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I've tried getting into Damascus lately but making it be hand takes to long and i cant get steady results. What is one of the best presses for an affordable price and will he reliable?
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What is the best and most affordable press for Damascus?
- Thread starter Titus hartley
- Start date
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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The Cold Iron presses are affordable and work fine for a small shop or hobby maker. They also have units up to large shop sizes, too.
One big plus for them in a tightly packed shop is the are mobile and can be moved around the shop floor as needed.
One big plus for them in a tightly packed shop is the are mobile and can be moved around the shop floor as needed.
weo
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This depends on what you consider affordable. If you give some guidance on your budget you can get more detailed answers. The cheaper ones run around $3K.
Any of the commercial forging press makers (Coal Ironworks, Gilmore presses, Big Blu, Riverside machine, etc... ) should have this covered, as well as many home-made presses made by individual smiths.
Yep, it all depends on budget and how much room you've got. I ordered the Coal Iron "12" ton press since it's fits the $3,000 budget and is small enough to move in 'n out of shop when used. Note, the "12" ton press uses a 3" cylinder which is only 9 ton at the spec'd 2550 psi. Per Coal Iron folks the "12" ton press was first designed 'n built with a 3.5" cylinder which would give a true 12 ton. They could the less expensive 3" cylinder would work good even though it was only 9 ton.
The press does NOT come with a pressure gauge, which was the first thing I added, and found I was only getting 8 ton. I wound up installed a 4" cylinder so I could get the full 12 ton at a reasonable pressure.
Even the 9 ton pressure works pretty good since the dies are only 1.5" wide so not so much metal is being squeezed with each press. The 1.5" width allows a 12 ton press to put about same pressure on the billet as a 3" wide billet does..... I think.
The press does NOT come with a pressure gauge, which was the first thing I added, and found I was only getting 8 ton. I wound up installed a 4" cylinder so I could get the full 12 ton at a reasonable pressure.
Even the 9 ton pressure works pretty good since the dies are only 1.5" wide so not so much metal is being squeezed with each press. The 1.5" width allows a 12 ton press to put about same pressure on the billet as a 3" wide billet does..... I think.