my big ol' Mossberg

I really think that those of us who are definitely not haters, but verifiably fascinated with the whole process of coin manufacture should at the very least get a video tour - unless a trip to Denver/Loveland is in the offing and we can strike our own '64 Morgans

 

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And we can make our own error coins! haha. I will strike mine on a nail or something

 

I apologize for my prior post which was based on a misunderstanding of your question pertaining to "blank" sheet processing of another era, rather than currently. DUH!

Are you converting a 1000 gram commercial Silver "ingot", understood to be ~11/16 inch thick into a sheet where you punch blanks for your newer products, by manually moving the sheet between the die halves? Do you jig for sheet positioning? Are you using a fly-wheel driven mechanical press for punching/forming?

I'm assuming you have a CAD system to generate IGES (or other format) software control input for a CNC Mill and Lathe. Do you have your own CNC die machining equipment? I ask because although I've a simple machine shop for prototype work, and software generation equipment, I've found the complex die machining to be more economically produced by specializing sub-contractors. I've developed an excellent rapport with same, in a multi-million inhabitant metropolis.

As others have suggested, a video tour of your facility would be appreciated.

I understand the creativity required to generate that which you produce, appreciate same, and the cautious method of singular implementation. I'm of like successful ilk, which often has critics, but only admirers are of importance. I'm the latter! KUDOS!!

 

Hello Dan, having plenty of experience working with strip ( flat ) metals, as well as round ( wire ) of all types of alloys, I know that with each reduction, or pass, the material gets harder, ( gains tensile strength ) So I was wondering if you had/ have to annual ( heat at high temp to soften ) the material before punching out the planchets, or before striking the medals ? Or does the silver remain soft enough even after the C.W.H. (cold work hardening ) or do you need the extra hardness to help with the striking ? If you don't want to give away some of your trade secrets I understand, only curious due to my background. And to let you know that I am available and willing to relocate to work for you.
P.S. it is rare for me to even have an opportunity to discuss such a topic, as not too many people would even know what I'm talking about. And I have seen, and ran newer, and even older machines than yours.
John.

 

A couple different video projects are on the horizon, so maybe there will be something. Also, the ANA Summer Seminar "Modern Minting" class has an all-day field trip to my mint each year.

 

Self promotion? Like all the "Look what I found" posted around here?

 

Thanks,

So far I've rolled out a number of different things including 30-oz long silver bars that were locally refined and poured by my friend Dave Emslie (of "Prospector's Gold and Gems"). I've also rolled out a number of small ingots that I poured myself, and I plan to be doing more of that. I like rolling out commercial die-struck 10-oz silver bars. Those seem to produce the cleanest defect-free blanks. The rollers are wide enough that I can just insert the bar near the middle without needing a feeding jig or anything.

I have multiple punch die sets and a jig to hold them. I can put that jig in just about any press with a pressing capacity of 20 tons or more. I've been using a cheap hydraulic press with a manual (lever) pump cylinder for punching blanks. Obviously, punching a lot of blanks with that setup is tedious and takes a long time. But I now have a high-speed powered hydraulic press that I will be using, once I get it set up.

I wrote my own digital sculpting software. I use it to design and sculpt all my products. My software outputs a "G-Code" file which I feed to my CNC milling/engraving machine to cut dies.

 

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For larger diameter and/or higher relief pieces, I do need to anneal prior to striking. If any annealing is performed, it is done after the blanks are fabricated. My annealing method is simple but also tedious - blowtorch each blank until it begins to glow and then dump it in water. The next time I have a large enough run of blanks to anneal, I will probably do it using the kiln that I use for heat-treating (hardening) steel dies.

After annealing, the blanks need to be cleaned. My preferred (but labor intensive) cleaning method is to bead-blast the blanks and then wire brush them. I also have a small vibratory burnishing unit. I use it sometimes instead of other cleaning methods.

 

Have you tried vacuum annealing ? ( oxygen free atmosphere ) it leaves little, to no dark carbon ( oxide ) on the material, and cleans much easier, if needed to clean at all.

 

I'm aware of the vacuum and inert gas furnaces. I may look into getting one in the future. For now, a lot of the blanks I make I would want to bead-blast anyway, even if they weren't darkened from the annealing. For example, it seems that bead-blasting and wire-brushing gold blanks helps to reduce or prevent the later formation of "red spots".

 

I've never tried striking a nail.

One time I did try striking a round key head that had the shaft cut off so that it was like a somewhat thick coin blank (with some writing on it and a hole in it). But I hadn't realized that it was made of a hard magnetic metal. I broke the entire date area off the die. Oops.

 

I was curious as to what grade steel you use for your dies and what is the hardness of the dies? One of the reasons I'm asking is I'm curious what process was involved in creating the clashed Morgan dies (if any).

 

I use "A2" formula tool steel. The "A" indicates that is suitable for quenching in air, although I keep the dis packed in graphite while I cool them down from the heat-treating. Prior to the treatment, the steel is about 20 on the Rockwell hardness scale. After the heat-treating, it is about 60. If less than about 50 or so throughout the core of the die shank, the die will crush under the stress of striking.

The clashing process is simple. Just press the strike buttons on the coin press when there is no planchet (silver dollar) in there between the dies. These Morgan dies did not crack even though I tried to get them to do that. I have had other dies crack when clashed, but not these.

 

Do you plan on doing anymore clashed morgans? Any idea on a final mintage? I would love to pick one up.

 

I am very familiar with A2 tool steel. I designed plastic injection molds in a past life. I was wondering if you had to draw back the hardness of the dies when deliberately clashing to the extent of the clashed Morgan and to prevent the dies from cracking. Great information. Thank you for sharing..

 

I was actually hoping that the dies would crack - but they wouldn't this time.

I always harden the dies the same way, to the maximum extent possible. I pack them in graphite powder inside a fused silica crucible. The graphite fills the crucible all the way to the lid. I put the crucible in my kiln and it is gradually heated up to 1,900 degrees farenheit and then held there for four hours. Then I get to open the kiln lid while it is 1,900 degrees inside and use giant tongs to lift the crucible out and place it on the floor with a fan blowing on it. I spray water on the outside of the crucible to cool it down quicker. After a few hours it has cooled enough to where I can remove the dies from the graphite.

Some people temper the steel by heating it up to 500 degrees and then letting it cool down again. The tempering is supposed to make the steel less brittle. I don't have problems with die cracks very often, so I don't do the tempering. I need the dies to be as hard as possible.

 

I'll be doing a few more proof-like clashed "1964-D" Morgan over-strikes.
That that will be the end of it for the "1964-D" Morgan production.