From: djb@invalid.com   
      
   On 28/11/2024 16:00, Joe Gwinn wrote:   
   > On Wed, 27 Nov 2024 16:33:48 -0700, Bob La Londe    
   > wrote:   
   >   
   >> On 11/27/2024 4:17 PM, Clare Snyder wrote:   
   >>> On Wed, 27 Nov 2024 15:55:48 -0700, Bob La Londe    
   >>> wrote:   
   >>>   
   >>>> On 11/27/2024 3:29 PM, Joe Gwinn wrote:   
   >>>>> On Wed, 27 Nov 2024 13:57:58 -0700, Bob La Londe    
   >>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>>> Every since watching a woman dressed in pirate garb at a renaissance   
   >>>>>> fair (or faire if you prefer) place a blank in a set of dies and drop a   
   >>>>>> heavy weight on it to strike a souvenir coin I have had in the back of   
   >>>>>> my mind the idea to strike my own coins.  I can certainly make the dies.   
   >>>>>>     4140 is relatively easy to machine if you know how, and it will   
   harden   
   >>>>>> "hard enough" for a low production number of from a few hundred to a   
   >>>>>> couple thousand coins.  I also keep a bit of O1 and W1 on hand for those   
   >>>>>> cutting tools I can't hand grind from HSS or carbide.  I even have a   
   >>>>>> propane forge in the back along with a toaster oven for tempering   
   >>>>>> (although it gets used more for powder coating).   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> I started writing with two questions in mind.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Where to buy/make coin blanks at the best price?  Not the 10-20 on Ebay   
   >>>>>> or Amazon, but a couple hundred to a couple thousand at a more   
   >>>>>> reasonable bulk price.   
   >>>>> Many country fair coins were made of soft aluminum.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> Maybe the brass sold for stamped dataplates or tags?   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> .   
   >>>>>   
   >>>> That's not a bad start.  Unfortunately they also sell end product which   
   >>>> usually means they don't sell for real wholesale pricing.  Its still a   
   >>>> good idea.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> Probably the alloy used for copper pennys can be got.   
   >>>> Getting actual penny copper is not a horrible idea.  I could certainly   
   >>>> do some experiments by going through my change bowl and sorting out the   
   >>>> older real copper pennies to be restamped.  I suppose the zinc pennies   
   >>>> stamp okay, but they may not re-stamp okay.  My end goal is mostly for a   
   >>>> coin "about" the diameter and thickness of a regular classic silver   
   >>>> dollar.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Casting copper from old pennies, motors, etc could also be an option,   
   >>>> but that would make it a whole different class of project.  A time and   
   >>>> money thing, and I don't mean the pennies.  Also, my little propane   
   >>>> forge probably isn't up to melting enough copper to be worth while.  Its   
   >>>> fine for one off heat treating projects, but probably not for casting   
   >>>> any quantity.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> Hobby stores may have coin-making supplies.   
   >>>> Hmmmmm... I suppose its worth a look to see if Michael's (are they still   
   >>>> in business) or Hobby Lobby has anything.  At the very least I could   
   >>>> read the packaging if they do to see if that generates an other leads.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> Early Chinese coins were lost-wax cast from bronze.   
   >>>> I don't think casting is really the way I want to go.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> Joe   
   >>>>   
   >>>> --   
   >>>> Bob La Londe   
   >>>> CNC Molds N Stuff   
   >>>    Do your own "fineblanking" - stamp your blanks from aluminum, copper,   
   >>> or brass flat stock on a punch press.   
   >> I design some punch dies years ago.  Hadn't even considered it for this.   
   >>   Its an option, but a big fancy punch press is probably out of my   
   >> budget.  I'll have to calculate the shear and see if it can be done with   
   >> one of my shop presses or perhaps an improvise drop weight press.   
   > The old-time answer to this is a Fly Press, which are still used.   
   >   
   > Joe   
      
   I was going to suggest one also but as I understand it they're not that   
   common in the US, here in the UK they're quite common. I have one and   
   use it from time to time to punch copper blanks for enamelling, I set-up   
   the tooling so I can quickly punch the blanks one after another from a   
   copper strip. For the coin stamping I was thinking of a drop stamp. An   
   image here https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5757303 from the Birmingham   
   Jewellery Quarter Museum, formerly Smith and Pepper   
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_and_Pepper . Having toured the   
   museum I didn't see those drop stamps, they're the small ones, but I saw   
   a large one maybe 15' (4.5m) high  and IIRC the side guides were railway   
   track but I can't find an image of it.   
      
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