but they have a small sweet spot so the finish is less than what you may like. Repeating they shrink fine, just would like a better finish on flatter parts so I started by cutting some blank shanks 5/8" cold rolled and some 1 5/8" round stock, mig welded together.
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7254
The jig is a Fay Butler design, it is one of the sketches he drew up back in the mid-90's, you can see it in his Pullmax book. In the next pic you can see the hi-tech lay-out of the lower / male die. If I would have been paying attention, it is the shorter of the 2 shanks that I planned to use on the upper, but it all works out in the end.

http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7256

Just to prove it does not take a billion dollars in new equipment here are a few pics of a 1990's Snap-on welder with CO2 gas. Speaking of CO2 the tank lasts ten-twenty times longer than argon mix and cheaper too!

http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7255

http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7253
As simple as it seems yep we build up some welding wire for the thumbnail, these pics show the dies after it has been been hit with the flap disc.
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7257

http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7258
As you can see we are going for a short style thumbnail, with lots of sweet spot, you know the contact area just in front of the thumbnail.
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7259
Here you can see that I'm using the cut-off wheel in an angle grinder, this makes quick work of removing metal! Notice how I used the c.o.wheel to cut into the metal not like a grinder, that is the flap wheel's job in the other angle grinder.
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7270
This is what they looked like after hitting the upper die with the flap disk. Stand by for part 2.

[oldgoaly]

Part 2, as promised!
The dies were rough cut then hit with a flap wheel in the angle grinder, then a quick trip to the expander wheel where they got a quick go over to take any sharp edges off.
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7270

Now a quick check in the jig, using the calibrated "eyeball" then a little oil and they look pretty good!
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7260
So how long do you think it has taken to get to this point? not counting cutting the blanks, facing off the dies, about an hour including changing the roll of wire. Remember when I said I grabbed the wrong shank? here is why it isn't the best set up....
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7269

Yep it will not work for everything! so a second upper is needed, but 1st lets see if these suckers work?
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7274

whoa! hey these shrink fast! finish isn't bad, heck they are not even finished..... Another look at the pucker it makes, this didn't show up as well as I thought it would.
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7272

http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7273
Just like when you shrink by hand the tuck / pucker is formed when going in with the metal and is hammered into itself on the pulling out. Here are a couple of pics of the 2nd upper die with a shorter shank.
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7339
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7340
I was real aggressive with the cutoff wheel! I am getting the hang of it! Since I have shoulder problems, instead of switching hands I have to change positions. Here is a couple of pics of the second dies in the P13
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7341

http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7342
above is the all important gap! if you do not leave the gap open enough for the metal to thicken up it will not shrink! unless you have so much slop in the machine, but it would be telling you something is WRONG! This action of a Pullmax is different than a power hammer like a Yoder! Now for a couple of pics of second set in action!
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7343
http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=279&pictureid=7344

This was 5 minutes of shrinking, finish isn't to bad, when they are run past the expander wheel with 120, 220,320 grit paper, then if they don't shine as much as I think they should? off to the buffing wheel! before final buffing they will go thru the heat treat process. Now some thoughts on these dies, 1 easy to make, 2 works well, only down side I find they can be slid sideways, which dies with a long thumbnail are much harder. Once I noticed that it was easy to control. So I hope you will give die making a shot, if I can do it so can you, just be careful! Follow good safe shop practices. If I was to add up all the time spent making them, about 2 hours, the cutoff wheel is becoming a favorite tool of mine! Take care!

[Dick]

Terry
i would swear it was TC who showed us the Pullmax tooling fixture
here is the image i got from him 12 years ago i think
did he get it from Fay ?
11684

it was about 3 years later we saw Fays fixture
11685

[Pete's Metalshaping]

Wasn't Fay's fixture hogged out of aluminum? Dick, the second picture is Clay Cook's fixture.

[kit]

GREAT post Terry.
It explains the working of this tool and shows a straight forwards no mystery to it build.
Spot on.

[oldgoaly]

Kit,
That is what I hoping to do, take some of the black magic out of it. The other set pics got lost in the crash, they are very minimal dies, meaning there isn't much other than the thumbnail and the sweet spot. My 1st set very large bulky, but worked well.
I got my P7 in 1995, that is when I made the jig, it was Fay's design, heck if wasn't for Fay my arm may have fallen off years ago:eek:
I just thought of something, forgot to do an effect test! Now this is my idea, works for all types of shrinking. mark a 6" by 12" (any size really) with lines every 1/2" lengthwise. With thumbnail dies or hand tucks go in about an 1" to 2" at 90 degrees to the lines (across) For squeeze style like a Lancaster or Marchant do it on the end inline with the lines. What you will see is how the shrink dies distort the lines even past where they make contact with the metal. Try it for yourself!

[Dawai]

The alignment jig is a great idea, whoever came up with it.. I'll have to clone it myself.

[Carbuilder]

TT I know about shoulder problems 4 surgerys on my right in 15 months back in 2000 2001. When you run your steel with the shrink dies spray a little wd40 on the metal both sides makes it easer & the track marking is less with my dies shrinks like crazy.

[Stretch]

If you need more control for your hand operated grinder...


...how about adapting one of those cut off saws - the tilting mechanism and the telescopic extension bit I mean - so you can grapple with your grinder more efficiently?

[oldgoaly]

Army,
I do have a project that a cutoff wheel at a particular angle is needed to cut teeth for a 35-7 Ford truck windshield opening regulator arm. They are on a arc, not a problem as there is a rivet at the pivot point. holding the angle grinder or ??? looks to be the challenge! Ideas on how to do that would be greatly appreciated!

[kit]

Army,
I do have a project that a cutoff wheel at a particular angle is needed to cut teeth for a 35-7 Ford truck windshield opening regulator arm. They are on a arc, not a problem as there is a rivet at the pivot point. holding the angle grinder or ??? looks to be the challenge! Ideas on how to do that would be greatly appreciated!

I have a simple steel box I made up that holds the angle grinder by the side handle bolt holes, bolt that to a simple cross slide slot pushed along by a bolt head, multiply by however many plains of movement you need and pivot it from your rivet hole.

[Stretch]

Kit's plan seems like a good one to me.