I just did a tool tryout on a male press die for pressing O gauge tinplate coach bodies (1937 Victorian Railways Spirit of Progress stock). Just a temporary setup, Male die only with a piece of brass sheet as a female die/intensifier. My technique is to spark erode a male die, get it heat treated, then if I have or can find a press with sufficient tonnage, press into some ground mild steel plate to create a female coining die.
This time around, the people who made the male die and who normally pony up a 500 ton press to do the necessary have had a breakdown, and because I am just about their only customer for using the 500 ton press these days, haven't fixed it. So there it sat while a lot of more urgent things happened, for about 3 years now.
Finally I have felt like I can get my head above water and did some sums to see if there was any way I could make the female die (short of finding another 500 ton press). It seemed on paper that I might be able to do it with my 60 ton press so I decided to have a go at (a) trying to press a blank by using the male die and a sheet of brass on the female side to see if it looked ok and (b) play with pressing into some mild steel and see if it can be formed into the female die. Sums said in theory it would work, so inspired I rushed out to the garage and had a go.
Below are the section of coach side blank- no alignment tools so it is slightly out of whack. Still, I'm happy. Checking with some scrap steel I found the press has enough tons to form the mild steel too, so I am well pleased. Now I can start building a proper die setup! And behold! Steel coaches! Finally I can get on with it!
This time around, the people who made the male die and who normally pony up a 500 ton press to do the necessary have had a breakdown, and because I am just about their only customer for using the 500 ton press these days, haven't fixed it. So there it sat while a lot of more urgent things happened, for about 3 years now.
Finally I have felt like I can get my head above water and did some sums to see if there was any way I could make the female die (short of finding another 500 ton press). It seemed on paper that I might be able to do it with my 60 ton press so I decided to have a go at (a) trying to press a blank by using the male die and a sheet of brass on the female side to see if it looked ok and (b) play with pressing into some mild steel and see if it can be formed into the female die. Sums said in theory it would work, so inspired I rushed out to the garage and had a go.
Below are the section of coach side blank- no alignment tools so it is slightly out of whack. Still, I'm happy. Checking with some scrap steel I found the press has enough tons to form the mild steel too, so I am well pleased. Now I can start building a proper die setup! And behold! Steel coaches! Finally I can get on with it!
