[TheForge] Rolling mill note

[theforge@mailman.qth.net]

> I tried a Blu Crusher- it works well but will only take an 1/8 in. per
>  pass. You can take three passes per heat though. The design is very
>  straight forward and some what simplified from the McDonald plan. 
 The mills I have made take only about an 1/8 inch per pass.  But since the 
rolls contact only a small amount of steel at a time it lets the steel stay 
hot longer.  
  The one problem I see with the Blu Crusher is that the hydraulic cylinder 
will not allow you to "ride the clutch" or to get really aggressive if the 
steel is rolling well.  I can judge by the way the steel feels and acts how 
hard to push the mill.  If the steel is moving well I can pull back on the 
lever really far and get a lot more squeeze.  This in my humble opinion makes 
the cam operated press work better than the hydraulic one.  I know that it 
sounds kind of funny talking about how the steel feels under the rolls, but, 
with a little practice you can really make this machine work well.  1/8  inch 
compression per pass doesn't sound too great, but, it really does move steel 
well and 1/8 inch per pass makes a lot of difference in the length since the 
steel spreads almost none side to side.

Trusting HIM,
Steve Rollert