ladder pattern dies?

[DanGraves]

I have some dies I bought from Riverside Machinery (uncle Al) and they are sticking to the Damascus billet. I use WD40 and try to keep them filed down (from mush rooming after pressing). Anyone out there got any tips on preventing them from sticking? Thanks.

 

[jdm61]

I have never had either of those problems with mine. I take small "bites" with them.

 

[Kentucky]

can you chamfer the edges of the ridges just a tiny bit so it slides out easier? maybe that's what you meant you already did? I do know one guy who rounded the tops of his ladder dies to stop sticking..Just a though Dan.

 

[Britt_Askew]

Dan I have no first hand experience yet / just trying to read and absorb all the info on it I can now and one day if I live long enough ... but I remember reading a solution to this problem recently. Check post 13 in this thread http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...finish-Work-In-Progress-by-Eduardo-Berardo-JS

 

[hardingknives]

I believe that I heard soy oil brushed on eliminates sticking yep-post above

 

[Will52100]

Hmm, will have to give the soy oil a try. I made my ladder pattern dies from cold rolled, already rounded. What I did was to cut all to length, just a little wider than I needed for the block sitting on the mounting plate, then lined them all up and welded the ends of every other one, set the top block on and welded every other one, set in the press and lined every thing up and welded the block to the mounting plates. Thing is, there's just a little clearance between each bar, and there round, so no key holes to lock the billet up. I use a stop block to set my depth since these dies will just about pinch a billet in two if you keep going.