formers and press tool to make steam lubricator body and lid

**Ropetangler** · Feb 17, 2018, 01:13 AM

Originally Posted by thehomeengineer

Thank you for viewing and interest and I hope I have answered your questions
The Home Engineer

Hi there Home Engineer,
Thank you for such a comprehensive answer to my questions, and the additional info on metal flowing and the radiusing of dies etc. I am quite envious of your collecting that press, a place I worked at for nearly 18 years had a press I would love to have at home. It was an Australian made Servex, possibly with an English parent company, I don't know. That one was a 50 ton press, but I've seen similar looking Servex presses from 30 tonne to 100 tonne units. They had a 2 stage manual pump and a quick spin threaded ram to get you into position quickly before using the hydraulics. The only work I can remember being done to that press in the time I was there was the addition of safety screen doors to offer protection from shrapnel in the event of a part fracturing or flying at high speed due to mis-alignment when under considerable pressure.
Thanks once again for your response and of course for your uploading of the pictures and story behind the construction of your Foden part(s). All the very best,
Rob.

**toma** · Feb 17, 2018, 01:48 AM

Thehomeengenieer ...do you sleep sometimes..?

**thehomeengineer** · Feb 17, 2018, 02:03 PM

Hi toma
Not much sleep lol. Once I have a bee in my bonnet I have to get it finished. There are two problems I have. First being I have way too many projects on the go and not enough time, secondly joining this forum. There are so many great ideas on here my list of projects keeps growing.

I have been very lucky during my working life and have built up a well-equipped workshop which has taken 34 years. Both my parents were so supportive of me when they were alive. When I first started model engineering at 16, Mum and Dad bought me a garden shed/workshop and helped purchase my first lathe a old Myford ML7. My Grand parents also left me some money when they past away so this was invested in a mill using my Grandads gift and my brand new Myford ML10 Lathe with my Grandmas, which I still have today. The mill was later part exchanged to purchase a Bridgeport mill. A few years later I had the bottom half of the Bridgeport mill restored professionally, and still own this mill today. There is a story behind most of the tools in my workshop but I won’t bore you anymore.

**toma** · Feb 17, 2018, 02:57 PM

Yes, this site is very inspirational for handymen, and it often ads new and new ideas for making something. I also have this problem of starting with too many projects.
Nice story about your machining tools.
Enjoy in your projects,
best regards.