How to Make Your Own Hydraulic Jewelry Press

Introduce new dimensions to your work with the assistance of a hydraulic press. These versatile machines are capable of embossing, forming, bending and cutting to add new capabilities to any task you undertake.

With silhouette dies and safe and efficient operations in place, you can "puff" metal into intriguing forms such as this heart which took less than 5 minutes from flat brass. Plus, we provide tips for improvising.

How to Build a Hydraulic Jewelry Press

Metalsmiths find the hydraulic press an invaluable tool. This simple machine allows them to shape metal into three-dimensional forms and craft stunning jewelry designs, but a commercial hydraulic press can cost hundreds of dollars. However, an inexpensive alternative exists in the form of homemade hydraulic presses; with some basic materials and tools you can build one yourself for just pennies on the dollar - saving both space and money in their workshop!

Hydraulic presses work by employing hydraulic fluid to produce static pressure. The hydraulic fluid is sent from a pump and valve into a cylinder, where its flow can be controlled via algorithms in a servo motor programmed with algorithms for controlling stroke, speed and pressure of the press. Furthermore, sensors monitor its operation before sending out output signals based on measurements made.

Servo presses are widely utilized industrial applications that require precise precision. Their technology enables manufacturers to reduce production times while increasing product quality, as well as being quieter than mechanical presses - helping prevent worker absenteeism and decreasing productivity levels.

In this online workshop, you'll discover how to use a simple hydraulic press to stamp 3-dimensional shapes into metal. You'll see how conforming dies provide precise forming at low pressures while single-plate die stamping delivers greater detail at medium and high pressures - coining being achieved at maximum pressures. In addition, learn how to add texture by roller printing or etching before pressing for further dimensionality.

Peter is a metalsmith who enjoys exploring contemporary and precious metals while creating custom dies with hydraulic presses, creating custom dies to squish things out, and using various techniques on these presses for wedding rings, engagement rings, bolo ties and one-of-a-kind pieces. Over 10 years he has experimented with different techniques using his press to craft wedding and engagement rings as well as one-off pieces such as one-of-a-kind items for special events and one-off pieces; teaching workshops around the country on topics including metalsmithing machine shop welding fabrication as well as fabrication techniques.

Materials

Hydraulic presses are versatile machinery used for metalworking at jewelry scale. Their sizes and types depend on the needs of their user; single-station presses hold only one set of tools inside their frame while multi-station designs feature several sets of dies to facilitate multiple operations simultaneously. A typical press consists of a strong steel frame containing an internal hydraulic ram which can be powered manually or automatically for operation.

Metalsmiths can utilize pancake and impression dies to craft hollow forms for pendants, earrings and bracelet components such as links and bales. Constructed from hardened steel with intricate patterns in which sheets of annealed metal are placed and pressed against, their permanent shape can then be replicated multiple times or the metal can be sheared off using jeweler's saws (or even dremels for thicker gauge steel) leaving behind an outline based on its original form.

Once the desired shape has been created, further shaping can be accomplished using hand or power-driven hammers and a sanding block to get to your desired form. Or a wooden template can be placed inside the die to guide metal while it forms; though these methods tend to take more time and be more tedious.

Join Peter King for an in-depth exploration of all the possibilities a hydraulic press offers your jewelry designs. Beginning with an overview of safety guidelines and safety issues related to hydraulic presses, you will then use anticlastic and synclastic tools as you pierce silhouette dies to produce stylish earrings and bracelet blanks, embossing tools and 3" deep-draw dies to craft vessels, boxes and seamless ring blanks - Peter uses various Bonny Doon tools as examples of his techniques.

Parts

Hydraulic presses are powerful deforming tools capable of performing various deforming operations such as shearing, blanking, deep drawing (precious metals including gold), coining, punching and die forming. A basic hydraulic press consists of a strong steel frame into which is fitted a hydraulic ram powered by either an electrically driven pump or manually.

Hydraulic presses can be modified with custom features to meet specific requirements, such as blank holders that allow for controlled deep draw force during deep drawing operations and die cushions that strip finished parts from punch or die punching machines. Other customizations may include distance reversal switches and dwell timers.

One of the key advantages of a hydraulic press is that it offers continuous force throughout its stroke of the ram, enabling metalsmiths to make adjustments without waiting for its cycle to complete before making adjustments themselves. This makes the hydraulic press especially suitable for repeated operations or tasks requiring fast production.

Hydraulic presses can be used to bend, cut, pierce and form sheet metal as well as plastics and rubber. Furthermore, other applications for the hydraulic press include powdered metal forming, abrasive wheel forming and bonding processes as well as various shearing or blanking processes, such as shearing coils into strips or turning a billet of metal into blanks.

Hydraulic presses can also be utilized for "puffing." Metal to be "puffed" is placed atop a silhouette die and covered by a layer of urethane; when activated by the hydraulic press, this layer bulges, providing enough pressure to shape the metal into shape by "puffing."

Richard begins by providing us with the fundamentals of using a hydraulic press before diving deeper into more advanced techniques such as adding ridges and points to metal, rolling pancake or impression dies for symmetrical shapes, using puffed metal as design elements, and using welded-on Plexiglas pieces to repress previously-puffed shapes while inserting inserts for interesting angles.

Instructions

Learn to use your hydraulic press as one of the most versatile metal forming tools available to jewelry makers today, to form bracelets, rings and small vessels using various techniques involving your press. Start off with safety and care considerations before exploring different approaches for creating interesting textures, forms and silhouettes with various Bonny Doon tools such as anticlastic/synclastic/freeform presses; embossing tools; silhouette forming dies and 3" deep draw tools to form vessels and box-like forms.

Join Richard Sweetman as he explores the capabilities and uses of a hydraulic press in jewelry production. From using pancake and impression dies to "puff" metal into various shapes for pendants, earrings, rings or even creating texture with roller printing and etching processes; to utilizing roller printing and etching processes that add textures into finished metal surfaces; everything is covered.

Richard's hydraulic press is an easy, straightforward assembly. Step-by-step, Richard describes its assembly and fastening processes before showing how he sizes metal for an annalisation process that secures it into dies with rubber inserts (old inner tubes make great ones!). To achieve your desired shape depth simply stack several rubber inserts over negative space in your die.

He shows how to create custom shaped dies and new riveting options for assembling multilayered pieces, while sharing additional tricks for adding interest and dimension to your work, such as using cut sections of his welded frame to form pleasing ridges in his puffed metal work.

Since becoming a metalsmith for over three decades, Richard has amassed extensive knowledge of metallurgy and is inspired by its creative possibilities. Author of four books and instructor of workshops worldwide, his work has been showcased at numerous shows and galleries as well as being taught as part of his duties at Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts in Boston MA.