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I bought this old hydraulic Press to convert it into a blacksmithing forging press. I don’t know exactly what this would have been used for, some kind of production line step for Aluminum Doors judging from the schematics title. This press came with a bunch of thick scrap steel, that I used to make the dies holders and various spacers, and two extra hoses from the pump unit that I think powered other parts of the system now missing. Thankfully everything else was all still working and in overall decent shape (except the wiring, which was absolutely terrible). The 3hp motor runs on three phase and since I re-wired everything I changed the controls to feet switches: the two small ones attached together determine the direction of the piston and the big one lets the oil flow and actually moves the piston. This way accidental use is unlikely as both switch have to be pressed simultaneously for the piston to move. I could have used any kind of switch but I thought having both hands free is nice, tho I have never used a forging press so if I change my mind I’m ready to rewire things around. The conversion took around 2 weeks. Making the dies holder and spacer was particularly time consuming as everything is made with very thick stock and I’m new to machining. One extra positive side of this conversion is that I had to buy nothing more than paint and switches. Everything else is made with the press spare parts! I can’t wait to try making damascus with this new tool!
