What can I do with this little punch?

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I cannot resist tools, ok for some it is drugs, booze, women even... for me it is some tool I've never had the pleasure of working... so I just grabbed a small 4+ ton punch on eBay. I'm going to be 5 miles from the place in a week or so .. so no shipping, I'll drag it home and it wasn't spendy. Also, my respiratory Doc should not have a hissy, no burning gases  sheeshThe question becomes what zactlee could  I do with this thing?  I vision being able to punch  shapes out of  thinner metals, put oval holes in flat sheets of all kinda' materials... fiber board,  brass etc... if you  know about these things I would appreciate the short short course on what kool things a fella could do with it? thanks, Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 07-13-2012 at 09:47 AM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:I think you use it to make spoons and ss condiment dishes for the salad bars at a buffet. But you probably need to make dies. Thought I saw something like it before. You could stamp out about any part you can dream of with the right die.Last edited by Insaneride; 07-13-2012 at 11:54 AM.Reason: spoons
Reply:Heh heh, this is a widow making bone crusher, also known as a short hand dealer....it chops fingers at the drop of a hat.The short answer is get rid of it....it's too f.....king dangerous to even think about messing with.BTW, the bed plate where you mount the base of the dieset on is missing........needs something like 1-1/2' to 2 " thick steel plate to withstand the load.If you want to sleep at night make sure you have GUARDING installed BEFORE YOU START IT UP or you'll never claim on medical insurance when you miss a finger or three.....LOL.These size (judging by the fly wheel size) presses are usually driven by a 5 - 10 HP 3PH electric motor, 950 rpm ,small pulley 4" diam, to give about 80 to 100 strokes a minute.It can be inclined at an angle backwards to allow the blanked out parts to slide out the back of the machine.It will also do single stroking.BTW, you can always recognise a press operator by the number of fingers missing from his/her left hand....that's a fact....seen it happen....seen it in the remains left on the press.....looks like corned beef and chalk...LOL.It doesn't happen to the right hand 'cause that's the one pressing the start button while the left hand is wandering around "playing" with the tooling.You could set this machine up to make washers from 2.5mm plate strip etc, and lots of little repetition jobs too.I wouldn't have one of these anywhere near me in my "cave", they're operator's machine tools, get set up to do thousands of parts minded by a no brain operator, and only make money by being run for hours continuously for low pay rates.....oh yeah, they cost you a fortune in insurance claims from accidents etc.The money is made by the toolmaker who makes the tooling to do the job....tooling cost a fortune and needs constant refurbishing, also costing you a fortune if you aren't a toolmaker or have grinding equipment.Best advice, paint it up and sell it to someone who knows presses and needs one.If you really want to do just a small bit of press work, try and find what is called a fly press, swing press, screw press or widow maker, and various other names for a press that has a screw that drives the ram down with a handle having a large iron ball on the end.I have a 9 tonner and have punched 50mm diam discs from 3mm thick stainless plate, but at that tonnage you really must know when to relax the arm that drives the handle at the end of the punch stroke or you'll end up with shoulder strain..You supply the muscle power to do the punching, but for sheer simplicity and user friendly small job loads (500 parts) they can't be beat.Ian.
Reply:BTW, if you do decide to give it a go and make it work, bolt the MFK'er down hard......the flywheel rotates towards you and if the ram or tool on the end hits bottom hard, the sudden abrupt brake load  to the flywheel will flip the press over and towards you.Ian.
Reply:did it come with a shoe?   i owned a couple that were used for punching square holes in aluminum channel;  for 3/4 pickets.,  the type used for making balcony rail.http://www.easternmetal.com/pdfs/alu...extrusions.pdfLast edited by fdcmiami; 07-13-2012 at 01:27 PM.
