bitsandspurs

what are you guys using to dome conchos and buckles?

i have already decided to make a hydrolic jack press but curious to see what everone else has been doin.

LadLed

I think the reason you are not getting any replies to your question is that all of these guys that frequent this forum did not build their press. They bought them! Keep an eye on CraigsList and eBay for bargains that are located near your home town. From CraigsList, I found a real bargain on a small Jet Brand metal cutting bandsaw as well as a Mig welder, not more them 20 miles from my house. Yard / garage sales are not to be overlooked. Just this past saturday at a yard sale I came onto the find of the year. A big 3/4 HP - 115" Jet Brand band saw. If I told you how much I paid, you would think that was lying! Go shopping!

Hackamore

Some of us who haven't gotten around to building or buying a press to dome our conchos, use a hammer, carriage bolt, (with high polish on the heads) two pieces of 1/4 inch plate with a corresponding sized hole (to accommodate the carriage bolt) cut trough both plates, and then bolted together with three or four 1/4 inch bolts and wing nuts. There was a link to one makers website where he shows how it is done. I'm unable to locate the thread right now but it is in here somewhere. If I find it I'll post it under this thread or perhaps if I can't find it I'll post pics of one of my rigs. Incidentally they would work well on a press too, so setting yourself up like this won't be a waste if you find or build a press. Oh and it also helps to use some plastic or nylon sheet over engraved surfaces to keep them from accidentally being marred.

thanks guys. i find it interesting to see all the different roads we take to get somewhere.

in other words "there are ninety nine ways to skin a cat"

Ed Warnock wrote:Some of us who haven't gotten around to building or buying a press to dome our conchos, use a hammer, carriage bolt, (with high polish on the heads) two pieces of 1/4 inch plate with a corresponding sized hole (to accommodate the carriage bolt) cut trough both plates, and then bolted together with three or four 1/4 inch bolts and wing nuts. There was a link to one makers website where he shows how it is done. I'm unable to locate the thread right now but it is in here somewhere. If I find it I'll post it under this thread or perhaps if I can't find it I'll post pics of one of my rigs. Incidentally they would work well on a press too, so setting yourself up like this won't be a waste if you find or build a press. Oh and it also helps to use some plastic or nylon sheet over engraved surfaces to keep them from accidentally being marred.

Hi Ed, that tutorial post on a website would have been me :-) here's the URL again, maybe someone will find it useful. http://www.cowboyblacksmith.com/tool.htm

My conchos have gotten better since that tutorial, the one there looks a little rough :-)

I've since bought a screw press off of Craigslist for $40.00 that's the steal of the century, what a great tool to have now, I use that to form my conchos and the constant even pressure makes for really slick looking conchos. Rio Grande has nice "dapping" blocks to use to form the concave shape of conchos which work great. I used to use a cut down upside down huge argon tank that has a nice depression on the bottom, and a rivet found off the railroad tracks to hammer with. That worked great for years and still does-simple is good!
Paul

built my own press. cost me 30 bucks, plus the jack. i had to poor boy it when i started out, and have built lots of my own tools, welding jigs, concho domers, bandsaws just to name a few. you don't have to spend a fortune to build this stuff. be glad to help with yours if you need it.
806-229-2487

I built one, looked at pictures from DonnyBoon(sp) and patterned it after one of theirs. I used a 22 1/2 ton jack and a piece a rubber from Donnyboon. I blew the top off of it shortly after I built it and had to reinforce it, but works pretty good now.

I built my press also and i think i have less than 80 bucks in it counting the 20 ton jack. I spent as much on a couple of peices of urathane from rio grande as i did on the press that stuff is a little spendy .
Steve

thanks guys i really liked tutorial aswell guys!

I made my own 20 ton press similar to the BonyDune press for around $70.00. This was about 10 yrs ago. I cut a bowling ball in half then cut a 4inch section out of the midle and use that and a one inch thick pieace of urethane rubber to form buckles. Lefty