Hydraulic forge press Question

Daniel Macina

Daniel Macina

Well-Known Member
I am sorry to bother y’all but figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. I am going to build a H frame press based off the Baston plans with a few modifications. One of the main ones being I’m thinking about beefing it up to about 50 tons. I think I almost have all the hydraulic end of things sorted out but since I want to build my press with significantly more tonnage than the plans I have are rated for how do I calculate how much to beef up my frame to support all the extra tonnage?

Also I am thinking I might do some modifications and have the ram come down from the top? As the plans are now the ram pushes up from the bottom into the top which just seems awkward to me.

Thanks guys.
 
I can tell you from experience..... whatever you believe is correct.... DOUBLE IT! The things you simply cannot calculate are the heating & cooling cycles, combined with the repetitions that cause the metal/steel to fatigue in ways that I still cannot wrap my head around.

If you're going to up the tonnage to what you indicated, I'd recommend that you have the ram on the bottom.....otherwise you WILL be repairing the press more than using it. It may seem strange at first with the ram/die coming up from the bottom....but you will quickly adapt, and it is far easier to build so the frame will endure with the ram on bottom.
 
@EdCaffreyMS just one more question for you then I’ll leave you alone. :p

in your opinion is it worth it to upgrade to a a 50 ton out of the gate as opposed to a 25 ton? I’m planning on lots of Damascus and some hammers and axes. Can’t see myself making much that isn’t Damascus.:D
 
The ONLY reason to go with a bigger press, is so it will handle bigger work.
DO NOT think of a press as something you can put a hot piece of steel in....and SQUASH it all at once..... well, you could, but you create WAY more of a mess than anything. Try to compress too much at once...and that material must go somewhere....and in the case of a press....it's gona go outwards ..... and once you "over press" something..... it's usually a lost cause, as it's nearly impossible to get the billet, can, or whatever back to a workable format.

Even with "Orange Crush" (my 80 ton press), I still only take 1/2" or less "bites" at a time....usually the "bites" are 1/4" or so. It's all about the surface area being pressed....the more square inches of surface area to press.....the more tonnage you need. The reason I can make "cans" that are 4" X 4" is because the press can compress that many square inches of area.... 1/4" at a time. The only difference with a 25 ton press is that the beginning size would have to be smaller..... my first press was 24 tons.....and the biggest I could work effectively with it, was about 2 1/2" X 2 1/2" cans.

Long story short....No, I don't think it's worth the upgrade as your first press. Why? You need to learn how to operate/work the press, and the material(s) you are working with. A press is totally different from a hammer..... a hammer works hot steel from the outside in..... a press works it from the inside out..... that may not make sense right now, but when you start using a press, note how the dies "suck" the heat out of the surfaces of what you're working....and the interior material "squashes" far more then the exterior. That's a VERY important thing to learn/understand before you start making a bunch of Damascus with a press...... the "same" intended pattern will be significantly different in the finished product when one is done in the press, and another with a hammer (power hammer or hand hammer). ;)
 
Last edited:
Thank you sir! That’s the one of the best explanations I’ve ever heard. I believe I’ll build the 25 ton that the book has plans for that way I’m not trying to figure out how to safely modify a press and can Learn without even more of a price tag!
 
Daniel, I built the "H" press using Baston's plans. It is not any problem with the ram on the bottom. I have wheels on the bottom so I can roll it around. I have a video on my Instagram account Benjys custom, it is the first video.
 
Benjy said:
Daniel, I built the "H" press using Baston's plans. It is not any problem with the ram on the bottom. I have wheels on the bottom so I can roll it around. I have a video on my Instagram account Benjys custom, it is the first video.
Click to expand...
Sweet! I will check it out!
 
I have a 20 ton Batson H press I built as well. I think it would handle 30 tons With no real changes. For more, The vertical ram guides would need to be stiffened. When the press hits the material the bottom edge of the ram wants to bow out under the pressure. Look at where the ram slides along it’s guides. I would use grade 8 bolts. welding would need to be deep root with multiple passes.
 
I wasn't going to bring it up....but Tracy's post made me think I should..... Something that is imperative when using a press.... that is, keeping the major mass of whatever you're working, as directly in line with the cylinder's ram as possible.
Do otherwise, like try to forge/press something on the outer edges of the dies, and you WILL break something.... welds, grade 8 bolts....it won't matter.
Years ago, when I had one of my first and only hammer-ins.... I had a well known Bladesmith, who at the time had never used a press, and when I wasn't watching, he tried to "pinch" about 1" of a billet on the outer edges of my press dies....and all of a sudden I heard POW!... he broke welds on both the top and bottom die holders. Trying to hold back my anger, I pointed to the welder, and the steel rack, and said.... "You broke it....you fix it!" GRRRRR! One more thing to understand when you're new to using a forging press!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top