Reply:I'd like to thank puddytat for all the encouragement, sheeshI'm figuring to abandon the little stand and instead mount it down to a substantial base.  Interesting... it wants to jump in your lap... how much fun can that be.. I had a dog once that liked to bite off a finger if you gave him a chance... dejavu all over. Frankly, i do appreciate the safety advice, I need my fingers to play hot licks on the guitar, so best to heed the advice.   I'm thinking I want to make a fiber gasket like thing for guitar pickups, it aligns the magnets and sandwiches the pickup.  Make my own die of sorts I suppose.  Then there are ambitious thoughts for some small guitar parts... I have read on dies but never actually made one... I saw the base piece was missing so I'll wander over to my local scrap guy and put in an order for a hunka' steel.How about coins... could it stamp out coins?  Literally a money maker Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 07-13-2012 at 01:50 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:How about the ashtray's for Fender Telecaster's?
Reply:Would that it could do sumthin' that heavy and large... dunno.   I have a need for a smaller than stock bridge assy for Telecasters... a 80% sized bridge for my slide guitars ... thickness is about 1/16" and the bridge is about 3x3"   sumthin' like this.  Walk before I run, gotta learn more first I'm sure.  Could be a bigger punch would be used for that? Attached ImagesLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Puddytat needs to relax. Thats a great little press. First get a good base in it. 1,1/2' oughta be fine. Dont really need a big motor either.  A good machine shop could make a "univesal" punch and die holder like you see on iroworkers. Then you can punch multiple size holes by just changing out the punch and die. You do need to make sure the press will only cycle once when tripped. Doubling gets exciting. Find yourself an old machinist that has built some dies and pick his brain. Right now I'm putting a pipe notcher in a die set for a similar press. Corner notcher dies, Shaped punches, tubing smasher, Shear, walnut cracker.....Its all possible just takes time and money. Helps to have a buddy with a machine shop.Lincolin Power Wave 450, Lincoln Powermig 255, Lincoln Pro Mig 140, Lincoln Squarewave Tig 275, Miller Big 40 G(with Hobart Hefty suitcase), Thermal Arc 95S and Esab PCM875 in an already full machine shop.
Reply:Yeah, relax is good......presses are not for noobs......like scalpels are not for kids doing modelling.I think that applies to most all machinery, but a press when it acts is like the strike of a rattlesnake, you'll never see it happen.Ian.
Reply:So easy to turn your head and then  make an error. I'm a safety first kind of guy.   So the warning did not fall on deaf ears.   I realize there are much bigger presses, but I want to first get a clue and this one seemed about right.   Thanks for the info, I'll have it home in 2 weeks, it s up near LA. so next trip that way I'll bring it home. Time enough to read about dies and the like.  MarkBall2 on the site here has a nice lathe and a recently added a mill. He's patient with me, so maybe we can work up something that'll put her to use.Last edited by PapaLion; 07-14-2012 at 06:15 AM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Kenco obi (open back inclinable)press. As stated above,bolster plate is missing.Tooling is expensive,as it needs to be accurately machined,hardened,tempered and ground.Like most flywheel presses,it has a "one shot clutch".The press will only fire once,until theclutch lever is released and pushed again.Doesn't need a large motor because work is done byheavy flywheel.Motor brings flywheel back up to speed after press stroke.I worked at a placethat used a similar press for stamping 4" instument dials out of aluminum.Too small for stampingout Fender bridge thingy.Punch presses have a bad (but well deserved)reputation for taking fingers and hands.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:Judging by the photo,it looks like someone had a pipe wrench on the end of thecrankshaft,a sign that someone changed to a taller die without adjusting die height,and press locked up.Crank may be bent or knuckle may be sloppy.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:Set it up where it takes both hands to trip the dog. The ones I used to run required both hands to push buttons simultaneously for it to stroke.Jeff
Reply:jpump5  you are just full of good news... sheesh.  The ad says in working order... course that could mean a lot of different things. I have purchased several items from these fellas before and they were all better than described.  So, in a coupla weeks we'll see huh?This could explain the lower block being AWOL huh?  Several were sold recently so I think? they cleaned out a shop/business somewhere and everything went.  Still, it could the one sitting back inop and  needs a looksee.jba that sounds pretty smart,  keep those fingers busy elsewhere.Just for fun you might want to know who and where these guys are... they put up a ton of stuff each week, lots of drills, bits, mills etc.. and they are in North LA area.  Their ebay name is ~reliabletools~.http://www.ebay.com/sch/reliabletool...&_trksid=p3686    enjoyLast edited by PapaLion; 07-14-2012 at 11:36 AM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:The Telecaster ashtray is only around 4x4 inches. The pic of it on my monitor was enormous.  That machine looks capable for upto nearly a quarter inch of soft metal. It scares me after reading pudytat's advice. The two handed method sounds like good advice. As for paractical, I would think the square hole idea works but for a money maker; jewelry will sell for more than guitar picks. I use bread bag closers for picks.
