[B][/B]Anybody use a rolling mill to weld damascus?

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Jim McGuinn

Jim McGuinn

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I am in the process of building a rolling mill do to my residential location a hammer mill is out of the question, and hammer and anvil time are limited to what the neighbors can bear. I am wondering do to the rolling mill being so uniform and consistent will this hinder the outcome of the damascus pattern leaving it dull and mundane? Or should I start thinking about building a press?

Jim
 
All I use my rolling mill for is to get my layer count up fast. If you try to use it on a pattern you already have, it will distort it to much for my liking. I've never tried to weld with my RM as I have a press for this.
Jim
 
Yes. Weld with a press or by hand (with hammer).
Draw with press or power hammer or rolling mill.
A press and a power hammer are a good combination. A RM is nice, but not as important as those two, IMO.
 
I think a rolling mill would be too slow to set a weld. Maybe I'm wrong but I use a press and come down on the billet all at once.
 
A rolling mill works really well for welding and drawing billets. The only problem is that it makes straight pattern by default. It takes a little effort to make other patterns, but can be done. All of my damascus was by hand with a hammer and with the rolling mill.

Jamie
 
i have been thinking aobut this latly as i am not so far out of town. i woudl get a press and die set. a rolling mill woudl be nice for soem stuff but a press woudl be the most useful
 
I thought I could build the rolling mill cheaper than I could the press. But I am in it over $1,000.00 now and still lack a few things. But it is going to be nice 4 inch diameter rollers 8" wide. Both rollers will be powered 2 HP motor with 60:1 gear reducer. feed rate will be 12 fpm.
 
Butch I started to make it with only one roller powered like the McDonald. But as your signature says " do it right or not at all"
 
The McDonald seems to be good for what it is. It's not a commercial grade rig, but it seems to be semi- safe to use in that it cannot grab you.
 
Jim McGuinn said:
I thought I could build the rolling mill cheaper than I could the press. But I am in it over $1,000.00 now and still lack a few things. But it is going to be nice 4 inch diameter rollers 8" wide. Both rollers will be powered 2 HP motor with 60:1 gear reducer. feed rate will be 12 fpm.
Click to expand...

I'd love to see photos when you are ready
 
Yes that is a very good feature. I read on here where someone had lost three fingers using a rolling mill where the steel feeds into the mill. That combined with the foot pedal that allows the user to release the bite immediately if something goes wrong.
I am including both of these features in mine.
I picked up all the gears and sprockets today so I should have something to show soon.
 
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That was Zoe Crist, who is a very experienced smith. Just like printing. Very experienced press operators get zapped all of the time chasing "hickeys" so that they don't have to stop the press. The thing about he McDonald is that you stomp and pull,so you are never being drawn into the machine.
Jim McGuinn said:
Yes that is a very good feature. I read on here where someone had lost three fingers using a rolling mill where the steel feeds into the mill. That combined with the foot pedal that allows the user to release the bite immediately if something goes wrong.
I am including both of these features in mine.
I picked up all the gears and sprockets today so I should have something to show soon.
Click to expand...
 
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