Getting Back on a Metal Forum

Essexmetal · #1 09-06-2012, 03:06 PM

My name is Rick Mammel. I have been involved in metal forming and fabrication for 38 years. Was involved in the very early days of the original Metalshapers Site. It was a great venue for several years with many high profile metalmen sharing their tricks. Several reasons lead to a reduction of participation on that site, mostly too busy with the daily business. Now in semi retirement I have the interest to see what is happening in the metalshaping community. I have also downsized my shop to reflect doing less commercial and more hobby work. Sold off my 2m Pettingell and several duplicate machines and will now rely on a EWheel and Eckold for my shaping. Bit rusty on wheel use, will be interesting to see how the re-acquaintance goes. Look forward to reading and contributing to posts.

Rick

thingsthatfly2 · #2 09-06-2012, 03:40 PM

welcome. i remember hearing somewhere that it takes you 10% of the time to re-learn something that you knew before. (reason why 10% every college math class is review of last year)

Peter Tommasini · #3 09-06-2012, 05:00 PM

HI Rick welcome to the forum
Peter

David Gardiner · #4 09-06-2012, 05:09 PM

Hello Rick and welcome!

David

mr.c · #5 09-06-2012, 05:59 PM

Welcome,Rick.

Kerry Pinkerton · #6 09-06-2012, 06:19 PM

Welcome Rick. I remember you from the MSA days. Welcome to AllMetalShaping.

We have quite an active Eckold community here. What do you have?

HEATNBEAT · #7 09-06-2012, 07:21 PM

Hi Rick and welcome!

Essexmetal · #8 09-06-2012, 08:45 PM

Guys thanks for the welcome.

Kerry, my Eckold is a KF665. Glad to see that there is strong interest from the membership towards them. If you are lucky enough to have the specific tooling a Kraftformer can kick out the parts. My buddies in the UK use a Wheel and a Kraftformer and are content they need little more to turn out complete bodies.

Like the guys that bought 427 Cobra's for $5K, I have been lucky enough to purchase my equipment when it was available and cheap back in the early 80's. So for those thinking man "must be nice" to have an Eckold it was reasonably in expensive back when there was no real interest in one. No internet, no Jesse James using one on TV. There is something good to be said for being in Detroit and working around the auto industry. They spend the big bucks on equipment, then get tired of it and sell it for pennies on the dollar.

Rick

Kerry Pinkerton · #9 09-06-2012, 09:07 PM

I've never seen a KF665 in person. Dan Pate has a 653 bottom stroker. Tony Katterns in New Zealand has a KF665 I think.

I fell into a Piccolo a few years back with a bunch of tooling including the NOMARs. Last year I got a KF420. There is another KF420 owned by Fintan (Flakey) in the UK and bunch of Piccolos scattered around the world. Amazing machines all. I'm tooling poor but would love to find a set of beak shrinkers cheap someday.

The Eckold forum is at:

http://www.allmetalshaping.com/forumdisplay.php?f=55

What kinds of things are you working on Rick?

Essexmetal · #10 09-07-2012, 07:43 AM

Kerry, its like all the other equipment, once you're in the community you end up in contact with everyone else with the same stuff. I was lucky to get mine very well tooled but the network of Eckold owners in Europe have been able to find me some odd ball tooling when needed. One of my favorite features is the size of the reformer blades you can run in the 665. There are not too many rocker panels large than what you can run though the machine.

Ownership is taken fairly seriously by the factory as well. I have had two visits from Factory Eckold people. One time there was tech visiting Michigan to service some GM equipment in Lansing. He traveled the hour to my shop to check the machine and inspect the tooling. Then one day Michael Eckold stopped by to bring me a hat and see I was treating the machine properly. I assure you he is as passionate about these machines as their owners.

There have been several 653's for sale over the years and I had looked at one before I got the 665. Never got me excited being a bottom hit machine. Not an issue with a small part but trying to support a large panel as it bounces up and down did not fit my interest. BUT these days if anyone would ask I would say buy it because there is nothing else around. Also have wondered when they designed the machine originally why they gave the base such a narrow footprint. They look like you could give it a shove and over it would go.

Kerry, as for projects, I am just getting back in my shop after 3 years. What was a couple day a week consulting job turned into a full blown position setting up the manufacturing facility for a medical company, then a move to a larger facility, then the next thing, etc. etc. and 3 years is behind me. Most of my panel work in the future will be for myself. Never did get to my sports car build. Need to get it back up on the surface plate and get into it this Winter.