BSMALL2023 Vanvlak Vertical Hydraulic Press

[Vanvlak]

Since I am currently working on sci fi scenery, I am likely to go in that direction, so it will be a sci-fi hydraulic press. I am trying to decide whether it will be green or orange (I will probably only have decided when I paint the thingy, assuming I finish it, for the competition pic), but have no design or even a sketch yet! But it will be a vertical hydraulic press - I have seen these at three out of four workplaces so far, in a range of sizes, including a magnificent 2000 tonne bending press for steel plates in a shipyard; as this is not a small scale build, it will not be such a large machine.
I can also call it a VHP for short - and I think it will be orange...

[has.been]

Looking forward to seeing your work on this.

[Vanvlak]

Looking forward to seeing your work on this.

Here you go - a crude sketch.



This is based on am 800 tonne press used for making stainless steel sinks, with a few extra-added bits to make it more busy.

[Vanvlak]

I started using my habitual method to get parts for the build: trawling boxes and bags of bits collected over the years.
I picked the major components, which I will use to construct the bulk of the machine. Details will be added later, when I will inevitably kick myself for not having thought of something before.



List of parts:
2 x blue/grey square sections (middle and lower left) - these were square plastic sections which were parts of an old scratchbuild; I cut and sanded two equal lengths. These still have a couple of bits stuck from the original build, but that is not a problem - more detail 
These will become the upright frame of the machine.

Black rectangular object with wires (top left) - an unidentified, old, electrical component. The wires will go. This will be the top of the machine.

White, part-cylindrical object (top right) - an equally unidentified object with a thick metal rod and a plastic insulator around it, looks like some sort of electrical termination. This is far more modern than the other component described above. This will represent an electric motor above the top component of the machine.

Dark grey, blocky, rectangular object (centre right) - an old support from a railway bridge for a H0 scale train. This will be the base and lower press bed of the machine.

Two white plastic tubes (lower right) - a plastic pipe section, and an unidentified tubular object (part of a pen?) which fortuitously fits perfectly inside the other pipe section. These will be a hydraulic ram jutting out from the top part.

Small, round, grey object (centre bottom) - part of an ancient disposable container from a dentist. This will cover an irregularly cut part in the white object which will represent an electrical motor.

Next: assembly of the main parts.

[FreakyFenton]

Almost like a lego set, first an instruction sketch and then putting the parts in order. Looking forward to how this comes out!

[Vanvlak]

Almost like a lego set, first an instruction sketch and then putting the parts in order. Looking forward to how this comes out!

But first, additional bits 


At the bottom are a pair of metal wristbands which are very useful as pipes or cables - I bought fours bags at a jumble sale and have no regrets

At upper right are a couple of small resistors, with one wire cut off each. I am going to use these as squeeze bottles - back at the old sink factory I worked at for a while they use these to apply lubricant to the steel plates being formed.

The white ring is the seal of a TT Combat paint bottle (nice, opaque, vibrant stuff, these paints, I will probably use them to paint this build). I have actually already used its twin, so this is a stunt double for the photo. The ne used can be seen in the next pic, serving as an oil leak containment coffer dam located above the hydraulic tank, at the top of the image, around the ram.

The other two bits were a huge stroke of luck. We had an old electrical socket with timer, which you could programme to switch (e.g.) a lamp on an off at set times. It was electromechanical, not a digital circuit, and worked well until it didn't. These are a couple of bits from it, and fit the bill as a large set of controls for the machine when glued together. This is so far the biggest departure from a realistic design, as the controls on the real thing would be smaller in proportion and (usually) a set of buttons on a fixed or movable control box.

And now for the assembly of the first set of parts (and the paint seal ring from above).



The old railway bridge part is the base, and the rectangular sections are the large uprights. The black electrical component turned out to be a watertight switch with a battery when I opened it up - I disembowelled it to make it lighter. These were all glues in sequence as listed. As the black circuit box had an awkward, irregular hole at the top where the wires originally came out, I covered the entire upper surface with plasticard.

I located the two, white pipes inside each other (after some sanding to make the sections perpendicular to the length and avoid a wonky appearance), and glued these above the black circuit box thing - I drew a couple of perpendicular lines on the top of the box to help me align this structure centrally. The white ring from the paint bottle seal was cleaned up a bit and glued around the white pipes. The latter represent a hydraulic ram, and the ring would prevent any hydraulic oil leaking from the seal from dripping down the front or rear of the machine.

I attached the grey, dental restoration material cap to the electrical termination (the off-white thing in an earlier pic) to construct an electric motor for my press, and drilled a couple of c. 1 mm holes at the rear to fit cables. A couple of similar holes were drilled in the right hand upright. I then glued the 'motor' above and on the side of the circuit box.

After taking the photo I drilled a hole for one of the two red timer parts to fit to the other, and then also glued the two to the front of the base of the machine. Assorted glue troubles mean I have to get some more cyanoacrylate glue before I proceed, so this small assembly will be included in the next instalment.

[has.been]

Good progress.

[snitcythedog]

Looking good. 

[marianas_gamer]

I am visualizing this now. Looks good!

[Aethelwulf]

Good job, just don't get pressed for time

[Vanvlak]

Good job, just don't get pressed for time

No pressure.
At least not until I connect the motor... 

[Vanvlak]

'Motor' duly connected:



The control panel and the squeeze bottles:



More bits:



Top - a couple of small plastic boxes which will become the platens, that is, the metal tools used for pressing a product. I need to see how to add some detail, unless I make them fully closed, which is a bit boring... I thought of using my faithful old DAS clay, but it dried out, so I am trying to revive it.

Bottom left - anyone with cats will probably recognize this, it's a broadline parasite treatment container. This will be the part of the ram visible within the frame, to which the top platen is connected.

Bottom centre - a couple of old capacitors which will be located next to one of the frame uprights, just to add a bit of detail but with no function in real life.

Bottom right - a couple of bits from an old rocket launcher kit which may or may not end up as guards on the front and rear of the press, to keep the operators from sticking their hands in the press when it's activated. Not convinced yet, I might replace these.

I'll also be using a few strips of plasticard as guide rails for the platens, inside the frame uprights.

[Codsticker]

Wonderful so far. I love the mix of model styrene and found bits; I am following a similar path.

[Vanvlak]

I started tackling the platens, in a very roundabout sort of way.
I used some old DAS air-drying clay to fill two of the small square box halves, to construct the platens, or forming tools. The old, old clay had hardened a bit, and although the addition of water helped, I did not manage to get a surface I could impress a shape in.
I got a new packet (white DAS clay, this time), and made the impression of a Warhammer cross (I wanted something Games Workshoppy as the object being manufactured, and this was (i) available and (ii) large enough to be clearly recognizable when impressed in the clay, especially as it is not too deep.
The cross itself was used as the positive part of the tool, and I used one of the hardened old clay box halves as the base for gluing it on.
So (referring to the image) the white clay shape has a negative impression, and the red clay has the plastic cross glued to it. When the press is operated, a sheet metal plate is placed between the platen halves, lubricated with oil from the squeeze bottles, and then clamped and deformed by the positive platen pressing the sheet metal into the negative one. I should have added a clamping ring component to the tool, but it would have made it more complex and does not really add much to the appearance, as in fact one of the platens, in the upper position, will not be visible.
All this to make a sheet metal cross, which will obviously adorn some Space Marine thingy of some sort. Maybe.



I have to fill some gaps once the clays have fully dried. These should be painted really shiny when done, as the tools would have a polished surface.

[McMordain]

Really nice work so far.