I built my own press I used 8x8 1/2 inch thick square beam with 1/2
inch thick by 15 inch tall c channel in an H frame style the pins
that hold up the table are 2/1/2 inch 4130 round bar the ram is
made from a cat tractor hydraulic cylinder that I cut down so it
would have a 15 inch stroke the ram is 6 1/2inch in diameter and
double acting so I can push and pull with it. I have never taken it
to its max but in theory it should put out just under 200 tons
approxamatley at 10,000 psi. I have never needed more than 20 tons
honestly but I have a small tool complex if I can lift it by myself I
dont want it if you need to hire a rigging company to move it [wow
now your talken tools ]. There is a book put out by lindsy
publications that tells you how to make deep drawing dies it is a
reprint from books published around the turn of the century it is
geared toward machinests and tool and die makers but it offers alot
of real useful info and it is real inexpensive I think i paid like 7
or 8 bucks for it and it is a couple hundred pages it also shows lots
of diagrams as to how tins are made (altoid candy tins) and cans the
same processes could easily be adapted to silver and other metals.
Sincerely Kevin Potter