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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;RonSanderson, post: 26263699, member: 77413&quot;]I suppose we won’t know for sure, but I think the second explanation is likely. I have a friend who trained as a machinist at a Ford plant.</p><p><br /></p><p>Their sheet metal is formed (say, into a hood or fender) in stages. The earlier strikes intentionally introduce wavy shapes into the steel. Later strikes then have some shapes in the dies causing the metal to flow and stretch. The final die then has enough metal to work with to strike away all of these intermediate shapes and produce a smooth finish. If they tried to do that in one strike the metal sheet would just tear.</p><p><br /></p><p>I suspect the metalworkers at the mint knew the same thing. The intentional steps around the devices reduce the sharpness of the edges. The metal can flow into the “Longacre” shapes more easily than producing a sharp 90 degree step. This would improve the strike, reduce the required pressure, and prolong the life of the dies.</p><p><br /></p><p>I suppose we could just ask a tool and die maker, if there are any still around![/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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