Dar S.
sheltech@webtv.net

Anyway, I finished one of these dies, very similar to the balloon, and more or less figured out what works  for forming with some depth and some detail. The part is 2" by 1" and has a cast bronze forming module attached (with pins and silver solder) that follows the shape of the part exactly, but 1/32" in from the cutting edge. The module is two-tiered , the first one steep sided with rounded leading edges up to the 3/32" plateau. The second tier is the raised design part , a simple curvy fish-thing that's another 3/32" tall. The steep sides and edge-proximity and depth basically make this into a die that cuts a shallow bead half. A sister die with the (exact) same shape cuts a domed part that in fact does get soldered to the first piece in hollow bead-like fasion.

Again, the new (and exciting ) thing about this is the combining of the doming and articulated embossing. The trick is to use 75d urethane and a LOT of pressure. Though this ended up working reasonably well with 95a urethane (once I went to the 50 ton press) , it works better and easier with   the addition of 75d to interface with the metal and form.

More to follow, and I'm interested to hear from Brian about
the 'hockey puck' urethane he's tried.

D