Arbor press for swaging "fail"

[dlbarr]

I bought this 1 ton Arbor press at ebay for approx $60. It is a "Northern Industries" brand and I won't do that again! The casting appears to be full of air pockets...


Now, I may not know enough about arbor presses, but it seems to me that a 1 ton press should be able to withstand an 18" handle with 170 lb guy on the other end....correct? I am (or was) using said press to swage lead bullets in a die. An acquaintance did the same thing on his 1/2 ton Dake press and has done it multiples of 100x.


What brand of press should I be looking for & what should I exect to pay for it? Or am I just unclear as to what an arbor press can do??

Thanks for any help.

[labradigger1]

Was it China made?
Following with interest

[uncle dino]

You would be much better served by swaging with a reloading press rather than an arbor press.. An arbor press has same force throughout the stroke..a reloading or swage press the work is done at the end of stroke.. Much less effort than an arbor press.. I've got a 2 ton arbor press I picked up somewhere ..swaged 5 bullets on it..stuck it in the corner..not for me..d

[dlbarr]

Was it China made?
Following with interest

It's a "Northern Industries" brand. I've heard they were located in MN but don't know about the mfg location. I am guessing that, yes, it's china-made.

[dlbarr]

You would be much better served by swaging with a reloading press rather than an arbor press.. An arbor press has same force throughout the stroke..a reloading or swage press the work is done at the end of stroke.. Much less effort than an arbor press.. I've got a 2 ton arbor press I picked up somewhere ..swaged 5 bullets on it..stuck it in the corner..not for me..d

Guess I'll have to look into a swage press, as you say... I was actually thinking of building a hydraulic press as I have a couple spare jacks laying around.

[uncle dino]

What calibers are you swaging? D

[dlbarr]

What calibers are you swaging? D

Just for .45

It's a HBWC, 147gr (+/-). Just for plinking fun at present.

[uncle dino]

Youll definitely be happier with a reloading press.. It'll be faster and less effort. Not any more money than an arbor press. Probably less..Of course a swaging press is better yet.. I let my 13 year old swage her own .358 bullets for her maxi. On a rcbs rockchucker..she's maybe 90 lbs.. D

[Char-Gar]

This is the same press that is sold by Harbor Freight. I have one and it has worked well for me. I put a longer handle on it for extra leverage and use it to size cases in hand dies (lyman and Wilson). I don't know about swaging lead as I have never done that.

[dlbarr]

This is the same press that is sold by Harbor Freight. I have one and it has worked well for me. I put a longer handle on it for extra leverage and use it to size cases in hand dies (lyman and Wilson). I don't know about swaging lead as I have never done that.

Well, this one in particular did not work so well for me. If I were just pushing roll pins out of receivers and the like, I have no doubt that it would still be bolted to my work stand. But, as stated, my friend has repeatedly done the same work on a press that is purportedly half the capacity of the one I HAD. But his was USA made.

[GARD72977]

The press had to be defective. You should not be able to break it with the factory handle.

[tim338]

Most cast iron is of poor quality these days. Search Craigslist for a Dake, Atlas, etc..... The quality will be much better than any import.

[Petrol & Powder]

Most cast iron is of poor quality these days. Search Craigslist for a Dake, Atlas, etc..... The quality will be much better than any import.

/\ I'll second this /\

Today's cast iron is often a joke. Most of the foundries are in China or India and they are capable of producing different levels of quality. The lower end foreign castings are notoriously poor quality. Cast iron can be brittle but some of that Chinese stuff is like glass. I suspect they use a lot of scrap iron in the mix and don't keep an eye on what's actually in that scrap. They increase the size of the castings to give the appearance of strength but the quality of the material is so poor that the part ends up being weak anyway.
Older American cast iron is often lighter and thinner but yet far stronger.

[Soundguy]

that one just had some bad , very bad casting!

I have a 1 ton cheapy.. probably harbor freight or homier tools from way back. it mashes everything I've needed, including setting bushings in tractor parts.. done the pushup thing on pipe too.

I will say one thing.. the casting thickness looks awfully thin.. thinner than mine. them holes killed ya though.

If it was me, I'd find another one, if I still needed an arbor press.. then I'd bevel them edges and arc weld that puppy back together. use a propane torch and chipping hammer to peen that will give you slow cool and stress relief. for rods.. try a cast specific rod if it is cast iron ( certanium, etc. ) . however, if it is cast steel ( mine appears to be cast steel ), you can weld it with just about anything... then you have a beater one to work with too. and it just costs you some electricity, a few rods and some angle grinder time.

[Soundguy]

Most cast iron is of poor quality these days. Search Craigslist for a Dake, Atlas, etc..... The quality will be much better than any import.

check it.. it might just be cast steel. a completely different animal. with a webbing that thin.. it makes me think it is for sure cast steel.

If it is cast iron.. and has a webbing that thin.. it would have broke anyway, even without the air inclusions.