I got a jewelry press!

Brian Marshall · Jul 25, 2014

Steve,

The Potter bracelet die works better with 16 gauge material... for us at least.

Learning to use jewelers saw is an extremely important basic skill. One that you should have perfected before investing in a press - IMHO

Kind of expensive to buy presses and dies for relatively few pieces per year?

Brian

Brian Marshall · Jul 25, 2014

Carlos,

Whenever you are bending or forming ANYTHING that has been engraved, think ahead.

Use painters tape, or one of the newer plastic protective tapes on both surfaces - inside and out. (And on the trailer hitch ball. New stretchy plastic tape)

If the rubber mallet is new, and everything protected with tape - it will leave no marks.

Don't use one as old as one of mine that has metal fragments imbedded in the rubber. It was used in an auto body shop before I got it and I have to keep hiding it from the students.

Brian

DakotaDocMartin · Jul 25, 2014

KCSteve said:
Don go to PotterUSA.com and look at their pancake dies

Here is one example from their website: Widest Bracelet Die BR003

Brian Marshall · Jul 25, 2014

Again, I will say - SPEND SOME TIME LEARNING BASIC SAWING SKILLS...

That die will make ONE item, over and over and over again. (works best with 16 gauge)

With a simple saw and the skills - you can make a new/custom/bespoke item every single time - out of ANY gauge material.

Brian

silverchip · Jul 25, 2014

Yer better off sawing out a die than using one that is cut with a laser as there is no kerf on these to speak of and they don't cut very clean. (voice of experience) If he ever figures out how to include a kerf that will cut well, then I would buy more.

griff silver · Jul 25, 2014

If im not mistaken the thickness of the materialcto be "PUNCHED" dictates the angle as well as kerf.. ex. 2degress for 18 ga. Is this right?

griff silver · Jul 25, 2014

I didnt mean to imply the design I posted was better than this press, I like this press. I do not beleive your 12 ton jack is capable of breaking this press if the welder was any good and it appears he was, It appears from the picture that the flat plates are 1" plate, and the sides seem to be made from 1/2" flat bar I believe your worst case senario is that if you over press the frame the sides will flex in and cause the press plate to seize, but i dont think 12 tons is enough to do that as it is divided by the area of your die. I simply offered up what I have and am going to show how I built it, if for nothing else food for thought and when im finished I will also post it in the bit and spur forums for those guys to mimick as we use the for bending cold rolled steel bar for mouth peices and such. truthfully mine is over made for my purpose these days which is pressing conchos, belt tips and buckles all jobs yours would easily do with proper urethane. And on the subject of pancake dies youll be making your own soon if not already and the press will be fine in my opinion.

KCSteve · Jul 26, 2014

Brian

I can saw, but the pressed blanks and faster and have cleaner edges. If I saw slowly enough to get clean edges then it really takes me a long time. Eventually my sawing will improve, it's just a matter of practice. But the press is quick. I'll keep a note on your 16ga recommendation.

Now that I have a few dies to look at I agree with your standard advice that it will be easier and cheaper to make my own, but it's good to have a set to compare against.

Interesting that a sawn die should work better for bracelet sized things than the laser cut one. After I scrounge up some appropriate metal I'll make a die for making bracelets for my ever-indulgent wife's delicate wrist and see how that works.

Griff I did the math and the most pressure I can put on that 5" x 8" plate with a 12-ton press is 667 lbs psi. I figure there's very little chance of breakage. But the reminder not to replace the 12-ton with a much bigger jack is very good to have.

Like I said, I'm going to be keeping a copy of the plans in the other thread for any future 'high power' press, assuming I ever need more than this little beauty will do. All I have to do now is clear the spot and bolt it down. For the first tests I just clamped it to the bench.

One thing I'm surprised at is how many people want to use a press to form bracelets when the GRS former works so well. Add in a little manual whacking afterward and you can do all the adjusting you want.

Brian Marshall · Jul 26, 2014

They want a press so that they can say they have one...

A chunk of baseball bat and rawhide mallet or trailer hitch ball and rubber mallet - just doesn't have the "romance" that a cute lil' press can have.

For the amount of use that a press actually gets in a shop the size of mine - the total hours of use during a year probably doesn't add up to 48 hours...
(the ones in the classroom do see more use)

I've seen a lot of presses that sit idle in a corner or under a bench for decades. And most of their owners don't bother to pet 'em or dust 'em like I do.

Brian

Don't get me wrong, a press is a great tool. But not that many forum members are engraving hundreds of identical shaped bracelets a year?

Haraga.com · Jul 26, 2014

Could someone please tell me how you make these dies and what is a jeweler saw?

DakotaDocMartin · Jul 26, 2014

Haraga.com said:
Could someone please tell me how you make these dies and what is a jeweler saw?

http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?17129-How-to-make-your-own-blanking-dies

Brian Marshall · Jul 26, 2014

Ummm, Doc.... I think Leonard was pullin' yer chain...

B.

Haraga.com · Jul 26, 2014

Sorry Doc but I felt the urge. What can I say.

Brian Marshall · Jul 26, 2014

I really hope that no one on here who snarfs up one of the cute little HF presses - decides to use those cast iron plates as platens...

I've got a fairly large job to do for the next coupla weeks.

Let me know if there are casualties (other than wallets bled flat) from these threads.

I did the best I could to prevent 'em.

B.

atexascowboy2011 · Jul 26, 2014

I'm with Brian!
UNLESS, you're going to be making 20-30-100 of the same old bracelets over the years, JUST SAW OUT A NEW DESIGN EACH TIME !
I too had the mentality of using dies when I first started out.
BUT, ONE teeny tiny design change and that die is worthless. My mind is CONSTANTLY, upgrading/tweaking each design.
Nowadays, I like to freehand draw my bracelets and cutting with a saw takes a whole 4-5 minutes.

Peter_M · Jul 27, 2014

Haraga.com said:
Could someone please tell me how you make these dies and what is a jeweler saw?

Just buy that cnc laser cutting table.... never mind the dies or a jewelers saw

silverchip · Jul 27, 2014

Haraga.com said:
Could someone please tell me how you make these dies and what is a jeweler saw?

LOL, Lenny you can be a funny guy sometimes.

Haraga.com · Jul 27, 2014

What can I say Dave. Peter, I want the laser cutter. Time money and room are the only things holding me back.

silverchip · Jul 27, 2014

Lenny, I know a few places that use a water-jet instead of a laser or blanking dies with a jewelers press to do lettering, filigrees and cutting out their blanks these days and forgo the expense and time it takes to do the tooling for their parts. But for forming a press comes in very handy.

Haraga.com · Jul 27, 2014

Dave I want the water jet also. A man can't have enough iron. I know someone that needs to acquire some iron to take their work to another level. Sacrifices Dave. You and I have made them. Others have not.

I got a jewelry press!

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