[TheForge] Making dies for cutting sheet metal?

[CGRAF]

If all you need is four. Laser or waterjet.
The dies while entertaining will be too pricy for the task.

Do these need to be exactly the same or just visually so?
If just visually could you pull it off with a aviation snip like double 
cutter?

Mike Graf

On 3/14/2014 7:22 PM, Bruce . wrote:
> I've been working on a project, and I'm trying to find the best way to make
> one part.  The part is something like comb in appearance (so that's what I
> call it) but the 2"-long "tines" are 1/4" wide and spaced at 1/4".  The
> ends of the tines are thinner and curve.  Each tine is exactly like the
> next.  The whole comb could be made from sheet steel no thicker than
> 1/16".  I need at least four, and probably eight of these combs.
>
> I've considered a number of ways of manufacturing the tines, then welding
> or brazing them to the comb back, but I'm now leaning away from this
> approach.
>
> At the moment, I'm thinking of cutting these combs of sheets of 1/16" or
> thicker steel (depending what I can cut with a jeweler's saw).  This would
> be tedious and time consuming, but there are worse jobs in the world and
> I'm sure it would work.
>
> The best alternative I can thing to this idea is to use a punch and die to
> cut the tines.  I can drive the punch using my 20-ton forging press.  It's
> the die itself that is the problem.  It would basically be a 1/4" width,
> rounded somewhat on one end, but with a complication at about 1/75" from
> that rounded end, making the punch look slightly like a lower-case "b".  In
> principle, the job could be done with two or three punches of simpler form,
> used sequentially.  If so,
>
> So my question for this group is, how feasible is it to make such tools
> myself?  The only text I have on the subject is Don Streeter's book,
> "Practical Blacksmithing", in which he makes it sound easy enough, but
> doesn't give explicit instructions -- only a general description.  It seems
> to me that a lot of effort could go into making these tools -- which would
> be fine if they work, but a PITA if they don't.  Sizing of punch and die
> would be critical, and Streeter seems to address this by making the die
> after making the punch, and using the punch to help make the die.
> Alignment of punch and die would also be critical, and Streeter doesn't
> seem to say much about that -- I assume because he relies on his machine to
> hold the alignment once punch and die are installed.  I'd have a tougher
> time with that on my forging press.  Hence, while the idea is attractive, I
> expect it might prove to be one of those never-ending projects.
>
> Thoughts?
>
> Bruce
> NJ
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