I recently have began manufacturing swage blocks to sell, and they have been selling fairly well. Do you guys have any tips on good/cheap ways to get hardenable 1" plate to make them from, and do you think this could take off?
Posted Mar 22, 2022, 9:36 PM UTC
I would maybe find some molding companies and see where they get die material. Or maybe see if they have any old press plates you can buy. That's the only thing I can think of that wouldn't be a mild steel.
I have a similiar idea going right now. Forklift forks are basically perfect, the issue is finding them. This might work better, thanks for the advice!
Look at Toolox 44 to see if it has the hardness you need. Worked great for some custom brake dies. We had it cut by EDM though, I think it was OK for machining as well. The advantage of this material is that you don't have to harden it after cutting.
Hm...this might work once we move over to torching them. Can you cut it with HSS? If not then this would only be viable for the pattern torch method we are developing. Also, the main reason I'm looking for material is so we can maintain profit. Buying new plate steel just doesn't give a wide enough profit margin to continue making these, at least on our small scale level.
The data sheet specifies HSS for drilling, not sure about milling.
Yeah I mean you'd have to compare the overall cost of machining and then hardening vs just machining this material. Certainly would save some time at least skipping the hardening step with this material.
If you are in the US contact the NJ Steel Baron. Specializes in knife steel and may have a contact.
Thanks, I'll look into it.