In this video I explain my journey in designing and pressing Christian coins. It took over 12 months to research coin pressing and press design. I fabricated the press based on the design from Kevin Potter (Potter USA).
DIY folks exist all over the world. The poorer the country, the more DIY-ness you'll see out of sheer necessity. In wealthier nations, we DIY people do what we do for a few different reasons. The owner of this channel does it to share his religion with others; I do my projects as a creative outlet, to avoid being a consumerist sheep, & to pass the time & keep myself sane. Others have their own reasons.
Sure, but now i'm still design the coin, waiting for materials to make this hydrolic press, and lots of things to be done.I will done it in the next two summer month .I will when send you the photo and video when i have done it. How can i contact with you
@@kien3848 Good question. I’m not sure how to communicate privately. Something for me to look into. I’d be interested to see your blanks, press, dies and pressed coins. Are you making your press or buying one. I’ve learned the larger the diameter coin the more tonnage required, especially for harder metals. I’ve also learned that it needs precision to ensure the press plattens are 100% parallel to each other. Initially I was pressing each coin 4 times, rotating the dies each quarter turn. Now I’ve pressed quite a few coins my dies have indented the top and bottom plattens and I only need to press each coin once👍. I just ordered 3000 more coin blanks this week. I hope your project goes well.
@@waterloocreek5659 wow 😲, 3000 blanks will be done by hand it's really amazing. Where do you order thoes huge number of blanks, i can't find anywhere on the internet?
@@kien3848 I searched everywhere here in Australia. Initially I wanted to make my own silver coins with a Christian message. I was going to use these coins to make coin rings. I actually wanted to press two coins, one to make coin rings and one for token Christian coins. I realised the cost was prohibitive so I chose to prioritise the token coins. I eventually found a manufacturing company in Melbourne who had the tooling to punch 40mm round discs. Originally I did find companies who could supply silver plate but again the cost was prohibitive. I would’ve needed to buy the tooling to punch silver discs. Then melt the waste silver and roll my own silver sheet. Perhaps one day😆
Thanks for your positive feedback. I’m pressing aluminium and aluminium is already reasonably soft so I don’t anneal my blanks. All the best with your pressing.
Thanks for sharing. Wouldn't take me long to shore up that press.. A couple shims and plates. I believe only your first attempt does anything. It work hardens after that. Also, shouldn't you be lubricating your dies? You had an idea, and you did it. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I agree. The press and dies have now found their own 100% level between the platens. I only press once per coin now which is so much better. I pressed 100 coins today, that makes around 4900 coins pressed. My greatest challenge is that I’m on my third 100 ton jack. Thanks for your comments.
Oh, I don’t lubricant my dies, I lubricator the collar. The collar has the reed and the coin blank expands into the reed. It’s much easier to press the coin out of the collar if it has a slight smear of oil on the inside collar. The coin expands so firmly into the reed the coin will distort without lubrication👍. I’m always happy to get advice to make the job easier so please feel free to offer more thoughts.
Thanks for you comment. I’ve been having difficulties with my 100 jack. I’ve dismantled it 5 times over the past 12 months. Last week I put a new seal kit right through the jack and only press d 25 coins before it failed. Today I went and bought a new jack, $650 later. My wife and she will pray over the jack and the coin ministry tomorrow. God willing I can press another 4000 coins for the Lord.
Yeah before my stepdad passed, back in the 90s he used to have the same thing. But I swear they looked just like regular $2 coins, which was the going price of a schooey back then.
@Waterloo Creek I really like the press frame you made. Would you consider drawing up some simple blueprints for it and maybe doing another video showing the one you made from all angles. Also where did you source the 100 ton jack, do they sell anymore?
I’d be happy to share the plans for the press I made. As I mentioned in the video I copied the press made by Potter USA. I encourage you to look up their RU-vid channel and search for Kevin’s 50 and 100 ton presses. I doubt I’ll make a video on making the press as I didn’t take video, I wish I had. I did take a number of photos and I kept my original plans. The question is, do you have the equipment to cut, grind and weld thick steel? I’m not sure if what method to get information to you. Obviously I can’t give the amount of detail required in RU-vid comments. Any thoughts?
You did a great job, congratulations. I'd be even happier if you showed the closeups/details of the coins and dyes. But the most important is that they turned out great, and the people you hired to do the design and dyes are obviously professionals, and the coins look the part. There will be no reeds on the side? And I just didn't understand why you use two jacks, when you could adjust the length of the wooden plug and do everything on the same one? Not that it matters much, I'm just curious...
