Path: ...!Xl.tags.giganews.com!local-2.nntp.ord.giganews.com!news.giganews.com.POSTED!not-for-mail NNTP-Posting-Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2024 16:00:37 +0000 From: Joe Gwinn Newsgroups: rec.crafts.metalworking Subject: Re: Struck Coin Blanks ??? Date: Thu, 28 Nov 2024 11:00:37 -0500 Message-ID: <6r4hkjh1mn423r0dped4f3e43rh325ai9g@4ax.com> References: User-Agent: ForteAgent/8.00.32.1272 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 85 X-Usenet-Provider: http://www.giganews.com X-Trace: sv3-Zs60DUoirdU18EznP7y8D5wPx99ojaNTHyZ6kuO+iw3klSw02+JPeLN07GY8Rl/XxHrnU1V/Amg9x8M!PW5tK2av54nPbPTEguql5gs9JrPPZVmlFRcxWtkYeeyytIzfTzohqlX9B3SzUz0DTubjIp0= X-Complaints-To: abuse@giganews.com X-DMCA-Notifications: http://www.giganews.com/info/dmca.html X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Please be sure to forward a copy of ALL headers X-Abuse-and-DMCA-Info: Otherwise we will be unable to process your complaint properly X-Postfilter: 1.3.40 Bytes: 4772 On Wed, 27 Nov 2024 16:33:48 -0700, Bob La Londe wrote: >On 11/27/2024 4:17 PM, Clare Snyder wrote: >> On Wed, 27 Nov 2024 15:55:48 -0700, Bob La Londe >> wrote: >> >>> On 11/27/2024 3:29 PM, Joe Gwinn wrote: >>>> On Wed, 27 Nov 2024 13:57:58 -0700, Bob La Londe >>>> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Every since watching a woman dressed in pirate garb at a renaissance >>>>> fair (or faire if you prefer) place a blank in a set of dies and drop a >>>>> heavy weight on it to strike a souvenir coin I have had in the back of >>>>> my mind the idea to strike my own coins. I can certainly make the dies. >>>>> 4140 is relatively easy to machine if you know how, and it will harden >>>>> "hard enough" for a low production number of from a few hundred to a >>>>> couple thousand coins. I also keep a bit of O1 and W1 on hand for those >>>>> cutting tools I can't hand grind from HSS or carbide. I even have a >>>>> propane forge in the back along with a toaster oven for tempering >>>>> (although it gets used more for powder coating). >>>>> >>>>> I started writing with two questions in mind. >>>>> >>>>> Where to buy/make coin blanks at the best price? Not the 10-20 on Ebay >>>>> or Amazon, but a couple hundred to a couple thousand at a more >>>>> reasonable bulk price. >>>> >>>> Many country fair coins were made of soft aluminum. >>>> >>>> Maybe the brass sold for stamped dataplates or tags? >>>> >>>> . >>>> >>> >>> That's not a bad start. Unfortunately they also sell end product which >>> usually means they don't sell for real wholesale pricing. Its still a >>> good idea. >>> >>> >>>> Probably the alloy used for copper pennys can be got. >>> >>> Getting actual penny copper is not a horrible idea. I could certainly >>> do some experiments by going through my change bowl and sorting out the >>> older real copper pennies to be restamped. I suppose the zinc pennies >>> stamp okay, but they may not re-stamp okay. My end goal is mostly for a >>> coin "about" the diameter and thickness of a regular classic silver >>> dollar. >>> >>> Casting copper from old pennies, motors, etc could also be an option, >>> but that would make it a whole different class of project. A time and >>> money thing, and I don't mean the pennies. Also, my little propane >>> forge probably isn't up to melting enough copper to be worth while. Its >>> fine for one off heat treating projects, but probably not for casting >>> any quantity. >>> >>> >>>> Hobby stores may have coin-making supplies. >>> >>> Hmmmmm... I suppose its worth a look to see if Michael's (are they still >>> in business) or Hobby Lobby has anything. At the very least I could >>> read the packaging if they do to see if that generates an other leads. >>> >>>> Early Chinese coins were lost-wax cast from bronze. >>> >>> I don't think casting is really the way I want to go. >>> >>>> >>>> Joe >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Bob La Londe >>> CNC Molds N Stuff >> Do your own "fineblanking" - stamp your blanks from aluminum, copper, >> or brass flat stock on a punch press. > >I design some punch dies years ago. Hadn't even considered it for this. > Its an option, but a big fancy punch press is probably out of my >budget. I'll have to calculate the shear and see if it can be done with >one of my shop presses or perhaps an improvise drop weight press. The old-time answer to this is a Fly Press, which are still used. Joe