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  #1  
Old 04-22-2013, 11:17 AM
jdale jdale is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Lansing MI
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Damascus press and forge WIP

Thanks to my tax return and recent knife sales i have been able to justify to myself the purchase of some new shop toys. I will be documenting my progress in creating my damascus press and welding forge. I since I know the insane amount of pressure (and the fact i cant weld for crap) the press frame will have to endure i decided to modify a 20 ton Harbor freight shop press to suit my needs.

[IMG][/IMG]

I had to upgrade to a 20 ton air/ hydraulic bottle jack $89
20 ton shop press $127
21 gallon air compressor (harbor freight) $169
misc hoses, fittings $17

I didnt like that the original press arm was so narrow and had a pin for removing bearings. I upgraded to a 7 gauge square tube 4" wide so i will be able to work a longer billet.

[IMG][/IMG]

[IMG][/IMG]

Once i cut away all the pieces i wanted to re use on the new beam i realized the steel pin went all the way through the original beam. I decided to grind a little off of the old beam so it would fit into the new beam, so i wouldn't have to drill a hole into the new beam to fit reinforcement into it. I welded the piece of pin onto the original beam so i would have reinforcement the entire width of the new beam.

[IMG][/IMG]



7 gauge tube $30
2 x 4010 steel plates for use as welding dies $6

total cost of build thus far. $438

I will keep posting as i make more progress, tonight i will be getting a large piece of steel to serve as the table for the lower die.

If anyone has any suggestions or sees any mistakes i am making feel free to let me know.
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Old 04-22-2013, 01:16 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Just be careful and test this thing very carefully BEFORE you start putting hot steel in it....


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Old 04-22-2013, 01:44 PM
jdale jdale is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Rogers View Post
Just be careful and test this thing very carefully BEFORE you start putting hot steel in it....
I will be doing extensive testing before the first true run, but i am not too worried as i am only strengthing the original design. I am not placing any welds in areas that will be put under shearing stress, and I have a tendency to over engineer anything that i make. The only modification i am making that worries me is that i am attaching wheels to it so i can move it when not in use. I plan on adding reinforcement to the bottom of the press so it can hold weight as it is currently very top heavy.
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Old 04-22-2013, 03:29 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Other people have made similar mods to that press so I don't think there's much doubt about whether or not it can be done. But, adding 3 or 4 pounds of glowing steel to the press will change the overall dynamics - the hydraulic cylinder, the dies, the frame, everything will get much hotter after a few cycles. Seals might weaken, hoses could soften, frame might begin to flex where it was rigid before. That's a small press with little room between the hot parts and the parts that shouldn't get too hot. For all that, others do it and it seems to work for them - just be extra cautious, wear eye protection, cotton clothes, and don't assume anything .....


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Old 04-27-2013, 08:59 PM
jdale jdale is offline
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I was able to get a lot of time in the shop today. I got the wheels attached to the press, new holes drilled and tapped in the jack and attachment plate. I welded up the entire upper beam including the upper die holder. I did a test run with the press and a block of pine it crushed it but the jack didnt seem to be working right. Every time I stopped pumping it up the jack would slowly rise back up.

I should finish the up the press up tomorrow, then on to the forge. I have an 11 gallon propane tank for the body, 70 CFM bathroom fan for the blower and a rolling cart to hold the entire set up.


FYI, i cant weld for crap.

[IMG][/IMG]





[IMG][/IMG]
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Old 04-28-2013, 08:58 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Finally! Somebody who welds worse than I do! Actually, there isn't much difference but I really want to weld better than somebody...anybody, so I'm picking on you.

Have you made dies in other shapes yet? You'll need drawing/stretching dies even more than flattening dies ....


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Old 04-28-2013, 09:07 AM
jdale jdale is offline
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I have some round stock but I haven't cut it down the middle yet. And in my defence this is only the 3rd or 4th time I have used a welder.
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Old 04-28-2013, 11:06 AM
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Naboyle Naboyle is offline
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Maybe I can come give you and Ray a crash course in welding! Remember its all about speed and feed!
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Old 04-28-2013, 11:23 AM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Round stock doesn't make the best stretching dies, actually. It tends to try to cut the billet in half rather than stretch it. Careful application of a round die will stretch the billet but it also usually leaves it very wavy and there is a limit to how much surface irregularity those flat dies can remove.

A small square bar makes a better stretching die, IMO (not that I'm really any expert on this stuff but I have used all these things quite a bit). My dies are made from 2" square bar and I have a 1" set as well. I expect you'll be working on smaller billets than I usually do so you might try the 1" bar first.

A set of squaring dies may also be useful, depending on exactly what you intend to be making.

Naboyle,

Thanks for that thought. I can actually run a nice bead with ol' sparky when I'm welding my billets together. Nice, simple, horizontal welding. Fortunately, I don't have much need to do any other type of welding but when I do, it comes out as a gorilla weld similar to J's ...


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Old 04-28-2013, 01:50 PM
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Naboyle Naboyle is offline
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Ray do you know the welders definition of a gorilla weld? It's ugly as hell but strong as an ox!
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Old 04-28-2013, 02:38 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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I didn't know there was an official definition for it but that pretty well describes my welds in the limited situations where I can make a weld at all. For damascus billets and knife tangs I do we well as the job requires. For general welding applications it's hit or miss ....


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Old 04-29-2013, 10:01 AM
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BCROB BCROB is offline
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looking good JD , keep the pics coming !!
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