Thanks for your comments and interest👍. Yes, with the three part die there is a reed on the edge of the coin, just like a real coin. I use two presses, one @ 100 ton to press the image on the coin and the second to press the coin out of the reed die. It’s impractical use the 100 ton press to press the coin out of the die as it would take too long to pump up and lower the platen for the two different heights for the two different pressings. 👍
@@waterloocreek5659 Thank you for the clarification. I did expect that at least part of the reason for using two presses is the height difference, that's why i mentioned that the length of the wooden plug should be changed so that all the excess travel is eliminated. Anyway, keep up the great job!
Thanks for this great video! Do you mind sharing: how much did the dies cost to make, the engraving part as separate from the design work? Thank you so much! What a great way to share your faith!
Thanks. The engraved dies cost $1600 for the three parts. I don’t know what the dies would have cost without engraving. I designed the image to go on both dies using a graphics program. I then sent my design to The graphic designer who finalised the design into the formate for the engraver. The cost for the graphic designer was $300 for both dies. At the time it all seemed expensive but in reality it was quite cheap.
@@waterloocreek5659 Thank you for your answer, it helps me a lot! I appreciate your time! You do nice work. I looked at jacks like yours to make my own coin press too. I just never priced the dies out. Thank you again! :)
God helped me 2 years ago. He is powerful. And I want nothing more than to be with Christ. Some people don't understand this. Just imagine the happiest you have ever been. And imagine having this joy turned up to 11, almost more than you can handle. Imagine it being so intense that you have the sense it is the first time you had ever breathed. This is what it is like to be near God.
Your reply is encouraging to me. I’m just sitting here contemplating that my hydraulic bottle jack has failed (the second jack to fail) and I’m not able to press coins at the moment. It’s a challenge as I want to share the good news of our Saviour. It’s interesting that almost 8000 people have watched my video, twice as many as the coins I’ve pressed. The good news is still being spread🙏😁.
Great video! I am actually looking to make my own coins too. I tried a manual method using a sledgehammer and its just not working, I can get enough of an impression, but it's not even at all. Just can't hit it precise enough. Was wondering if you know of a good hydralic press to buy. I know you made your own, but I have no welding experience. Anything you can recommend?
What country? If you are in Australia I have some suggestions. Tonnage comes back to dollars. What material are you pressing? Commercial presses are quite large in size. Happy to help with suggestions if I can.
@@waterloocreek5659 I am in the US. material is some 32mm by 2mm thick blanks. So far I only have brass, but am thinking about switching to nugold and also using either pewter or nickel/silver blanks for the silver version. I just can't figure out how much tonnage I need. I read something that said 100 tons, but I can also get the depth I want with just a 10 pound sledge hammer, I just can't hit my current set up precise enough to get a good stamp. (it's a manual press, I'd show you but I don't know how to add a photo here
Hi Aaron, given the material you are pressing and the diameter you will need considerable pressure, at least that’s what I’ve been advised when I was investigating pressing. I wouldn’t look for anything under 100 ton. 100 ton presses can be very expensive and large in size. If you can afford it there will be plenty of presses available in the US, far more to choose from than here in Australia. You would just need plenty of space for a large press. If it were me I’d look at Potter USA as they make a 100 ton press similar in size to mine. When I communicated with Potter USA they quoted me over $10,000 for their press. That included electronic over hydraulic cylinder. I’m sure it would be much cheaper in US. Alternatively you could buy the press from Potter USA without the hydraulic pump and cylinder and buy a 100 ton Jack like I did. If your pressing looks like a goer you could then upgrade to the electric over hydraulic system. It all depends on $$$, space and how many coins you want to press. With my jack type press I’ve pressed over 1000 coins in the last 2 months. It’s very doable. It takes me about 2 minutes to press a coin from start to finish. I now only need to press each coin once which is far better than what I was doing in the video.
