Claiborne Press: Progress Report

[John Frankl]

My hydraulic press by Ron "Bowie" Claiborne continues to be a joy to work with and one of the most used and useful tools in my shop.

The single "problem" I encountered in initial use was a slight leakage of hydraulic fluid. I located the origin at the filter. The fix was a simple strong hand tightening. The "problem" is completely gone and the machine runs flawlessly.

Of course it welds, draws, squares, and cuts flawlessly (or as flawlessly as my flawed hands can make it). I really like the H-frame when flatting and squaring--it doesn't have the flex I was used to in a C-frame.

Another very handy function is the ability to forge bevels. Ron custom built some combination drawing/bevel forging dies, and they work like a charm (see photos of a katana being forged and just how true the lines are--this is prior to any hand hammering). The one warning, however, is don't get too greedy . When I tried to forge the bevels fairly high up toward the spine, they began to take on a slight chisel profile. This seems to be unavoidable with a stationary bottom die and moving top die. Oh well, I am having fun dialing them in by hand. Even with this warning, these bevel dies are an extremely efficient and accurate way to begin a bevel that can be finished by hand--different in form from those shaped by an accurate power hammer, but similar in terms of time and energy saved.