I did something stupid regarding dimple dies

[Gore]

So with a birthday coming up, and being asked about a gift, I asked for some dimple dies from Eastwood. In my haste to get some dies I totally neglected to consider how I would use them. I had watched some videos of their punch/flare dies being used with an impact and figured that's what I'd do...but those are different style dies.

What are my options for the Eastwood dimple dies (those of you that have them)?

Can I use the nut & bolt method, portable hydraulic punch from HF, or will I need a legit press?

 

[paranoid56]

depends on the material thickness. thin stuff you can do with the nut and bolt or a arbor press. thicker stuff will need a press. the portable hydraulic setup from HF kinda works, but not on thicker stuff, say over 1/8"

 

[kazlx]

Just get one of the HF presses if you have the room. They work great, are super cheap, even new. The 20T is probably ideal, but the 12 is even smaller, although you will be limited by the throat. I've dimpled holes in thinner sheet with a nut and bolt and just in a regular vise. It really depends of if you want to dimple sheet or approaching plate. 0.100 or more in steel and you're going to have to use a press of some sort.

 

[Robert Haas]

Don't worry about it. Those Eastwood dies will self destruct on a normal press anyway

 

[Gore]

Don't worry about it. Those Eastwood dies will self destruct on a normal press anyway

Please tell me you're joking....ugh

 

[383 240z]

He is not. There was a guy making them and selling them here. Very nice quality machine work and made from good tool steel. Crazygan I think is the screen name.

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

You really are going to want a press. BTW, those dies look way better than my Light Racing dies I bought years ago from a reputable company......expensive Chinese ****.

 

[Gore]

I always felt like Eastwood had decent, budget friendly, level stuff. Oh well...live and learn I guess. I only have plans for doing thin stuff as of now anyway. If I step it up I can invest in better pieces.

 

[stinkity stoink]

Nastyzen made them. I bought a set a few years back, they are very nice .

 

[Gore]

Anyone know if he still makes them?

 

[sz0k30]

Search for "The thread of dimple" in this section.

 

[Gore]

I think that thread is what made me want dimple dies in the first place. I just thought all of the posts were relatively old.

 

[bimmer1980]

So with a birthday coming up, and being asked about a gift, I asked for some dimple dies from Eastwood. In my haste to get some dies I totally neglected to consider how I would use them. I had watched some videos of their punch/flare dies being used with an impact and figured that's what I'd do...but those are different style dies.

What are my options for the Eastwood dimple dies (those of you that have them)?

Can I use the nut & bolt method, portable hydraulic punch from HF, or will I need a legit press?

I think this will somewhat depend on where you are using them... If the component is already welded into the vehicle, then the portable punch will be the better option. If you can fit the component into a press, then I would go that way as the press can be used for a variety of other things. From traditional press operations to also adding on a press brake attachment....

I guess I have a hard time believing that the die will "self-destruct".... maybe with excessive pressure or poor support.... Anyone have picture of this "destruction"?

Maybe with production work, I could see the dies wearing a bit... but for happy home workshop use, try the bolt method to start and plan to upgrade to either a press or a portable hydraulic unit....

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I've never attempted to use an impact, but I cant imagine it would work very well on anything other than thin sheet metal. If you plan on doing gussets you will want hydraulics. I personally like using a press (HF 12t in my case) as you can easily see when you have a full dimple. The sheet metal will first bow up, and then flatten out when you've achieved a full press. I've never felt the need to dimple anything on the vehicle, nor have I heard of anyone doing so in an automotive application (maybe it happens in aviation?). Obviously, if you are doing a big panel you can't always fit within the confines of a press. I don't do sheet metal work, so this isn't an issue for me.

 

[racingtadpole]

https://www.r-fabriplus.com/english/store/

^^^ Nastyzen’s dimple dies.

I have used mine with a bolt, a vice, an impact (put thick washers on either side), a hydraulic punch (the action is the same as for punching), arbor press and hydraulic press. Depends entirely upon where I am and what I’m doing with them.

Most budget friendly dies are OK to 18g in mild steel, some to 16g, none will go to .125” (at that point you are on the fringe of earthquake inducing tonnage being required and properly designed and clearanced press tooling, not home gamer light sheet stuff).

Hope that helps

 

[NASTYZEN]

Hey guys, thanks for the good references! I am sorry to inform you that I am no longer selling dimple dies. Thanks to my insurance company no longer covering me for exported goods. Unless of course I give them an extra 15K a year...
If anyone wants to pick some up at my shop for a super good price. I still have around 30 sets of standard sized ones left on the shelf. Ran out of pipe sized ones.


Thank you insurance dudes!

 

[az45]

You really are going to want a press. BTW, those dies look way better than my Light Racing dies I bought years ago from a reputable company......expensive Chinese ****.

I have the Light Racing dies and they've been great, I don't think they are Chinee unless they've changed recently.