@@waterloocreek5659 That's what I have heard too, would need something with 100 tons of pressure, yet with my manual set up using a sledge I can make enough of an impression it's just not even as I am not hitting it precise enough. Am I really hitting with over 100 tons of pressure myself, that seems a lot for me to be able to physically do I think something isn't adding up for me. Do you have any type of social media (facebook or instagram) so I can send you pictures of what I am talking about? If you have social media of some sort and I"ll give you my info
@@avanlanche86 Hi Aaron. Unfortunately I don’t have social media😕. I would have been interested to see what you are doing. In ancient times they didn’t have 100 ton presses yet they still pressed coins. They used sledge hammers. Try doing a RU-vid search for Kevin Potter 50-lb drop hammer. There are other videos out there with drop hammers. I’m sure that would work if you could get help to make a simple one. A drop hammer makes sure the weight comes down evenly. You may have seen fly presses on RU-vid, they are another method of pressing coins. Not sure these can be found anywhere for sale. It would be interesting to buy one of the cheap 20 ton Harbour Freight presses I see people using on RU-vid and see what you could do with that. You may need to press 2 or 3 times but it might actually work, especially if you annealed the coin first.
Great build and great effort 👍😊 I want to make a coin for Holy Island and Anglesey in North Wales. I have designed the coin but can’t afford a shop bought press. I think your idea is great and would like to make it, would you be kind enough to supply me with your design for the press ? I also need to build up my muscles, so two machines in one 😊 Cheers Pete
Thanks Peter. I copied the design of Kevin Potter from Potter USA. Have you checked out his RU-vid channel. I used his basic shape and then drew up my own plans. Before I drew my plans I first needed to source a Jack in order to make the Jack cut out the correct size. Have settled in how much pressure you will need to press your coins? The greater the diameter the more pressure. The material you use for your coin blanks will also need to be taken into account. I’d be very happy to share my plans or talk you though plans.
@@waterloocreek5659 That’s wonderful, thank you. I will have a go at designing myself first, based on the Potter press and if I may, send you my work for advice. The coin I want to make will be 2mm thick and have a 30mm diameter in copper. I have been quoted around £900 per side for the dies, is that similar to you ? Regards Pete
@@peteredwards2371 Hey Pete. I found it extremely difficult to find a die engraver here in Australia. To be honest, I only found one company, and that was after a lot of prayer. God has just been amazing through the whole process, opening one door at a time and at the right time. It was truly like putting a jigsaw puzzle together. I did find 3 companies in the USA who would make dies and for the same price as here in Australia, however once the exchange rate and postage was calculated the final price was about 38% more expensive. I went with the Australia company. They provided a delivery date of 6 to 8 weeks. In reality it took 9 months for the dies to arrive. My 3 piece die set cost $1460.00. I thought that was a lot of money at the time but in comparison I have now spent $2600.00 on buying coin blanks. The company who made my dies said I would well exceed 10,000 coins. I’m not sure if you’ve read any of my other replies to coin press questions. I only need to press once now rather than the 4 pressings I initially needed to do. The dies have made an impression in the top and bottom press plattens and have self leveled. If you’re going to press 30mm copper 2mm think, how many tons will you need. Try taking your dies to a store and ask if you can do a trial. Also try annealing your coins before pressing as that will decrease the pressure needed. Happy to share anything I’ve leaned. Henry
@@peteredwards2371 Building your own press is quite doable with a level of skill, a grinder, welder and gas torch. Before you can get you press template drawn up first you need to know the dimensions of the Jack you’re going to use. My 100 ton Jack cost $600 and the steel plate cost just over $600. When I picked up the steel the steel yard commented that they could’ve cut the design out with their plasma cutter for only a small fee. But the time I bought welding rods, gas and grinding disc my press would’ve cost around $1600, far less than buying a press. In the future I can also convert my Jack you electric over hydraulic. But I’m not stressed, I enjoy the 💪😁.
what's the size and weight of your coin? you said its aluminum? i found program that calculates how much force you need to mint coin so am curious to see if its accurate
The aluminium discs I press are 40mm x 3mm. Given I don’t have a pressure gauge on my jack I’m not sure exactly how much pressure I’m using. My Jack is 100 ton and is quite hard to pull down by the time I let the pressure off. A 20 ton jack barely marks the surface of the aluminium disc.
No I haven’t made any coin rings from my home pressed coins. I’m using aluminium so I’m not sure how they’d hold up in the coin ring process. If I was to use a harder metal in the coin press that might work. I had actually designed a separate image with a Christian message to make Christian coin rings. The difficulty was in sourcing silver coin blanks. The second difficulty was the cost of getting two sets of coin dies. I would really like to make Christian coin rings. Perhaps in the future.
