I need small discs

[MysterG]

So bought the discs off Amazon.
Very clean edge apart from a 'spike' where the cut started/ended. Easy to sort with a quick dab with a file.



And regarding a Flypress any answers to my questions from those in the know would be good
This is the nearest one to me on Ebay

Pardon our interruption...

 

[Brad93]

Th

So bought the discs off Amazon.
Very clean edge apart from a 'spike' where the cut started/ended. Easy to sort with a quick dab with a file.

View attachment 465953

And regarding a Flypress any answers to my questions from those in the know would be good
This is the nearest one to me on Ebay

Pardon our interruption...

Theres a firm down in kent who punch discs for gaskets and tags etc i bought some kit a few years ago, don't know if they're still going think the guy was looking to retire.

 

[Screwdriver]

Okay so.
What sort of size one of these things would do me, yeah I know bigger is better.
How heavy would it be, bearing in mind I'm a weakling with a dodgy back and no mates.
How much would I have to spend?
and given I don't have the where-with-all to make tooling for one, how much is that going to cost?

Oh and what other jobs could I use it for?

Well, bigger is better because the footprint is the biggest disadvantage of a flypress and they're all pretty much the same - the diameter of the swing of the handle.

I have a Norton 6DB which means nominal 6 tons and a "deep back" meaning the throat can take things about a foot long rather than the more usual 6 inches (I just made those numbers up, can't remember exact figures).

For punching sheet metals, you should be ok with 2-3 ton rated flypress.

It will be really heavy but that's not the issue, the issue being it's a really awkward thing with an odd centre of gravity and plenty of gravity in the thing. Figure on at least 100-150kg, mine is closer to 250kg I think. The top arm comes off along with the ball weight but it will need a substantial base/stand. The stand needs to be VERY rigid, ideally bolted to the floor/wall/both!

They are ridiculously cheap for what they are. £200 should get you an absolute beast, £250 and I'd expect some decent tooling like a Hunton bolster. The bolster is the bit you can fit interchangeable dies into. I have a range of dies in imperial/metric that go from circa 1/16 or 2mm up to half an inc. That is a "set" of punches and dies which fit into a universal holder (at both ends) the die going into a Hunton bolster with an adapter. After that, there are individual sets of punches and dies which go over 2 inches or 50mm and beyond. That gets a bit spendy but they're circa £20/£40 ish quid whenever you want to find a specific larger size - or shape!

Lots of tooling on eBay. As usual, watch and wait for the parts you want at the price you want. It is still a good time to be buying, eventually supply of these things will dry up and they ain't making them any more....

What other jobs? Big question, infinite range of answers. The most fun thing frankly is just squashing stuff flat! Put a flat anvil on top and a flat base, whatever goes under it goes flat. This is especially useful for those annoying tiny distortions in the edge of a sheet or around a badly distorted hole.

I use mine a lot for bending. My Norton will easily bend say a 2 inch strip of 1/4" or up to say 600mm of sheet material (you can inch it along bit by bit to do much longer bends).

It will also punch odd shaped holes , squares or those punch outs for IEC mains connectors, RS422, or USB etc.
You can use various punches to act as a nibbler to make precise edge cuts.
With the right sort of tooling, it can form metal for example into bowls or domes.

Another very useful ability is precise straightening of bent shafts. Makes a good sturdy base for measuring "runout" and once you have built a simple jig, a quick bonk gives you very fine control to knock it straight.

One of these days I'll do a YouTube video exposé...

 

[MysterG]

Well, bigger is better .......

One of these days I'll do a YouTube video exposé...

Thank you for the in depth response

 

[Beanwood]

Thank you for the in depth response

@MysterG - I don't recall how thick is the steel you want to punch.
I have a couple of #2's - and whilst loath to disturb them from the tooling they already have set up - I may be prepared to try something to see if it would work for your needs.
Typically bigger ones are cheaper - because they're so darned heavy....
I had offer of (And declined) a #4 for £50 six moths ago - absolute beast...