Reply:Before you get carried away with useability and things you can make, a press like the one shown in post #1 requires tooling and that tooling cost big bucks, even a simple small hole punch with its die-set, nesting and stripper plate cost big bucks......and if you are intending to make less than 500 parts......forget the tooling, the cost of making and setting up will never be recovered.Just for a starter, how much tonnage would you require to form a cavity 3" X 3" X 1/4" deep in a piece of 2mm thick "soft" steel sheet?....try 20 tons just for a starter, and this press is 10 tons at most......verification on tonnage for that example is needed as this was just to indicate the scope you are dealing with.Ian.Last edited by puddytat; 07-14-2012 at 01:19 PM.
Reply:Papa,Here are a couple of useful pics your going to need the get these set up:4 Tons is what my Di Acro hand punch does, and what you can do with that has been way over exagerated here. With punch its tonage, size of hole, depth of material, and hardness of material. Things I do with mine 2" holes in sheet metal ( 20 guage  ), try doing that on 1/8 no way, hole size comes down to 1/2-5/8.As a shear I wouldn't bother not enough tonage, in the above pictures I don't have the die in it but I have a shear setup, that press is 8 tons, and it is good for 2" wide 1/8 and 3/16 steel and it works on 3/16. As far as tooling goes sit down and figure out what you want to achieve with it. A 1/4", 5/16, 3/8 and 1/2 round punch is a good start, get a slot, and a couple of square holes in useful sizes. Without breaking the bank get on Ebay and start looking for Di Acro ( roper Whitney now ) dies, you can get a pretty good basic selection for not a lot of dollars invested. You might need to do some work so the Di Acro stuff easily fits but it will be worth it as it opens a realm of cheap tooling used. If you have a mill you can also make tooling and pieces parts ( my shear I made )As far as safety goes your old enough to realise  machinery of all kinds can be dangerous. That needs a belt guard when you mount the motor ( probably 1/2-3/4 HP low rpm  my 18 ton uses 1-1/2 hp ). I also would change the lever to actuate it sitting right there on the side is not a good idea, is both dangerous and in the way. I have converted mine to air and it doesn't take much to move a actuator as they are just a lever. If you notice in my pics above the have die holders, that and proper feeding setups and fixturing do a lot for making these safer to us.My three presses are 18 ton, 8 ton, and 4 ton hand.
Reply:Oh I forgot 1 pic...DUHHHHThis one is the one I have set up to shear.