Good though👍. Once I pressed about 400 coins the top and bottom plattens evened out and I only press once now. I’ve now pressed over 2000 coins. Hopefully reaching many people with a purpose of hope😁.
have you tried using second hydraulic press you have to mint? i assume its not even close to get any proper inprint? because i want to make around 18mm coin but it seems it needs much more pressure than i imagined
I made the press, bought the jack from Gasweld (Chinese made) and paid an engineering firm in Sydney Australia to make the dies. I also had a graphic artist in Perth convert my design into a format the die maker could input into their computer.
The jack is 100 ton. The die maker recommended a minimum of 100 ton given the diameter of the coin blank. I have tried a 20 ton jack but it barely marked the surface of the coin blank.
If you can tell me how to build a drop hammer I might give it a go. Not sure if you’ve read my other comments. I only press each coins once now. Takes minutes from start to stop now.
I bought the jack from Gasweld, it cost $600 and it’s Chinese. The first jack pressed around 4000 coins, the second jack pressed 30 coins. Currently I’m unable to press coins due to no working jack, quite disappointing.
Hi Trevor. I mentioned in the video that I made the press based on the design of Potter USA. What country are you in? There is a supplier of Potter USA presses here in Australia but the100 ton press was around $10,000. There was absolutely months of researching on the web to get to where I am, I didn’t find a website where I could just click and make a simple purchase. I’m happy to help you if I can. The 100 ton bottle jack I’ve used in my press pressed about $4000 coins and broke down. I bought a second jack (both new) and it pressed 30 coins and broke down. I got a refund on the second jack and the first jack was sent back to the supplier and is being repaired. I’m contemplating buying a manufactured 100 ton workshop hydraulic press but that’s $9,000. A lot of money, especially as I give my coins away to people in the street. If it’s in God, He will open the door. Thanks for contacting me.
Hi there we love your press we are currently on our own journey of mining our own coins. We are based in New Zealand is there a way we can contact you?
Finding an engraver to engrave the coin dies is challenging. I did extensive Google search that took days to locate an die engraver here in Australia. I found three coin die engravers in the USA but with the exchange rate the cost of getting the engraving done in USA was far too expensive. The company in Australia were okay but it took 9 months to get the dies engraved. I suggest doing a local Google search in your country and see if you can find an engraver. If you can’t locate an engraver in your country let me know and I’ll send you the details of the companies in the USA.
I’m in Australia. The company who made my dies are also in Australia and it took the 6 months to get the made. If you want I can give you their details but they will request full payment up front. I also found 3 die making companies in The USA, I can give you their details if you like.
Do a Google search for these 3 USA companies- Mississauga Mint or Bex Engraving or Shrine Post Mint. I communicated with each of these companies and their dies were a similar price to the Australian company but with the exchange rate it made them more expensive. If you have difficulty getting a contact address for these companies let me know.
Happy to help. First consideration is cost. Dies may cost between $1500 & $2000. Do you want a double sided coin or single sided. Do you want a reed around the edge (like real coins). What material will you make the coins out of, aluminium is the softest but still requires 100 ton to press. What size coin do you want to make. You will need to find a coin blank supplier. That’s the image you want on the coin. You will need to design your coin and then get a graphic artist to format it ready for the engraver. You will need to either make a hydraulic press or buy one. My press cost about $2000 to make (finding a 100 ton hydraulic jack was challenging) or you could buy a 100 ton press but that’s quite expensive (roughly $10,000). How many coins do you want to make, that will help determine how much you can spend to get set up. Lots more to help with but this will help stimulate some thought. Let me know if you have more questions.
Thank u creek, very nice of u to reply n come farward to help. Iam from India , Telangana state n from Hyderabad capital. In India many a ornament with goddess Laxmi. No a coins available with Jesus, Mary, Jesus on cross, Peter with fish, guarding lambs by Jesus, king david mark.. such like… some more in my imagination.. I want them to in coin way (one side first), be in the necks of christains. Here all christains prefer them to wear and they search for them. I want make it available grist in silver n later on in gold.. though I am anxious, but with zero knowledge . So guide me step by step getting silver coins first then aboutcarving
Happy to help. You’ll need to search the internet to find a mint to supply coin blanks. With the current world events I wasn’t able to find a mint who would supply coin blanks. Silver and gold is currently in high demand for investment purposes. While you search for a mint start sketching or using a computer program to draw your coin design. Another suggestion is to buy sheet silver and then buy a round disc cutter to cut your coin blanks, it still expensive. I have also bought existing silver coins and polished of the image on one side to press my design into the smooth face of the coin. See how you go and message me again when you’ve made some progress.
