I would like to build a set dies for my HF bead roller. I wanted to experiment with the Nylon step dies used for embossing panels. Just curious on the difference in size between the two dies. How much smaller is the lower die? Also, what is the hardness of the nylon stock you start with? Thanks Root
your going to want to use a material that is harder then what your rolling or your not going to get a clean edge in my past tries
maybe but with aluminum you get so much stretching that you want to have a sharp edge for a step i would try to either make or buy a set made of tool steel
I have seen them built out of both aluminum and delron. Fiddy Four was building some. I guess I need to talk to him and see what he says.
Dies should be the same size that way they both run at the same speed. NO SHARP EDGES OR CORNERS. simply put those sharp edges and crease create a stress riser in the material your running thru it. Not that big a deal on steel but on aluminum any high frequency vibrations will cause cracks and frays along that sharp edge. I use my delrin steps on everything up to 16 gauge steel. Been using the same set for 5+ years with no ill effects. One bit of caution on the "plastic" rolls. don't drop them, they get dinged up in a hurry that way. Talk to Fids and PM your phone number with a good time to call and I'll be glad to help too.
I build my own . I bought a bar of 2" round and another 2.25 and 2.5 .....lots of work machining the stock down on the male profile. later I realized that I could make most of the needed profiles in pieces and dowel them together. like for a 1/4" bead I used two slabs of 2" and a disc of 1/4" plate 2.5" round sandwiched in between and pinned....