[TheForge] Making dies for cutting sheet metal?

[Jerry Frost]

Only 4? Have then laser, water jet or even plasma cut. Making a punch
wouldn't be that hard but it will require serious precision and tie unless
you've made a few. A 20 ton hydraulic press won't do a straight punch
either, you'd need to make blanking dies. Talk to Lee Marshal if you decide
to go ahead on dies. Of course you'll be getting those laser cut so . . .

Jer

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Bruce .
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2014 4:22 PM
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA
Subject: [TheForge] Making dies for cutting sheet metal?

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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