Reply:This thread motivated me to do something I had put off a long while.My second press is a Perkins Machine 350-B 22 ton not 8, 2 inch stroke, My Bliss is 18 Ton
Reply:Next time i think about going North  it would be smart to go hat in hand and peak over  Freds shoulder for a day or two.  Got a lot of keen things there. This thing is rated at 4 tons... not big, just  a learner for me.  It has the motor on it, I've got 4-5 motors sitting here to use if needed.   Those fiber washer/spacers for pickups would be fine. If I got a good die working for that, in several shapes etc that would be well worth it.  Also if I begin making pickups I am thinking to make a very lightweight aluminum or brass cover for them... I do think this thing would do that.  500 would be a very doable #  of any of that. I suspect I'll get the hang of it, love it or not.  If it is fun and useful then a bigger more dangerous one would be the ticket... if not, I think I'm well inside the  EZ resale point.Got me eager to go retrieve the thing now, sheesh. Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 07-14-2012 at 02:25 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Papa," Those fiber washer/spacers for pickups would be fine. If I got a good die working for that, in several shapes etc that would be well worth it. "Good news is fiber is soft and yeah your punch would do that, do you have a mill? If so you could probably make that die, a high quality surface grinder is a bonus also. Ideal is an EDM but we don't need to go there, not a common homeshop tool. I am NOT a tool and die maker but I have had enough sucesses ( and failures ) I can point you in the right direction. When your picking it up look for a cheap die holder to fit your machine, they are way spendy new, and for your pickup piece you will need one, they are usually 2 or 4 post either will work for your applicaation but the 4 posters are more expensive and more stable, as the won't tweak as much.I don't know if I missed it but how many strokes per minute does that machine do. One last suggestion unless you have a good source on that fiber board look at Phenolic you should be able to get that in strip flat stock which will feed well, and don't forget feeding fixtures when laying out your die, doesn't need to be complicated, and a couple of pieces of strap steel run true on a mill does this. The indexing is a bit tricker ex: punch, move stock down to next position, punch, move stock again. This makes it a lot faster and accurate, and reduces waste.
Reply:Forgive me Fred, 1/4 inch is way off. Now 14 gauge maybee. I can cut square holes in 20 gauge using tin snips all day long and punch thru 0.08 material with a hand held greenlee punch. As for tooling, it seems obvious that Pappa needs tooling and as he said he has an addiction to aquiring tools. BTW you lost me when going from sae to metric "3" X 3" X 1/4" deep in a piece of 2mm thick"Have a good day, good health, and happieness
Reply:ebay has 22 pages of  DiArco dies... takes awhile but I'm beginning to se the jist of it.  I once had an advancing set up where it used a 1/4" square solid rod with  shallow holes drilled evenly along it. That rode thru a knotched piece which had the ball bearing in a hole with a spring behind it. The ball bearing popped into the next hole each time  you put a little pressure at the end and advanced the flat metal quite nicely.  I get how that might work.  McMasters has the phenolic material in several thicknesses, and yes that is the stuff used for those spacers.   Making your own pickups is becoming a bit of a fad lately around the guitar builders.  I bought an old Watchmakers lathe to turn my pickups with and it is coming along.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Mcmaster is expensive, check out San Diego Plastics:http://www.sdplastics.com/They even have a rem section if your there. And selection is way beyond McMaster's.I used them a lot in the past, I do NOT recommend them for Optical grade stuff though, thats a different type of supplier and needs specialized tooling ( saws, routers etc )."jpump5- you are just full of good news"Wasn't trying to burst your bubble.Even if press has minor damage,it can still be used.Some simple tooling could be made in the home shop.Lathe and drill press would be essential.Surface grinder helpful.You would have to find a source for tool steel(d2 etc.)Lacking a heat treating furnas(oven) smaller pieces could behardened and tempered using o/a torch.Larger pieces couldbe done in blacksmiths forge.Always keep fingers out of die area when flywheel is spinning.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:Tool steel is the internet away:Speedy metals is a fair source. I prefer A2 and O2 but A1 works well also.The heat treating ideas are neat, but it entirely depends on the die, most dies are EDM cut, or milled to rough, heat treated then ground because they warp in heat treating, and are too hard to mill again, and must be ground. General statements here; there are thousands of types of dies, close tolerance, sloppy shear blades so the above can't cover it all in a sentence or two. You can make your own dies but they are work, take a lot of time and I would reserve that for speciality dies ( your pickup ) and buy Di Acro stuff premade, you can't make a good die for 25-40 dollars you can buy a used one for that.
