So Which Is Better fot Damascus

I am really looking forward to visiting Ron when the press is done. Knoxville is a great town...kinda grew up there as a kid and still have family all over the place in that area.

I can't drive on Kingston Pike without singing Robert Mitchum's version of "The Ballad of Thunder Road" :rolleyes:

My junkpile of metal under the shop bench hopefully will soon be reduced to some great bars of steel.

As far as the ideal shop...well, I will have one of these great presses, and I do have a creek that runs right behind my shop.
 
Hi Greg,
My name is Larry Kemp, and I'm a press-a holic.
I bought #003 from Ron Claiborne, and started to squeeze everything I have been accumulating for years.It's hard to take time out to finish a knife now! Gee, if I made a twist here, and squeezed it there, and add a little more nickel?

Seriously though, I have been thrilled with my press. There is nothing that went wrong. Brought it back from his hammer-in in the back of my pickup, set it up, wired it, and started using it. That simple. I Love It! Here is a picture,(if it works). Ron also sent me pictures during the fabrication, and you can e-mail me at larry@kempknives.com for some with a little more detail. Good luck with it!
ronlarrypress.jpg

Hey, maybe we should start a Rons presses owners group?
 
Thanks for the great pic Larry.

I am really looking forward to turning my steel graveyard into some cool damascus.
 
OK, I have a question. You press guys (hopefully i will be one someday) say that the press will draw out a big billet faster than a hammer. What size billet do you start with? My initial billet starts at 17 layers and is about 1 x 1 x 12. Then I draw it out until she is around 3/8 thick, triple it and reweld.

So i go from square to flat. Do you guys with a press go from a tall billet to square and then cut and restack? I guess it all comes down to what your definition of big is. Big for me is 1.5 inches square, and I think that is about all that my hammer can handle. In that respect a press would be better than a hammer.

Plus the fact that the press always delivers the same force no matter what the thickness of the billet. Where hammers have a sweet spot where they are most efficient. My 25 pounder does best when the billet thickness is 0.75 or less.

Looks like I am talking myself into buy/building a press. Hey, tax returns are coming back soon. :D
 
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