Don't discount sleeve heaters if your platens are round. The one I bought and tested worked great. No drilling or milling required.
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20sackzack
Member
How so? Do they heat up quicker? My variable temperature soldering irons were only 12 bucks a piece.
FYI, Harbor Freight is having a liquidation sale, their presses are part of it. I got a 20 ton H frame for $200. The checkout lady also gave me a 1 year warranty on top of the 90 day one, and an additional $10 off.
I pressed some pucks that had been pressed with an HMK copy between the arbor plates that came with it, and WOW. I've been missing out on quite a bit.
The arbor plates are painted black in China, so I wont dab this rosin.
I pressed some pucks that had been pressed with an HMK copy between the arbor plates that came with it, and WOW. I've been missing out on quite a bit.
The arbor plates are painted black in China, so I wont dab this rosin.
well I suppose you could find a high power soldering iron and get it to work, but its going to be such a bug clunky thing unless you extract out the heating element. Most common soldering irons are pretty low wattage so unless you get 100+ watt ones it might take a while to heat up.
Cartridge heaters are nice because they are a metal cylinder that just fits perfectly in your plates with no extra junk hanging out.
But I was mostly talking about enails and how they mostly use air convection to heat the plates since they can't be in full contact. I used thermal grase for heat sinks to give my cartridge heaters better contact.
I got these plates back today from the metal guy. 5"x6"x1".
I ordered the temp controllers, TCs, and heater cartridges today, I'll take the plates back to the shop to have the appropriate holes drilled. Im super excited to say the least, and waiting on these parts is just going to kill me if I dont just put it out of my head
I ordered the temp controllers, TCs, and heater cartridges today, I'll take the plates back to the shop to have the appropriate holes drilled. Im super excited to say the least, and waiting on these parts is just going to kill me if I dont just put it out of my head
I am curious to see how this works. With a 1" thick platen (is that aluminum?) and a 1/2" cartridge heater, that's only going to leave you 1/4" on each side. Under 5 or 6 tons of pressure, I have to wonder if they are going to collapse.
I am about to do the same thing but my plates are 2" thick and 3" thick. Post how it goes.
I am about to do the same thing but my plates are 2" thick and 3" thick. Post how it goes.
What about slapping some heating pads off a hair straightener onto a bench vice? Think it would work ok? Could even invert the vice on a post made out of a couple pieces of 4x4's.
Aluminum 6061 T6 is the alloy I'm using, wikipedia says this about it - T6 temper 6061 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 42,000 psi (300 MPa) and yield strength of at least 35,000 psi (241 MPa). More typical values are 45,000 psi (310 MPa) and 40,000 psi (275 MPa), respectively.
If I understand that correctly, I should be ok.
If I understand that correctly, I should be ok.
I am rooting for you. If it works for you, I will reduce the size of my next set of plates to 1".
Keep us posted.
Keep us posted.
my friends! welcome to the squishy side.
heady when you pre press your pucks in your die, are you going full pressure or what? i see you have that fancy gauge on your press...
I'm getting a 4x4 prepress mold made, and the collar on my plate actually makes a perfect 2" cylindrical puck.
Just curious how much I should be pressing my pucks. So far they seem to be smushing out beyond paper thin into oblivion. Makes me think I need them tighter.
So far, my best squishes have come from balling up the herb really tight in a sheet of parchment, with really good tight twists.
I'm getting a 4x4 prepress mold made, and the collar on my plate actually makes a perfect 2" cylindrical puck.
Just curious how much I should be pressing my pucks. So far they seem to be smushing out beyond paper thin into oblivion. Makes me think I need them tighter.
So far, my best squishes have come from balling up the herb really tight in a sheet of parchment, with really good tight twists.
20sackzack
Member
It works alright but its tricky trying to mount them solidly and square. Also make sure to use a good vice. $30 one from home depot broke first squish lol
It definitely can be done though, check out Joel W. on fuckcombustion. He makes and sells heated blocks for very nice vice style setups. He does press blocks as well. I highly recommend his work.
ya lappy it helps improve yield and reduce contaminant to pre-press.
i love the pressure gauge on my new DAKE. i've been doing about 2 tons on the cold pre-press, then around 8 for the heated press. that's gross pressure. that would be around 1066 psi with the 15 square inch plates.
did you see the budget version? i just filled a quart ziplock iwth my trim and put it under a board and stood on it for a while. then i cut that up with some sharp scissors into the right size for my plates. i was using 0.5g/in2 on that press so i calculated the correct amount trim to put in the bag and weighed it out before i put it under the board.
i've suspended all rosin making for the time being until i get my heated platens. the bricks worked well enough at the 2"x3" size i was using with the A-frame press, but with the 3"x5" bricks i'm having to take them up to 275*F just to keep enough heat throughout the press. i lose over 100* during the 60 seconds the press is engaged. the returns and quality has suffered a bit, and my trim deserves better! haha.
making bubble today. keeping greyfox in my thoughts. i'm sure he's slammed with work right now, but goddamn i can't wait for my set to be ready!!!
i love the pressure gauge on my new DAKE. i've been doing about 2 tons on the cold pre-press, then around 8 for the heated press. that's gross pressure. that would be around 1066 psi with the 15 square inch plates.
did you see the budget version? i just filled a quart ziplock iwth my trim and put it under a board and stood on it for a while. then i cut that up with some sharp scissors into the right size for my plates. i was using 0.5g/in2 on that press so i calculated the correct amount trim to put in the bag and weighed it out before i put it under the board.
i've suspended all rosin making for the time being until i get my heated platens. the bricks worked well enough at the 2"x3" size i was using with the A-frame press, but with the 3"x5" bricks i'm having to take them up to 275*F just to keep enough heat throughout the press. i lose over 100* during the 60 seconds the press is engaged. the returns and quality has suffered a bit, and my trim deserves better! haha.
making bubble today. keeping greyfox in my thoughts. i'm sure he's slammed with work right now, but goddamn i can't wait for my set to be ready!!!
Lyfespan
Active member
ditto on the pre pucking, only way to get decent yields
Simplicius
New member
Would you be so nice and give me a quick run down of your setup hear ? Looks like you didn't just use J&B or something to fix the flat iron heating elements to the table vice. Besides, why exactly is it difficult to mount them solidly ?
20sackzack
Member
You just have to support them well enough so they dont get crushed. I used jb weld to attach them but its not that great because it melts when it gets hot so I can't really recommend it.
Honestly if I were you I would take a while to read this whole thread and you will see this isn't the best method by far.
Check out HMK's new vice grip clamp method. Probably the simplest, easiest, best way to get good results
Honestly if I were you I would take a while to read this whole thread and you will see this isn't the best method by far.
Check out HMK's new vice grip clamp method. Probably the simplest, easiest, best way to get good results
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