Reply:jump5 no offense at all, the exact opposite. I used photoshop and blew up that end of the crank and suere enough somebody put the hurt on that thing.  So I emailed the seller to check it out, run it a bit etc. and make sure we're talking working condition.  He's a pretty good guy and trustworthy, so we'll get that figured.  I don't care if the bearing is whacked as long as we can get one and slip it on.  There is a surplus place down in National City South of San Diego a bit with oh... 30 tons of bearings in all sizes and shapes sorted into  big bins... top $ is $20 for a brand new USA surplus Lufkin.   And Fred I'll go  look up that San Diego supplier. I go there  everry 3 weeks so it would be veryconvenient.Making dies is going to be fun, but yes, get a few simple ones not too spendy first and try simple stuff andf see how it works.  I've seen it, I've read about it, now I'll get a chance to  do some too. New Tools gotta be the best thing going.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:papalion      i have 2 machines very similar to yours, i have 1 of them set up for punching 1/2 inch square holes in railing stock,( red) & the other 1  for a pipe notcher ( grey). i have had mine for many years, & the use of caution & common sense has resulted in no injuries. if you over load its capacity, the clutch realeasses & lets the fly wheel keep spinning. a good source for punch & dies is cleveland steel tool co. the machines are ver heavy!!!! but are simple & work great    Bob
Reply:red one is for railing stock, punching 1/2 sq hole for pickets, grey one is set up for pipe notching. i recently sold the red one, wish i had kept it, my iron worker tends to distort the iron a little,mechanical vs hydraulic, the punch never did. just my 2 cents,                                 Bob Attached Images
Reply:When you get a chance would you get a close up pic ( or two ) of your pipe notcher dies?
Reply:well, heck, I think he just might be going the San Diego way......Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:BTW, Cleveland Tool and Steel thinks their stuff is solid gold.Lincoln Power Mig 210MP MIGLincoln Power Mig 350MP - MIG and Push-PullLincoln TIG 300-300Lincoln Hobby-Weld 110v  Thanks JLAMESCK TIG TORCH, gas diffuser, pyrex cupThermal Dynamics Cutmaster 101My brain
Reply:Got it home aok.  Weight is barely 200#, not as big or heavy as first imagined, which is fine. Good news, it trips and runs smoothly. Bad news the main center cast knuckle has a nice crack right at the clamp down point.     So... choices? a cast repair welded... heat treated etc... or??? maybe make a new knuckle one off... or get very lucky and find one that works surplus etc... Darn I was really ready to punch sumthin'.  I'll learn a lot and it looks fun so I'm game for it however it goes.   pics soon, no use till  I get it settled down a bit in the shop.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Hi Mick That's a good looking piece huh?  I'm just a learner, today I'll get it outa the truck and take a close looksee.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Is that press(flywheel,press frame,motor)really only 200 lbs?seems like it would be more.Last edited by jpump5; 07-25-2012 at 08:40 PM.Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:I was off by 100# more like 300 on the stand the company claims. I ran into problems today... the clutch won't let go so far.   I removed the flywheel and all looks pretty good. Tomorrow I'm going to loosen up the bolts some and see if I can get the thing to move?  sheesh she's a hairy li'l beast.UNplugged of courseLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:Some movement this morning. I got the thing running by backing off the main bolts a bit. It trips one time and the clutch locks... probably very dirty.   Here is the broken piece which is part of the main down stroke  cast piece.  (Tie rod essentially)? will be who and how to repair this.  A good cast iron welder with the skill for pre and pot heats would be the one I suppose. Ideas of a  WW member who  does this? It would ship Ez, the whole rod  only about 8-9" long and could flat rate anywhere. Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 07-26-2012 at 01:02 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:any chance of just remaking the whole rod out of steel?miller 330a bp TIGmiller dynasty 200DX TIGmillermatic 185 MIGthermal dynamics cutmaster 101 plasma cuttersnap-on YA5550 plasma cutterhypertherm powermax 30 plasma cutterbaileigh CS225 cold sawetc....
Reply:yea, good choice actually.   Why not, the only reason it is cast is because they made 100s or 1000s of these.   For one off, remake it from mild steel.  That is a good option i think.  Right now first choice, find one somewhere?   good luck on that, next cost to make it, cost to reweld it??Otherwise I think the punch will work ok, it is quiet, smooth and when it finally times right for the clutch I think it will work fine. Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 07-26-2012 at 01:56 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:From 55yrs in the machine and stamping game.  The first poster have it right.  Get yourself a 20ton shop press and you can make anything you want.  Just not as fast, and keep all your fingers.  Just my take.
