hydraulic press questions

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
Messages
20,978
Hi Daniel,
These bottle jacks will generate the pressure but they are very slow. I have about one inch per second ram speed with my presses, with double acting cylinders. This bottle jack relies on return springs to retract the press. These springs are subject to losing their temper. You also have a valve to opperate after each down stroke. I might take 20 bites or squeezes per heat. Check out Don Fogg's press gallery for ideas. Jeff Carlisle makes the imagination Xpress. Batson has plans availible. You have lots of machines running in your state. Go with the AC powered hydraulic press, it is productive...Take Care...Ed
 
Have you ever used a bottle jack on your car Dan? Thats all those are is a 20 ton bottle jack in an H frame. The ram moves fairly fast under no load, but once you start trying to build pressure it takes a lot of pumping to get to full pressure.
I don't know anything about damascus other than the very little you can get from reading. My guess is that you might be able to set welds/start billets, but you'd never be able to manipulate or draw them out. I think your supposed to do all the manipulation at welding heat and you'd never work the jack that fast.
 
DAN, to slow, to slow, to slow, to slow. Don't waste your money because they are to slow and after you spend a few good bucks for this you'll have to come up with more good bucks to build or buy a press made for the job. Spend more in the beginning and save in the long run.

Bill
 
that's what I needed to hear guys....thanks.

Makes perfect sense now.


Actually, if I'm going to build/buy anything, it will probably be a power hammer. More suited to the way I work/think.
 
I apologize if I am jumping on this thread but this is something I've been interested in buying but don't know much about.

I live in the far northern area of Canada which makes it difficult to get things like a hydraulic press specifically made for knife making.

A company up in Canada has the following for sale in their catalog (not online):

30 Ton Hydraulic Shop Press
3,600 Max psi
Ram Stroke: 5.5"
Bed Width: 10"
Ram Speed: 23"/min extending & 27"/min restracting
Motor: 2HP, 3450rpm
Price:1749 CDN (about $1200USD)

From this description does this sound like a reasonable press for use in knife making?

Thanks for your input.

Sean
 
Sean, That press would be way to slow for me. This is a link that most of you guys thinking about buying or building a Hyd press will find helpful. It has all kinds of information on cylinders speed and tons of pressure you can acheve with differant setups. Ron
Hyd Press Info
 
Hey thanks Ron!

It looks like a very informative page. I will definitely check this out.

Sean
 
Howdy.....

I have a question for everyone....I already have a 25 little giant and dont care about drawing the mosaics out, I am more intersted in getting uniform initial welds and upsetting corners with the dies to keep everything from buckeling like it does on a powerhammer.....

I am thinking about a 4 ton log splitter electric and converting it to make the welds stick and upset the square or for butterbly creases.... any ideas...

or ways to make it cheap...don't want to spend another 3 grand....

Daniel Prentice

www.PrenticeKnives.com
 
I'm sorry to intrude on your guys conversation but the answer to everyones question I read is Jeff Carlisle's hydrolic press. He's in Montana but ships all over the US. They run about 2500 and are compact but have all the power you need. It's what I've run for years and works great. His phone number is 406 452-1246. His web site is www.swainsspring.com I don't know if he has the press on his website because thats not his main business but they are great presses built for the knifemaker.
josh smith
www.joshsmithknives.com
 
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