press running

jdm61

jdm61

itinerant metal pounder
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
47,357
I finally hooked up and filled up my press and did some test cycling. It works and i didn't set the shop on fire or have my arm cut off by a stream of 1500 PSI hydraulic fluid:thumbup: The only problem that I have now is that I have to grind down the ram and "anvil" because for some reason, Jeff didn't check to make sure that the two pairs of die holders that he sent along with the press actually fit the thing!!!!:eek: I got the bottom one done, but I have to do some more griding with the old angle grinder and flap wheel on the top one. Hopefully, I will be stomping hot steel tomorrow:D The great thing about it is that it is VERY quiet compared to anything that resembles a hammer.
 
Joe,
Quiet AND functional...?....Will you be posting pics..?
 
Russ Andrews said:
Joe,
Quiet AND functional...?....Will you be posting pics..?
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LOL....if i don't kill myself with it first. I even had a set of blade beveling dies made up, which, alog with the drawing and flatting dies should go a long way with preventing a relapse of my tennis......or is it blacksmiths elbow:thumbup:
 
Probably a record for, owning a press the longest before trying it out :D

It should make short work, knock down all that W2 :)
 
Very probably a record, Don. Hell.....that 25 lb LG is still out in Oklahoma...lol. I'm not sure what the current tonnage is. Either 16 or 20. This was Jeff Carlisle's personal press. Not sure about the motor either. It does "squeal" when it is actually under load. When itis just moving the ram, there is almost no noise at all.
 
Well, I tried some forging today. The press does not appear to have quite as much punch as I thought it would. It is running at 1500 PSI under load. It that right? Any of you guys who have an Imagination Xpress, I would sure like to hear from you.
 
What do you want to know Joe ??? :D

I LOVE mine!!! :D :thumbup:

When I first started working with mine (about 7 years ago) I kind of thought it wasn't squishing all that hard either. But then I realized I wasn't maximizing physics to my advantage in that I wasn't always using the best dies for the job OR maximizing said dies' potential.

Say for instance, you are drawing out a damascus billet. If you have a 3" wide die and take a 3" wide bite... it's tough going. BUT, if you use the front half of the die (it's gotta be welded up strong with no slop on the "shoe") you can take a hell of a bite!

Also, it really helps drawing if you make up actual drawing dies with a crown. Almost ALL of my dies are combo dies. Everybody says you have to keep all the work right under the ram and that if you don't the forgings won't be square. But I have NOT found that to be true.

Mine was kind of floppy on the base, so I made up a 4X4 (wood) base to screw the existing 1/4" steel base to. It made it more solid AND put it at a much more comfortable height. Since I think you and I are about the same height, it's something for you to think about.

I also made up an angle iron brace that runs from the base up the the steel tray I put around the bottom die receiver.

I never did get my sticker :grumpy: ;)

Between the lack of the sticker and the brace/die rack on mine, most folks don't recognize it as an Imagination Xpress, but it definitely is.

I'll see if I can go find some pics to help out with all the verbosity of my post :D
 
Okay, I'm also all into things being organized, so I made up a jig to make round handles for every die. They all hang in place on the rack under the tray. I also have guage blocks made up and stored on the tray. Everything from shim stock to 1-1/2" thick (with all thicknesses in-between)

I also changed where the handle is.

Hope these pics give you some ideas :) Note I painted the top and bottom different colors. It's not hard to tell which die is top and bottom, but when you have a 2200F billet in one hand and you're switching something out with the other hand, color coding suddenly seems like a good idea! :p


Knocking down 1" W1 (EASY!)
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Same thing up close
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Forging a tang down
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Lateral drawing dies. These are so worth building! They can really save you when you get a forging that isn't quite as wide as you need. You can make 1" round-stock REALLY wide with these. :D
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These last two pics just show the angle iron frame and tray, and also how the dies hang underneath it.
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BTW- my welding has improved a ton since I made those dies (5 or 6 years ago), so don't pick on me TOO much ;)

Ah, hell, you can pick on me all you want, but just know I don't suck quite so bad anymore :D
 
Thanks Nick. I had some beveling dies made up, but I for sure made then WAY too wide.....3 inches. I think I will have to have them knocked down to 1 inch or so. My drawing dies are 1 1/2 wide, but only have rounded off corners. They works great for squeezing down 1/4 inch stock for tangs or making stock a little narrower, but it seems to have a little trouble biting inot 3/4 round bar. Maybe I should take smaller bites. I think that I will need a pair of those sideways drawing dies prety soon. My drawing dies have also have the 6 inch plates for straightening. When I put that one on the bottom and the regular 3 inch on the top, it works fantistic for taking the kink out of the back of the blade from drawing out the choil and really defining the bottom of the ricasso. What is your pressure gauge reading when you are squishing? I know that Ed Caffrey bumped his up from 16 tons to somewhre over 20, but i am a bit hesitant because I'm still scared of the damn thing...lol:eek::D
 
Ok Joe, now quit playing with your new toy and get that newbie blade forged out! :D

-d
 
deker said:
Ok Joe, now quit playing with your new toy and get that newbie blade forged out! :D

-d
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I know. I had to make sure the damn press wasn't going to eat that billet....lol. I admit that I made this harder on myself than it needed to be. Y thought that I was going to have to forge that little scroll thingy.:eek:
 
Nick, I really like those lateral drawing dyes :thumbup:. I'm sure going to make a set for my press.

Press.jpg


Those welds would sure be REJECTED if they were on an assembly that was going into a nuclear submarine, but I think they'll more than be adequate for the mission they're assigned to now :D.
 
Page,

Other than the motor, it has all the same hydraulics as Big Bertha, as my motor is under powered, I had to turn the pressure down (at the operating valve) from 3000# to 2500#. At 3000# it is supposed to be a 25 ton press. That being said, IG's has more power at the dyes, if I upgrade my motor, I should have equal pressure at the dyes.

It's kinda funny, when I built it I was concerned about clearance of moving parts, duh, I now realize that I've got this kind of power, so clearance is not a real big issue. I've since removed most side to side and front to back clearance and the steel squishes a lot straighter than before, no more curve to the right.

As Nick said, your dyes have a lot to do with the amount of steel you can compress at one time
 
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