Power Hammers

[HWooldridge]

I have been stung by set tools under power hammers - or by trying to straighten a piece of cold steel (which is a no-no for me henceforth). I had a 25 LG for several years and put a simple bar cage in front of the spring but never added anything else.

Fortunately, I have not been seriously hurt in my years of doing this but in order of seriousness, the worst ones for me are:

1. Right angle grinder with wire cup wheel is deadly - has gotten me several times. A 9" with a grinding wheel also took a piece out of my wrist down to the bone once. I was beveling the end of a piece of pipe and was flipping the grinder, which spun the wheel right through space then occupied by my arm.
2. Bench grinder with wire wheel - need I say more?
3. 12" PSA sander. The discs sometimes pucker and the high spot will catch you at a bad time. I lost a good piece of flesh to one while sharpening a shear blade not too long ago.

I seldom get burned anymore - must have figured out early that stuff was hot...<BOG>

[irnsrgn]

Spring Guard on my LG 50

[Mills]

Irnsrgn That is why I admire you Bruce Wilcock so much, Succinctness. That is elegant.

[angela]

I have an old triphammer that belonged to my father when he was a blacksmith during the 50s and 60s. I've been trying to learn more about it, including value. The only thing I know about it is there is one like it in a museum (I've been told it is in the Henry Ford Museum). Has anyone seen one like it before? Does anyone know anything about the McGowan & Finnegan triphammers?
The only other thing I know about it is that it makes a glorious sound when used and I loved watching it work when I was small.
Thanks for any help/info anyone can give to me!
Angela

[mike-hr]

Howdy, I have a Perfect hammer that I run most every day.. Mine is an 80 pound ram, and it says Patent Sept 1907, where yours says patent applied for.. There is a book called 'pounding out the profits' that has a short history on the company, but not much. I think they made a 35 and an 80 pound hammer, I don't know which yours is. The value where I live, on the west coast USA, would be $800 - 3000, It just depends how bad someone wants it.

[clark-kentski]

By the looks of the cobwebs i can tell i would love to spend the day in that shed. Make sure you dont throw anything out as some tools dont look like much but have great value,posting pics here the folks will let you know what you have an an idea of value,good luck!!

[angela]

Thanks for the info and the comments, guys. My father was a blacksmith for quite a few years. He died during 2003 from histoplasmosis that he'd had for more than 30 years. He did a lot of smithing when I was a child, and owned his own shop for a number of years next to the Illinois River. I don't know how much Mom has kept of his tools, etc., but will try to find out and get pics of what she still has. I have the triphammer because I asked for it as a keepsake just because I loved to listen to hte sounds it made when Dad used it. I loved to go to the shop to sit quietly to listen to the stories while Old Harry (Dad) worked. He made a lot of his own tools, etc. He also used to give demonstrations for a things called *Harvesting the River*, etc. I remember that if I was really quiet, I could hear all kinds of stories because the men would forget I was there. One of my favorites was the following Old Harry told fairly often:
When I was a little kid, we lived close to an old woman we called "Wiggy" cause she was pert near bald-headed. Wiggy lived in a little house with two men. One was her husband and one was an extree. After supper every night, the men would sit by the cookstove and play cards while Wiggy washed dishes at the sink in front of the winnder.
Well, one day when I was playin, I found me an old horse skull. I got me a piece a wire and I wired the jaws together on the horse skull so I could make 'em go "CLOMP"! Then I carried it to Wiggy's house and I waited for her to do the dishes. It was gittin dark and when she started to wash the dishes, I raised the horse skull outside a the winnder and I went "CLOMP" with the jaws of the skull. Wiggy said, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" and fell over in a dead faint. Her fellers got up and ran to the door and started yellin that they was gonna beat my xxx. So I beat feet outta there.
The fellers told my dad what I did and I got my xxx beat. Just goes to show a young feller can't win for nothin.
The shop was a great place. Dad's hired hand was a man who'd been in WW1, was a bit shellshocked, had cauliflower ears from when he was a boxer, and who had to leave a few times throughout the day to go to the tavern for a "skuttle o' suds".
I hope a lot of you have daughters who get to enjoy the shops with you!
Thanks again!
Angela

[Leah]

Angela, thank you for sharing your father's story with us. Have you ever thought about dusting off his tools and using them yourself? It sure is a lot of fun to play in the fire. There are a lot of women blacksmiths doing some beautiful work.

[Dodge]

Wonderful story, Angela. Thank you for sharing. I have 3 daughters. My oldest is a cosmetologist. (Can't get dirt under her nails) My second oldest is a medical assistant. (Can't get dirt under her nails) They both like what comes out of the shop but not whats in it LOL My youngest (22) likes the shop and the sounds, etc. I'll have to keep brow beating her to grab a hammer though

[angela]

I haven't had the opportunity to do much smithing types of work/fun. I am looking forward to learning more and doing more next Spring and Summer when my husband and I are working on things (cars, etc.) I sort of was banned from the shop many years ago by my mother after I sat on a freshly welded piece of metal. received a bit of a different shaped cheek from that episode. LOL Then I was run over by a car and that put a halt to a few things for a while. Then Dad was afraid welding would ruin my eyes and refused to allow me to learn to weld. (Helmets weren't as good back then as now.) Now that I am a grandma (almost 50 years old) and many years later (after two bad marriages.. one of which ended with a psychopathic exhusband in prison, a tornado that destroyed my last home, various other problems, etc) I am married (for the third time) to a guy who has no qualms about allowing me to do things I love to do (like shooting coons, etc.) I am really loooking forward to learning how to use the triphammer, etc. In the meantime, I've been doing a lot of artwork over the years... the main reason Old Harry was very cautious about my eyes being *ruined*. I don't have any of my best paintings on the computer to attach to this, but found one painting from last year when the pelicans were in the area. It's been an intersting life and is going to be more so. So many things to learn to do and so much to try!
Angela