Check out these, they are from Lanternmark which is Brian Kudelas company.
Brian's was Light Racing before it was sold to Specialty Products a few years ago.

https://www.lanternmark.com/store/flared-hole-die-set

 

[PugetDude]

Gore,
Why not just return them to Eastwood?

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

I have the Light Racing dies and they've been great, I don't think they are Chinee unless they've changed recently.


Check out these, they are from Lanternmark which is Brian Kudelas company.
Brian's was Light Racing before it was sold to Specialty Products a few years ago.

https://www.lanternmark.com/store/flared-hole-die-set

My set is about 10yrs old.....made in China.

 

[Gore]

In a beneficial twist of fate I am back shopping for dies. I asked for the solid rivet kit and the dies....and I got 2 rivet kits lol...so obviously one is going back.

Now that I can be a little smarter about this whole thing I want some dies primarily for furniture/design/lightweight non-structural use. If I decide to get more serious I will buy better dies as needed.

I don't have a press, nor do I have the portable press/knockout tool. I will buy either if needed, but I have limited room so I would prefer to not buy a 20 ton press right now.

I am at square one and willing to take any advice that you guys want to give.

 

[383 240z]

NASTYZEN, I'm looking to buy some scrap steel, have any for sale?

 

[NASTYZEN]

AS posted in the thread of dimple;


Oh yeah, now everyone wants DD's....
I sold off all the stock I had to my friends at STG. If you are interested in a set of standard sized DD's. They regularly hold online auctions there. I believe they ship international.



Here is the link.

http://auctions.atelierstcg.com/auction.aspx?as=56062


They currently have two sets up for grabs. Items 138 and 139
I will post up future auctions as they happen.


Please note: I AM NO LONGER MAKING OR SELLING OR SHIPPING DIMPLE DIES. IT'S OVER!



It was fun, those who got some seem to be pleased with them, I broke even. Time to move on.

 

[Gore]

Thank you for responding NastyZen, it's a shame that regs have shut you down because by all accounts people seemed to love your product.

P.S. I'm not looking to start an argument, but I took 383's comment as more of an offhanded compliment, rather than a shady business offer...maybe cut him some slack....just my .02

 

[Capt Chrysler]

Wait till you read the Prop. 65 Waring for California.

 

[dv8customs]

I make the ones that AVS carries. Will dimple up to 3/16" and can be used with the hand held hydraulic pump, a nut and bolt, or standard shop press.

https://www.avsontheweb.com/7-piece-dimple-die-set/

 

[racingtadpole]

What exactly is wrong with the Eastwood dies other than not having a press. If you are just doing thin sheet furniture they look like a reasonable set
My only observation on that set would be it doesn’t have a 3/4 or 1 1/4 or 1 3/4 which are useful for keeping proportion when building furniture. Depends a lot on what you are doing really because you can sometimes let the tooling dictate finished form proportions.

For gauge sheet you can use your vice or a bolt, but if you’re doing a number of them it will get tedious pretty quickly. Hydraulic or pneumatic is the way forwards but it’s not absolutely necessary to get the job done.

 

[Gore]

Those look nice dv8, definitely on the "nicer" side of what I had envisioned buying, and probably too much for a present...but I may just buy them for myself.

Honestly I am still interested in the Eastwood kit simply due to cost and my lack of needing really high quality dies for simple furniture/artsy stuff. Of course, one thing leads to another and I may wind up buying them 2x....so perhaps "buy once, cry once"

 

[racingtadpole]

Or buy them one at a time on an as needs basis

 

[Gore]

True...sometimes the set pricing makes it just so tempting though lol

On a separate note...do most of these kits follow the punch out sizing that comes with the HF punch/press tool? Or even standard hole saw sizing? I realize I could look this up but I figured someone would know off of the top of their head

 

[racingtadpole]

The Chinese hydraulic punches are sized with American Imperial pipe sizes which are sized on ID plus wall. Most dimple dies are sized on OD. You’ll need a 1 1/2” hole for a 1 1/2 die. My suggestion for this in anything under 16G is a knock out punch like a Greenlee or QMax etc. I bought a set of QMax punches for mine and made a custom draw bolt to fit my Chinese hydraulic punch (the QMax cutters being typically English have a BSF thread in them, my punch is metrique). Living in North America such problems shouldn’t be an issue for you because there’s a much greater selection of stuff compatible off the shelf..

 

[Bigblue&Goldie]

Some do, some don't, there is no standard. You can get hole saws in just about every diameter, so that isn't an issue. I standardize my sizes to correspond to my tube bending tools, so I can overlap tool usage. If this isn't a concern, and you are just working with thinner sheet metal, I think going with the HF knock out kit sizes is a great idea.

 

[dv8customs]

They have different dies, it should be listed whether they are pipe sizes or actual size. There are good reasons for both so be careful to get the right ones for you.

 

[Gore]

The plot thickens lol...the more I know...well, you guys know the rest