I haven’t pressed gold but from what I’ve seen it would be similar to aluminium. The tonnage required to press any metal is significant affected by the diameter of the die. The greater the circumference (surface area) of the die the more pressure required. I hope this helps somewhat.
I found three companies in the USA who engrave coins dies - Mississauga Mint, Bec Engraving and Shrine Post Mint. I communicated with these companies and their price was similar the the company here in Australia however the exchange rate put the USA companies out of my price range. Do a Google search for these companies and see how you go. If you need help just let me know👍.
Good question. I polish the dies on a buffing wheel every 150 coins.The dies aren’t as bright as when they were new. They are still bright but not as bright.
@@waterloocreek5659 alum oxide is very hard abrasive. they make grinding wheels. wonder if an acid bath then bi cab bath then press. id steer clear of sanding coz u dont want the grit to end up in the dies. unless u polished and clean very well ultrasonic bath then press all with in 5min ?
That’s all very interesting and I’ll look look more into it. Thanks for making me aware of aluminium oxide. When I polish the dies on the buffing wheel I then wash the dies in petrol to remove and polish residue.
What country are you in? I know of three companies in USA. The company I used here in Australia took three months to make the dies and many many phone calls to remind them.
Hi Mike. Contact Yvonne at J.A Abbott in Sydney. I just reread my previous reply. I somehow wrote it took three months to get the dies when i should have written it took nine months. Yvonne was good to deal with, I think the holdup was back of house. I was very happy with the end product.
I suggest you do a goodie search for coin die engravers in your country . They seem to be few and far between but keep searching. It took me more than a month of research to fines an engraver. I hope this helps.
The 100 ton jack cost $600. The steel to make the press cost $600. The dies were $600. Other bits and pieces (welding rods, gas, grinding discs etc) $800. I’m not sure is the press will press any coin. I’ve pressed over 4000 coins and blown out two jacks and my current jack is playing up and I’m not n the process of repairing it. I have not reassembled it yesterday. I pressed 20 coins and it was still leaking pressed internally. I’ve disassemble it 4 times now but don’t quite seem to be able to find the problem.
Pepe Tools have good quality equipment. I had a company punch my coin blanks from a 8’ x 4’ sheet of aluminium 3mm thick. A die cutter would be fine if you only want to make 100 coins but I’ve bought about 8000. There’s no way a hobby die cutter would hold up this this quantity.
I haven’t tried pressing silver but I’m sure a 100 ton press could press annealed silver. My difficulty is that I don’t have silver discs the size of my coin die. It would be interesting to give it a try.
Interesting question. My jack is 100 ton as the die makes recommended 100 ton. I have never reached capacity with my jack. Remember though that I’m pressing aluminium coin blanks. If you were to press copper, brass or gold I think 100 ton would be required. I had a number of die manufacturers recommended 100 ton. If you are to press brass, copper or gold anneal the blank first. Another consideration is the diameter of the coin blank. The larger the diameter more tonnage would be required. I’d definitely give 50 ton a try. If you are only pressing a small number of coins you can repress multiple times just don’t take the coin out of the die between presses. I’ve pressed 2000s of coins and it’s very rewarding and you grow in experience as you go. All the best to you.
The three part die set cost $1500. I thought that was a lot at the time. I have now spent $3000 on coin blanks🤪. It’s a wonderful ministry with a message of hope, a message we all need to hear especially in these challenging and ever changing times.
$200 would be nice but from my research and experience coin dies cost approximately $600. The dies would be cheaper if you only want single side and cheaper again if you don’t want a reed around the edge. Good luck😁.
I made the press myself and based it on the 100 press made by Potter USA. I only had photos from the internet to go by. The press tuned out great and it works well. It’s made from 2 pieces of 20mm steel plate welded together.
I don’t think you can purchase Christian dies straight off the shelf. I needed to design the graphic, find a graphic designer to turn the design into a proof, then I needed to find an engraver and supplier of round disc blanks. It’s quite a process but with prayer and God’s help it’s very doable and a worth ministry. I encourage you to have a go if it’s something that is calling on your heart. I had the idea in my mind for 10 years before the doors opened for the opportunity to be followed through. I’m only too happy to help if I can.
Thanks for sharing. We all need hope and only Christ can fill that emptiness we feel in our heart. I have always found encouragement in Philippians 4: 13. Are you doing okay still?
Toolex is the brand of the jack. I think Gasweld just buy these out of China and slap their name on the jack. I’m sure the same jack is sold across the world under many names.
