[TheForge] Tungsten

[Andrew Vida]

Ralph Sproul wrote:
> Hochewa, Thanks for the reply - and I definitely second Steve's question in
> what alloys might be considered good for this slit/drift process in a press?

	M2.  High speed steel - high red hardness and perhaps the toughest of 
the HSSs (e.g., lowest notch sensitivity that I know of).  Forges very 
nicely (I used to make plane irons from it), is a serious bitch to 
grind, and has very good properties, overall except that it's on the 
pricey side, but nothing like pure W.

	One thing about punching/slitting/drifting on a press that will help 
save tooling is a stripper, which will hold the work down as the ram is 
withdrawn from the work.  This need be nothing fancier than a a set of 
adjustable arms under which the work is placed in the press.  The 
stripper need not even be adjusted to make contact with the work (indeed 
it should not), but rather it hovers above it and prevents it from 
rising with the tool as the ram withdraws.  Like so:

                                |___________|
                                    |   |
                                    |   |
                                    |   | <-- punch
                                    |   |
                                    |   |
                                 _  |___|  _
                                |_|       |_|<-- strippers
                     ____________________________________
                    |                                    |
       Work -->     |                                    |
     _______________|____________________________________|______________



                                |___________|
                                 _  |   |  _
                                |_| |   | |_|<-- strippers
                     _______________|   |________________
                    |               |   |                |
       Work -->     |               |   |                |
     _______________|_______________|   |________________|______________
                                    |___|
               Punch


                                |___________|
                                    |   |
                                    |   |
                                    |   |
                                    |   |
                                 _  |   |  _
                     ___________|_|_|   |_|_|___________
                    |               |___|               |
            ↑       |               |   |               |
                    |_______________|___|_______________|
     _________________________________________________________________

               Withdraw

Strippers should be adjustable with minimal fuss, but more importantly 
they cannot interfere with the motion of the ram, which presents a 
safety hazard.  Having a piece of steel go pinging its way across the 
shop at high speed is an experience I cannot recommend to anyone.