fred815 Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 so I want to take the plunge on a press? Which one guys? Forget the wolter-firesmith!! That's jumping off a cliff. I'm not planning on anything bigger than 1 lb rockets etc. for now. Looked at the H.F. 12 and 20 ton. They seemed kinda rickety to me. I suppose a little carefull squaring up and my Mig welder to freeze it square. Some plate Gussets welded at the corners to beef it up would work? Or is it necessary for the range of pressures I'm looking at?? 12 or 20?? And a pressure gauge from firesmith or wolter for accuracy?? Any economical thoughts on this for me?
WonderBoy Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 I use the H.F. 12 ton A-frame press. I personally like the A-frame better than the H-frame. Here is a picture of mine:http://midlandspyroa...id=DSC_0032.JPG The main issues I have had, are that the provided press plates are not flat, and the end of the "press arm"(?) is not square. It is definitely not the best press, but it is serviceable. WB
nater Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 How handy are you? I made mine following Ned's plans on Skylighter. Yes, you will want a PtoF Gauge. Making sure each increment is pressed consistently and to the proper pressure is important. http://www.amateurpyro.com/forums/topic/7292-semi-portable-press/
Col Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) Thats a tidy homebrew Nate,At HF prices Fred could be better off buying one and doing some mods to stiffen up the frame. Homebrewing the PtoF is worthwhile if funds are tight, it will offset at least some of the cost for the blast shield.HF have the 10T short bodied rams on offer at $29.99http://www.harborfreight.com/10-ton-hydraulic-short-body-ram-95979.html Edited October 31, 2012 by Col
nater Posted October 31, 2012 Posted October 31, 2012 I could have made my press quite a bit cheaper if I had not used an air/hydraulic jack and if I were able to drill the thick metal and few welds myself. For me, the smaller footprint was more important than the cost, but I think the same design could be built for less than the HF models if you were good at scrounging up parts. No matter what design you go with, 12 tons is probably fine for most things excpet the largest rockets and CGSF. I also made a PtoF gauge, it cost about $40 in parts and about 10 minutes to put together.
Short5 Posted November 1, 2012 Posted November 1, 2012 I am guessing to make the PtoF gauge you screw a gauge into the short ram?
nater Posted November 1, 2012 Posted November 1, 2012 That is pretty much it. There are detailed instructions on Danny Cregan's website here: http://www.wichitabuggywhip.com/fireworks/ptof/ptof.html
Col Posted November 1, 2012 Posted November 1, 2012 If you screw a 3" piece of 12mm od clear pvc tubing into the ram, it`ll save getting hydraulic fluid everywhere when you`re purging the air.
fred815 Posted November 2, 2012 Author Posted November 2, 2012 Thanks At first I liked the A-frame till I saw on display. But as you say the ram arrangement looks like it will wander around some. Couple straps(Creagan's site) in an X pattern. A little mig welding and that sucker gets strong and square. And 12 tons is enough ? I wonder if I could adapt the HF hyd ram set to the H Frame.??? Ahhhh decisions decisions. That's what you guys are for!!!!! Thanks
Col Posted November 2, 2012 Posted November 2, 2012 12 tons should be enough to do 4" comets and 2" id whistle rockets.
FrankRizzo Posted November 2, 2012 Posted November 2, 2012 12 tons should be enough to do 4" comets and 2" id whistle rockets. That's true, but gettting the required leverage to pump the jack to 10,000PSI to reach that 12-ton rating can make your arm sore pretty quick. If you can get a good price on a 20-ton instead, you'll be much happier.
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