Load the acrylic dies in the bottom of the box, making sure that there are no overhanging areas. Place the smallest die opening at the bottom of the stack. Place the Kevlar die plate on top of the acrylic. Typical thickness of the stack for the 3" box will be 1/2" to 1-1/4". For the 6" and 6x12 boxes, it will be 1-1/2" to 2". Place fully annealed metal on top of the Kevlar.

Do not use any lubricant at this time. Place the two 60 durometer pads on top of the metal. Close the box using the pusher supplied (for the 6" square box, use the top spacer as the pusher). First pressing should be to about 4000 pounds per square inch (psi).These pressures are based on using a 20 ton press! Lower pressures are appropriate for larger presses. Remove the metal and anneal. The metal in the 6" and 6x12 box can usually handle larger pressures, as the die opening is larger. Place the annealed metal back into the box, and place a small amount of lubricant in the recessed area. Stay away from the flange area! Lightly lubricate the area between the two pads, and press again to the same pressure.

For the third and subsequent pressings, place the 60 durometer pad on the metal and build-up a small stack of intensifiers, (approximately 1/2" to 3/4" high) over the area that you want to move the greatest amount. Put a small amount of lubricant down into the metal cavity, and a bit more between the two pads, and a bit more on the bottom of the pusher. Remember... a little goes a long way. Place the remainder of the pads on top of the intensifier stack, and press again. By now, the form should be taking quite a bit of shape. Additional annealings and increasing the height of the intensifiers, moving the pyramid around as desired, will enable you to get some really deep forms very quickly.