Reply:GabZip UR right on it, good advice. A 20 tonner or even a 30 from the calculations I've made and the few parts I want... but ya' gotta walk before you run.  And, I'm thinkin' the smart move at that scale would be to understand and own the die or dies I want and then let someone with a big punch make them  for me... This  4 tonner  is headed for vulcanized fiber  items (pieces of guitar pus) and possibly a small ligthweight Aluminum cover for guitar cuatom pickups for the Slide guitar I make.    Might look something like this one.I have friend who is up on this, Like you, he has many years of practical experience. He is in Fullerton, and makes short run parts for Fender and others.  I'm going to go spend a couple of days over there in September and let him  enlighten me.  He's made the vulcanized fiber pieces and has those dies for me to see. I am scaling the pickup, so the standard off the shelf stuff won't work.  He also has experience with forming and stamping dies with springs that pop the bigger products like a bridge for ex.  out at the end etc... should be a kick.I had one crazy idea, enroll in the beginning machinery course at Az Western College and make the thing myself...my good friend runs that class, could be I'mm headed back to school Attached ImagesLast edited by PapaLion; 07-26-2012 at 07:38 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:That looks like a thread on that get a grade 5-8 and weld it to a piece of DOM tube that you have opened up to match the cam surface. I would get a piece of DOM tube thick walled slightly tight and run a boring bar on my lathe to match the old part. Pretty simple and its only a 5 ton press. My guess why it broke though is somebody tried to exceed the tonnage.Mick showed a good setup with a grate in front of the press for preventing hand injuries. Honestly I think Papalion is old enough a wise enough to not stick his hands under a punch press, he has been welding lots of years and I don't think he stuck a stinger up his butt to blow his nose while grounding his forehead.A shop press is damn slow my fast press stomps at 150 per minute, my slow one is 65-80 ish.Papa I mentioned feeders before, really safe is a coil reel, which is flat material laid out like the wire on your mig welder. And if you have your hands in a coil reel feeder you are an absolute idiot.Ideal is a rotary head that takes multiple dies and I have a good friend that has a 80+ head, but folks he bought almost  on a repo for $850,000, and his tools drawers have another 2-3 million in them. It has made him a ton of money, but the biggest cold rolled he will do ( doesn't want to warp the frame and screw up the machine ) is 10 guage.A good shop press is more useful for most general fab parts in low production and versital, but building the pickups like he wants is a very good tool to do it quick, accurate and cheap.
Reply:Fred? am I understanding... cut off the bottom part, turn the big part  on a lathe   and pin or mate a  heavy wall tube to the sound upper  body. Looks tight but maybe?   The new piece will contain and thread the plunger?   Hmmm, more than 3 ways to skin this catI need those fingers to play... I do get the idea of an advancing system for the material.  Just need a way to clamp it down as it passes through the process, a way to advance it evenly via a stop of some kind, manual is ok.  I have 3-4 sheets 2 foot wide x 8' long  of 5051. It's a  thin Al which will polish and takes to annodizing easily. it could easily be cut into long strips wide enough for the project, stamped once for the cutouts and shapes and again for the shaping and forming maybe. Same stuff car trim is made of.  I'm thinking to make any covers from that.Off for meds tomorrow again, I know every tree from here to San Diego by heart (literally) sheesh... back in a coupla days. enjoyLast edited by PapaLion; 07-26-2012 at 10:23 PM.Lincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:I would remove the crankshaft, and the thread in there was an ajustment. just unscrew the bottom of the ram and drop it down. I think you have plenty of room to get a piece of Dom and you might need to cut the nut to lenght no biggy and instead of try to split the nut like the original cast piece was done I would either figure out how to double nut it or come in from the side of the nut and drill and tap it and put a flush allen screw retainer.A simple feeder for your purposes would be two rubber wheels ( soft spongy ones ) bottom one fixed position with a gear and a small pulley like the guts of an old tape recorder or vcr. Top wheel needs to be an idler with spring tension. and adjustable for material height. Or just manually feed it into the guides and burn the last foot or so.
