We don't use much concho's here in the Netherlands Haraga but it's interesting to see how they are made.
Specialy the way you made the cutting tool I will keep that in mind.
Thank you very much for showing.
Willem
Thank you for showing those. I have wanted to make some flat top dies for a long time. I bet the flat-top conchos are significantly more fun to engrave than the traditional domed conchos.
Thanks a bunch for showing the process. I love the look of flat top conchos maybe even more than the domed ones. Did you make the dies or did you have them made? Charlie
When I saw "Flat top Concho dies" next to the obituary I posted I thought "Oh no not another one!" I thought that "Flat Top" Concho was maybe an engraver from Arizona or New Mexico.
Now I will have to add a bigger lath to my "neeeeeeed" list.
Thank you for posting this Leonard. On those cutters, how do you cut them out? Looks like with a jewelers saw since there isn't much gap. Could they be cut on a laser?
For those not wanting to make their own dies(sometimes called pancake dies), here's a company in N.M. that will make them for you http://www.sheltech.net/home.html
No affiliation, learned of them from GRS class with Jeremiah Watts. Jeremiah spoke well of them.
Jerry
For those not wanting to make their own dies(sometimes called pancake dies), here's a company in N.M. that will make them for you http://www.sheltech.net/home.html
No affiliation, learned of them from GRS class with Jeremiah Watts. Jeremiah spoke well of them.
Jerry
Leonard, do you cut your pancake dies with a jig or freehand to get the 5 degree angle and what size saw blade do you use. I have attempeted to make some and didn't ct them at an angle and used a pretty big blade and they won't cut clean.
Thanks, Merry Christmas,
Bill
I have a question about your doming die set. I see that the positive die has a radius to it, does the negative die have a corresponding radius or does it have straight sides that meet the bottom at a 90 degree angle. The reason I ask is that I need to make a set of dies that will take a thin copper disk and raise the outer radius to make a dish with a rounded edge.
The kick press has a solid plate on the top and bottom that impacts the cutting die. I use a 2/0 saw blade to make the cut. It is done freehand. The female die does not have the corresponding radius with the male die.
Indeed that cutter Haraga just posted is an excellent tool, and I have used it for years to punch out rough outlines for silver keys on flutes. Rio Grande sells a nice kit, I believe? The beauty of the arrangement is that, ideally, you make or purchase a hand operated jewelers fret saw that maintains a constant angle, usually inclined to about 70 degrees rather than 90 degrees. You draw out your outline, drill a couple of holes through 1/16 inch 'gage plate' ( hardenable carbon steel sheet),
By cutting at an angle, once complete, springing the flexible inside back into the outside, the top of the plate nicely fits the bottom of the plate, and 'kerf' loss disappears effectively. Male and female components are still the one piece of steel and you simply flex them apart, stick your silver between them and apply shearing force with jack or press.
You can punch out 16 swg silver plate no problem all day long. No need to harden the gage plate.
I confess, I looked at the Rio Grand kit, and made up my own, including screw press.
Big time saver.
I do like the rust on Haraga's rig .... nice look to it!
PS Just saw posted the excellent site for buying ready made pancake dies... very good prices!
The one thing that rusted everything in the room overnight was when I left the cap off of a Silva Brite flux bottle. I found out the hard way that if the angle of the cut is too much then I had a hard time pushing the cutter through the outer part of the die.
That is all some good information Thank You to all of you.
Never tried cutting into steel with a jewelers saw, might not be as bad as I thought. Specially since we are talking just thin material, I had envisioned having to hack away at 1/2" steel plate. Have to give that a try. Guess that press project got to move up on the list.