Please teach me about metal presses

[grommit]

Well,
Owen,Mick,john,Dave,Will,,Matt n all the guys who have either replied,PM'd or texted reference power hammers! I just want to say my little Geordie head is fried
I've watched utube on power hammers and pattern welding til the point that I am happy, ordered books, watched dvd'd, the latest ones were well advanced by Ed Caffrey and chad Nichols.
And this is all before I even see one in the flesh

Now what has really mashed my brain is what Owen was getting at on one of his replies to my thread
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/...mer&highlight=
And especially his closing comments:
I would add that any power hammer is infinitely better than none, they are life changers second to none when it comes to forging, well unless you want to talk about presses.......

Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
My head hurts,
Nearly every DVD or utube clip I have watched in the last few days the guys have been using various presses.
So please can you guys help me work out if I need a press or hammer for my initial plan.

Owen
You crafty so n so! You knew it would be a matter of time till I asked about presses.
My plan to forge to bar of Damascus then eventually forge a full blade stays the same.

I think you may ask what my opinion is,well I initially think a press would be GEORDIE friendly..or more useable for me.
TBT in the long run when my pension lump sum comes through I'll prob buy both, but I think the proof is simple.
Get my butt over to you guys for teaching n see what's what, but jus wanted expert opinions?
My transport problems ain't gonna be that much of a problem with a brand new truck at work with a lovely big winch...pity its painted green n stands out like a saw thumb!

Sorry for doing all you bladesmiths heads in over the past few weeks, but I am consistent
Take care
Bri

[grommit]

I have read the thread Matt posted some time ago and it's great info.
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/...ight=Fly+press

I'm still a numbskull Geordie though
Bri

[Greenbeast]

have you booked yourself on a course yet?

[grommit]

have you booked yourself on a course yet?

No not yet, haven't had time my mate.
Hoping work slows down, but I'm over Hereford way soon so hoping to pop and see Will and see how these beast go on.
Cheers m8,
Bri

[John N]

taken a couple of weeks ago at the hammer emporium...... visualise the future

[owen bush]

what size is that john?
and is it going where I think its going?

[Mick Maxen]

Never having had a forging press its difficult to comment. I can see that they would be very good for some serious mosaic damascus.They have the advantage of being a lot quieter unless you have a pump and motor that whines.
Most of the power hammer work in damascus making is for drawing the billet out and I think it would be quicker than using a press.
A press can be more accurate if you have limit stops wired up but I can forge out a bar under the air hammer to within about 0.5mm which is good enough for what I do.

Basically a press is able to do work that a power hammer can't and visa versa. Horses for courses.

Mick.

[Mr Happymoose]

taken a couple of weeks ago at the hammer emporium...... visualise the future

Slightly off topic for which I apologise but that's an interesting looking wagon, is it ex-Army John??

[owen bush]

presses in short.........

not sure how to put them in context really.
I have a 200 (or 250) tonne press and it will squish most stuff slowly (50mm square mild upset into its self cold ).
I have a 2 inch per second press(less than 20 tonne, about 12 at the mo) that I use for punching and forging its quite a tool.
My newly installed hammer has taken up most of the work the press was doing.
however to put it in context , when I had the press set at 18 tonne it was out forging my 150lb power hammer easily.
speed is the key for a press , they work very poorly on cold metal and suck the heat out of metal and make it cold , on hot thick steel a press is amazing.
presses are quieter than a power hammer and do some things better and some not so well.
A power hammer and a press make a great team and either one is massively better than nowt . I guess at this stage I should probably not mention how good rolling mills are for pattern welding?

[grommit]

Slightly off topic for which I apologise but that's an interesting looking wagon, is it ex-Army John??

Bedford MJ....4x4 one of the best wagons I had the pleasure to drive..just got rid of my 2 late last year, one with winch.

[Greenbeast]

I guess at this stage I should probably not mention how good rolling mills are for pattern welding?

hehe! Owen you're terrible.

[grommit]

presses in short.........

not sure how to put them in context really.
I have a 200 (or 250) tonne press and it will squish most stuff slowly (50mm square mild upset into its self cold ).
I have a 2 inch per second press(less than 20 tonne, about 12 at the mo) that I use for punching and forging its quite a tool.
My newly installed hammer has taken up most of the work the press was doing.
however to put it in context , when I had the press set at 18 tonne it was out forging my 150lb power hammer easily.
speed is the key for a press , they work very poorly on cold metal and suck the heat out of metal and make it cold , on hot thick steel a press is amazing.
presses are quieter than a power hammer and do some things better and some not so well.
A power hammer and a press make a great team and either one is massively better than nowt . I guess at this stage I should probably not mention how good rolling mills are for pattern welding?

I'm still reading up on the old advice n links etc after all these months.
still haven't lost the urge and drive to get pressing or power hammering.
Owen
I'm really not gonna look up rolling mills..... :-)