Reply:I'm really enjoying this thread,( I bought a 15 ton and a 6 ton press in Feb. and don't have a clue what to make on themhttps://www.weldingweb.com/images/smilies/dizzy.gif, I'm in the firearms industry), does anyone have pics of the die setups, with what they make?VanPS I appreciate the safety info, the Co. I bought them from called the 15 tonner " the evil press)
Reply:I used a much bigger version of that bastard when I was in school, one false move and it would have your hand for lunch. After some getting used to they are not a bad machine.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Hi all, for all the dire warnings, it is after all a machine, and as all machines go precautions are the normal course of action....like proper guarding and double activation switches to keep your hands away from the die area when it impacts.From my experience, if you are only going to make a few items, even only one or two a week, you still have to have a proper die set and a tool to produce the finished item.If you have a tool made to tool makers specificatons, you can sell the tool or just the design and the job as a going concern to anyone who wants to make the part too.Once you have the tool to produce the part, it is a valuable asset, and any sloppy workmanship in the initial build is either dangerous, work damaging or poor dimensions producing.If the part you want to make is saleable, it PAYS to get the tool made by an expert, IE, a toolmaker who knows press tools can advise you on the capability of the existing press to produce the part.....no good paying a grand on a very sophisticated tool only to find the press ain't got the oomph to work it.There is a formular familiar to tool makers for the tonnage required for the size of the part being contemplated.......in other words, you first design the part and then source the machinery and tooling.I would strongly advise not to indulge in strip work from a rolled coil of steel etc, without the necessary experience in handling steel in coil form....it is a dangerous and lethal form of steel raw material and anyone who has had a coil fall over and suddenly unwind will know what I mean.For simple low volume work it pays to get a sheet of steel or whatever guillotined to a specific accurate width, that the guides in the press tool can use, other wise you get all sorts of problems with misallignment and odd shaped finished items.The strips can be further cut to short lengths to merely be punched or formed as the need arises, without the need to have a strip feeder, uncoiler,and straightener.You will also need to know what steel etc to buy for the job as cold rolled and hot rolled are vastly different materials in press work.Forming alluminium requires about half the tonnage compared to cold rolled mild steel, whereas stainless requires approx double...it tends to work harden as you form it.....shearing stainless is not a problem but it does tear the guts out of most press tools.....approx half tool life before resharpening punches etc, clearances are different for diffent materials, and there are many different grades of stainless, and you can't just use any old lubricant on a press tool.The biggest problem most press users will have is the height between the bottom of the ram and the base, as this will determine the work you can do with the type of tool you require.Ian.
Reply:Well things are looking up a bit.  The punch does cycle smoothly, got some problem in the clutch timing but that is  probably dirt.So, I removed the crank... remove flywheel, remove bushing caps, roll it out.   Then to get the main piece off the crank I had to remove the outer end collar and bushing.  First I polished the shaft back smooth, otherwise those old pipe wrench lacerations would have made a mess of it.  Then using a little gear puller and some penetrating oil and gentle force (small hammer)  the collar came right off.  All clear and the broken piece came off easily. So I'm going to go get an assessment locally on welding it first.   See what that costs etc. Attached ImagesLincoln Power MIG 215Lincoln WeldPak 3200HDLincon ProCut 25Lincoln WeldanPower 225 AC/DCIf all else fails... buy more tools
Reply:" So I'm going to go get an assessment locally on welding it first. See what that costs etc "Being thats a structural weld on cast dismal is my prognosses. Make who ever says they can repair it show your some good cast welds, cause a sloppy cast weld is going to break on that.I still think I would remake it out of dom tube and a threaded coupler.Do you have a lathe? A piece of DOM tube and a boring bar and press fitting the bushing is going to be a better part.