From: none@none.com99   
      
   On 11/28/2024 12:14 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:   
   > On 11/27/2024 8:51 PM, Clare Snyder 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?   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> .>>>>> with-no-holes/>   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> 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.   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> --   
   >>> Bob La Londe   
   >>> CNC Molds N Stuff   
   >   
   >> Shop press will do it. Even a good arbour  press. Cycle time is slow   
   >> doing onezies ---   
   >   
   > I am aware that it will depend on die design.  I have a 6 ton arbor   
   > press, and I think I would be hesitant to think it would manage a fairly   
   > detailed die impression, but I have used it for lots of other things   
   > including punching round holes in thin sheet metal.  I've also got a 12   
   > ton and a 20 ton shop press.  Both are air over hydraulic, and actually   
   > quite slow.  In the field at the "faire" a drop hammer is used.  a   
   > relatively crude one.   
   >   
   > "...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 think if I follow through with this I'll stick with a drop hammer or a   
   > trip hammer until production required a faster process.   
      
   Some years back I made some press dies for a company in Ukraine that was   
   making "tea cakes"  No, not cakes to be eaten with tea.  Hard compressed   
   cakes of tea.  On the larger dies they were using a 100 ton press to   
   compress the tea.  They consisted of a base, box, and "stamp" that left   
   a raised impression (embossment?) on the finished tea cake.  Scorpion,   
   bull, and some other things.  I forget.  I made them in several sizes.   
      
      
      
   --   
   Bob La Londe   
   CNC Molds N Stuff   
      
   --   
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