Keeping dies clean on a press

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Dan Graves

Well-Known Member
I just got the 24 ton press from Riverside machine. Did some upgrades on it before I ran it such as hydraulic fluid filters and a air breather filter. Then a better on and off switch as it came wired with a 120 on and off switch that just turns off one 110 supply on the 220 motor (leaving one power line hot at all times). Than I started running it. Great power but the dies are mild steel and they get very built up with scale. Does anybody have any good tips on getting less scale on them. I replaced the dies on my power hammer with 4140 steel and I never have scale build up. is it the mild steel or is it just that presses do this?
 
Dan,

It's the press, and the way it works....over the years I have tried just about everything I could think of to keep the scale from sticking to dies....PAM, MIG welding non-stick spray and paste, beeswax, etc, ect., nothing works very well, or for very long. I've adapted over time by using the least amount of flux I feel I can get away with on billets. I keep a chipping hammer on a shelf where all my press dies are stored, and when buildup occurs, I chip it off and keep on working.

Changing what type of steel the dies are made of won't make any difference....early on I got the bright idea that D2 would make great press dies....flux still sticks to them, and they deform at nearly the same rate that mild steel dies do....a BIG waste of money on my part. I've also tried a number of other alloys, include 4140...all with the same results.
 
Thanks Ed. Bummer, I was really wishing there was some magic here. Well you saved me the effort of getting high dollar steel. Again, thanks.
 
Mine are all mild steel also and flux seems to be the problem. I use very little flux to minimize the build up. After the welding is done I just scrape it off and clean up the dies on the belt grinder. Just a fact of life.
 
Builds up on my Claiborne press dies also. I keep a big file on the shelf and hit it as it builds up while forging. Every so often I use an angle grinder with flap disk to clean them up.
 
When it comes to press dies mild steel is the only way to go, except for the cutoff, h-13 beats out everything elses I have tried.
 
Here is a tip I got from Bladeforum. Get a chunk of beeswax, and coat the dies when they get warm. Something about the burned beeswax keeps the flux from fusing with the steel dies. If you do get some flux buildup, just tap with a hammer and it flies right off. It will require recoating a few times before the wax soaks into the pores of the steel dies, it works for me.
From Bill Burke: +1 for the bees' wax. Gary house showed this trick to me a few years ago and it works good. We just keep rubbing it on the hot dies during the forging sessions.
 
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