[Jewelry making - Article 00173] - Re: [Orchid] Automotive hydraulic die forming

[poirier]

========[ Invite a Friend - http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm  ]========

Hello Orchidians,

    I've read a number of postings recently regarding hydraulic forming.
    Let's talk about automotive presses, jacks, urethane, Bonny Doon
    presses, and how to make the right choice when making any purchase. 

    My first press was the front end of my truck. I had a 5 ton jack
    that I would stick under the front end axle, sandwich the gold in the
    conforming die and place it on top of the jack. When the front end
    started to lift I could figure on about 3000 lbs of pressure coming
    to bear on the metal. This was right after "The Metalsmith Papers"
    was published in 1981 and I was hooked by Mark Paisins article about
    hydraulic forming. It was almost ten years later that Lee Marshall
    engineered the first hydraulic press for metalsmiths. That press has
    gone through several improvements over the years always improving to
    become the best press for the metalsmith. 

    I've learned a lot since then, one important lesson was "Don't try
    to re-invent the wheel". If the right tool for the job is available
    it is far better economics to purchase it than to try to build it. If
    the right tool for the job is not readily available then you must
    determine if it is economically feasible to research, design, and
    engineer a new tool. 

    You should know that I do own an automotive press and Yes, an
    automotive press (which is designed to press bearings) can be used
    for metalsmithing applications, but it is certainly not as effective
    or efficient as a press designed for the sole purpose of
    metalsmithing and it's processes. I use my automotive press for
    pressing bearings only, which it does quite well. I came close to a
    serious injury once when I tried deep-drawing in the automotive
    press. 

    Ask yourself these questions: "What is my time worth", "What is my
    safety worth", and "What does my jewelry deserve"? Are you a
    professional jeweler, a retiree, a hobbyist? Each will have their
    own needs, but whether or not you are a professional jeweler, one
    that makes a good living by creating jewelry, or a retiree with
    limited time, or a hobbyist with a limited budget, an automotive
    press is going to prove itself expensive over time due to it's
    limitations, the extra time involved to setup dies, the lack of
    safety, the lack of expected results, and the lack of support. 

    Also Yes, the ram or jack that Bonny Doon uses is the same one you
    can buy from Harbor Freight for less than $40 (without gauge). If you
    want to put a gauge on it you'll need a mill ($) and specialized
    tooling to install the gauge, and then you'll need to learn how to
    port the pressure through to the gauge. You might convince a local
    machine shop to port the gauge for you. When you are finished you'll
    not only have spent lots of money, but lots of time too, this I can
    guarantee! ;-) There are many ways to build your own press but none
    of them will save you time or money over the long term. I know this
    intimately as I have built and used many "homemade" presses. Again,
    ask yourself, how valuable is your time? How important is it for you
    to obtain the right results when making your jewelry? 

    Understand that the new press frame from Bonny Doon is designed for
    the sole purpose of metalsmithing, and is built to a much higher
    standard than what is required of an automotive unit. All presses
    flex and stretch under pressure, some more than others. The
    automotive press frame will flex quite a lot when used. Here's a
    test: take a 3" circular blanking die and blank some 18 ga or thicker
    metal. The automotive press will usually go off with a very loud bang
    as the die shears the metal. This is due to the instant release of
    stored energy/force of the stretched frame springing back to rest. 

    The new MKIII Bonny Doon is designed and built to minimize flexing
    thereby minimizing the instant release of stored energy so you can
    blank without the annoying "shotgun blast" each time you pop a piece
    of metal. The lack of flex also allows for repeated results with more
    accuracy when using silhouette dies, conforming dies, non-conforming
    dies and coining dies. 

    At todays silver, gold and platinum prices can you afford to get
    less than perfect results each time you form your metal? 

    Now, let's talk about urethane! There are numerous formulations of
    urethane probably numbering in the thousands. You can purchase
    urethane and/or make your own, at quite an expense to you, your
    health, your time, and your wallet. The urethane from Bonny Doon is a
    formula designed for forming metal under less-than ideal
    circumstances, the metalsmiths shop, where small runs in various dies
    demand more from the urethane. I've seen lots of low quality urethane
    fall apart or crumble with little use due to it's inferior make.
    Rubber can also be used in place of urethane, but you will have
    troubles trying to repeat your results, you'll end up with lots of
    torn metal and unusable parts. As always, you will get what you pay
    for, especially when it comes to urethane. 

    "Buy once and buy well" is a saying from my mother who grew up
    during the depression when people could not afford to waste money. It
    was smarter economics then to spend $5 on a pair of long lasting
    leather shoes than it was to spend $2 on a pair of short-lived
    plastic shoes. 

    I sincerely hope this guides the prospective press buyer into making
    the right choice for their needs. I truly wish for all of you the
    time and inspiration to create beautiful and unique jewelry. Avoid
    the pitfalls of re-inventing the wheel and wasting your time and
    money on inferior tools. 

Sincerely,
G. Phil Poirier
____________________________________________________________________
T h e   O r c h i d   L i s t
Open Electronic Forum for Jewelry Manufacturing Methods and Procedures
____________________________________________________________________
Orchid FAQ:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/faq.htm
Orchid Archives:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/archive
Orchid Galleries:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/orchid/gallery.htm
Invite a Friend:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/invite.htm
____________________________________________________________________
Tips From The Jeweler's Bench - Article Archive
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/tip_sear.htm
The Jeweler's Selected Bibliography List
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/jewelry-books
Buy Orchid Jewelry:
~ http://www.ganoksin.com/shop
____________________________________________________________________
-Unsubscribe:
-Email: orchid-request AT ganoksin.com Body=unsubscribe subject=blank
____________________________________________________________________