Rolling the Eye

The pieces with started eyes are on the left, the rolled eye pieces are on the right. The yellow cup holds oil which lubricates the pieces before they are rolled in the press.

Hinge Eye Die

This is the die we use for rolling hinge eyes. The piece is placed in the die, a brass piece in the front keeps the hinge from scraping against the die while being rolled. The pin that the eye is being rolled around goes through the die.

The die is made of tool steel because it must be tough to resist wear.

Placing Die in Press

The die with its hinge piece is placed in the fly press under the ram.

Rolling the Eye

Once the die is under the ram, Molly swings the cross bar and the press screw forces the hinge piece through the tool. Notice the counter weights on the cross bar.

Removing the Pin

After rolling the eye, Molly drives the hinge piece out of the die with a hammer and then pulls the pin out of the die piece using a pair of pliers. It is a tight fit.