 

[MysterG]

@MysterG - I don't recall how thick is the steel you want to punch.
I have a couple of #2's - and whilst loath to disturb them from the tooling they already have set up - I may be prepared to try something to see if it would work for your needs.
Typically bigger ones are cheaper - because they're so darned heavy....
I had offer of (And declined) a #4 for £50 six moths ago - absolute beast...

1mm max

 

[mike 109444]

You have not said what sort of quantity you are looking for but try calling into a company like this one https://kneesengineering.co.uk/about-us/
They will have scrap bins full of punchings and may be willing to allow you to have a bag full.
Failing that, the metal "scrap yards" that collect from these people will have bins of them. If the punch companies are not forth comming then try and make a note of any scrap metal merchants marking on there bins, then aproch them. Think there is a scrappy near Bumpers Farm estate. ?

 

[doubleboost]

 

[Mick Annick]

Well, bigger is better because the footprint is the biggest disadvantage of a flypress and they're all pretty much the same - the diameter of the swing of the handle.

I have a Norton 6DB which means nominal 6 tons and a "deep back" meaning the throat can take things about a foot long rather than the more usual 6 inches (I just made those numbers up, can't remember exact figures).

For punching sheet metals, you should be ok with 2-3 ton rated flypress.

It will be really heavy but that's not the issue, the issue being it's a really awkward thing with an odd centre of gravity and plenty of gravity in the thing. Figure on at least 100-150kg, mine is closer to 250kg I think. The top arm comes off along with the ball weight but it will need a substantial base/stand. The stand needs to be VERY rigid, ideally bolted to the floor/wall/both!

They are ridiculously cheap for what they are. £200 should get you an absolute beast, £250 and I'd expect some decent tooling like a Hunton bolster. The bolster is the bit you can fit interchangeable dies into. I have a range of dies in imperial/metric that go from circa 1/16 or 2mm up to half an inc. That is a "set" of punches and dies which fit into a universal holder (at both ends) the die going into a Hunton bolster with an adapter. After that, there are individual sets of punches and dies which go over 2 inches or 50mm and beyond. That gets a bit spendy but they're circa £20/£40 ish quid whenever you want to find a specific larger size - or shape!

Lots of tooling on eBay. As usual, watch and wait for the parts you want at the price you want. It is still a good time to be buying, eventually supply of these things will dry up and they ain't making them any more....

What other jobs? Big question, infinite range of answers. The most fun thing frankly is just squashing stuff flat! Put a flat anvil on top and a flat base, whatever goes under it goes flat. This is especially useful for those annoying tiny distortions in the edge of a sheet or around a badly distorted hole.

I use mine a lot for bending. My Norton will easily bend say a 2 inch strip of 1/4" or up to say 600mm of sheet material (you can inch it along bit by bit to do much longer bends).

It will also punch odd shaped holes , squares or those punch outs for IEC mains connectors, RS422, or USB etc.
You can use various punches to act as a nibbler to make precise edge cuts.
With the right sort of tooling, it can form metal for example into bowls or domes.

Another very useful ability is precise straightening of bent shafts. Makes a good sturdy base for measuring "runout" and once you have built a simple jig, a quick bonk gives you very fine control to knock it straight.

One of these days I'll do a YouTube video exposé...

Steve’s also good for straightening crankshafts

 

[Beanwood]

1mm max

Ok I put together a VERY rough punch and die this afternoon with some offcuts I had on hand. I punched a 21mm chad in 1.2mm mild steel absolutely no problem. Mine weren’t neat as my punch was tiny bit too small for the die - but you get the idea.
Forgot the most important piece - this was on a #2 flypress....

 

[MysterG]

Ok I put together a VERY rough punch and die this afternoon with some offcuts I had on hand. I punched a 21mm chad in 1.2mm mild steel absolutely no problem. Mine weren’t neat as my punch was tiny bit too small for the die - but you get the idea.
Forgot the most important piece - this was on a #2 flypress....

View attachment 466087

Thanks for taking the time to do this

 

[s410man]

Surely a lenght of 12mm round bar and a hacksaw? Aslong as you don't want them seriously thin as that might get tricky to cut them tidy and square then