Logo press build for cold-stamping

P.Brewster

P.Brewster

Joined
Jul 25, 2007
Messages
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20-ton press I just built for a 0.2 x 1.4" logo stamp (stamp salesperson told me 10 tons would do it ... nope). I can show some disassembly pics if anything isn't self-explanatory. I wanted to avoid welds as much as possible - there are a few welds on the ram plate and on the top and bottom plates, none of which are taking any direct force.

The 1/2" thick ram plate is sandwiched between the two 1/2" thick frame plates. This is a similar concept to many grinder builds. The frame plates are spaced by two ram guide bars (hidden in the photo) and other 1/2" thick spacers, along with 0.005 shim washers. So the clearance is completely adjustable by loosening the bolts and moving the guide bars to the desired location. I can adjust the clearance in the other direction by swapping out the shim washers with a thinner/thicker washer. The action is smooth and linear.

The advantages with this design are:
(1) parallelism/squareness is achieved via CNC laser cutting rather than welding
(2) strength is achieved via the integral frame plates rather than welds
(3) the modular design allows components to be swapped out, and allows it to convert from a top-down to a bottom-up press

Logo2.jpgLogo1.jpg
 
Nice looking build.
The same design is use by several knifemakers. Some of us use an air assist bottle jack with a foot pedal to make it easier to operate. That frees up both hands.
 
Stacy - I thought about the air-assist, but figured I would start cheap.

Karl - do you have a pressure gauge with your 50 ton, or are you going by feel?

Thanks!
 
Nice press...

Thanks for showing us yours.
 
That looks very substantial.

Since nobody has asked I will. I'd love to hear an explanation of why you designed this tool the way you did (why did you bolt it instead of welding more of it?), what materials you used, and see pictures of it broken down.

I'm also curious where you got the dandy stamp.

Thanks

Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
 
Very nice bit of fab work there! :cool: Very cool with the laser cut and bolted parts (and that's coming from a guy that's a certified welder, LOL). :)



That's a whole lot of logo to press into steel!

Great looking mark. :)


Corey- I don't want to answer for the op, but I can tell you that welding warps things. If you have everything dialed in with your prep, your heat, your weld timing and movement anticipation... you can weld things that come out pretty damn square/parallel/straight/etc. But laser cut parts and bolts eliminate ALL of that worry.
 
Thanks Nick, my typing above preceded thinking about why Patrick made that press the way he did. Upon reflection it's obvious

With regard to precision welding (a very elusive thing to me btw), in my first several welding classes there was great emphasis placed on what you said about heat moving things around and that any degree of precision would require good layout/prep work, solid clamping on a FLAT surface, paying attention to alignment and carefully choosing where to start and end. Not doing those would probably mean cutting things apart and starting over.

There's a lot to be said for precision of Patrick's approach and the obvious muscle he built in to that tool.

I have to say that learning welding gives me a charge, after wanting to for many years. My wife asked today if my big woodworking tools were going to go away to make room for new (expensive) metalworking toys. It's obvious to me that welding is an art and requires developing muscle memory just as hand grinding a blade does.

Fun stuff making tools to make tools....................

Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
 
Thanks for the compliments fellas! Getting some smiles from Nick Wheeler caused me to swoon a bit!

To explain: I already had a welded press that I use for straightening. I usually use a 1.5-ton scissor jack for straightening but the frame can accommodate a 6 or 10 ton bottle jack. I first tried my stamp in the welded press, and two things were obvious: (1) 10 tons wasn't enough and (2) my huge logo would require a frame that is extremely rigid and parallel/square. I next bought a 12-ton HF press from craigslist to see how they solved the parallel/square problem ... they didn't.

So I figured my options were either (a) weld and then machine to parallel/square, neither of which I do in-house, or (b) go with laser-cut/bolt assembly. I don't laser in-house either, but its much cheaper and straightforward than saw/weld/machine.

I got the stamp from Infinity Stamps due to reasonable price (not the cheapest, not the most expensive), fast response to my inquiries, and 5-day turn around.

I'm happy to share the dxf file for the cut pieces if anyone is interested. Some aspects (top and bottom plate) could use some improvement.
 
I really like the design of that press, and I love that huge logo. I can see why you would need a press that ensures parallelism as well as perpendicularity. Isnt this a fun craft we have? There are so many satisfying diversions!
 
P.Brewster said:
Karl - do you have a pressure gauge with your 50 ton, or are you going by feel?
Click to expand...



No - by feel.
I know that once I make contact I have so much to go before impression begins.
I give my 50T a stroke or two and pull the knife out to look at it.
If I want more depth, I just set the stamp back in the impression and give it some 'more'.
Repeat until pleased.

That's why I use the 50 ton. More precise control with less effort.






 
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