25# Little Giant trip hammer

[Leah]

Thanks, I sure am glad to hear that. I did not want to have to dig up part of my floor.

[sandpile]

LEAH-- You are in Northern LA. Tell us (kinda) where this hammer is located and maybe someone is close enough to help you figure out what all this little hammer will need.

Tommy Dean is in N.East Texas There may be help closer than you think.

Chuck

[mike-hr]

I have a 5 1/2 inch slab, and I mounted my 80# hammer to the floor with no extra foundation. I put a layer of rubber belting on the floor, then a layer of two inch pine slabs on the belting. When I had the foot print figured out, I bought a handful of masonry blades that fit in my skilsaw and cut a joint in the concrete around the pine slabs. I figured that if the hammer was too much for the floor, maybe it would break up in a controlled area instead of shooting cracks across the floor.
An odd thing I've noticed, I have a collection of old bottles on top of a shelving unit, less than two feet from the hammer. The bottles never rattle off the shelf, but things 30 feet away will occasionally settle while using the hammer. Must be a wavelength thing.
It may be worth mentioning that there is a layer of hardpan under my shop that's at least six feet deep. I visited a smith in Eugene, OR who lives in the Alluvial soil of the river valley. He put a very sizable foundation under his 200# Beaudry, and it has sunk a noticeable amount.

[Leah]

Sandpile, I went to look at the hammer this morning and I think I am going to get it. Thanks to all the information I got from you guys and an email from Sid, I could tell enough to make a decision. I took about two hours and went over everything with a fine tooth comb. There is slack in the babbitt bearing but there are still a couple of pieces of shim under the bearing cap. I THINK I may be able to run it for a while before it needs to be fixed. If not, I have poured bearings before. I do know that I probably will have to buy either the ram or ram guides or both. I don't know how much adjustment (if any) there is. The ram guides are bolted on with three bolts and there may (or may not) be some adjustment there. The thing has very good bones and was covered with years of grease, oil and dust, so I know it had been kept lubed. The first thing I did was to look at the parts that Sid does not sell. All of them checked out so the rest of it can be fixed. I did not even run it. The motor was 220 so we poked the end of the wires into a 110 outlet just to make sure there was life in it. I stepped on the treadle( after I pulled the wires out of the outlet :lol: ) and made Steve rotate the back pulley to make sure nothing was frozen. Between my elbow grease and checkbook and Sid's parts list, I think I can end up with a good hammer. By being able to show the seller that his "mint" hammer had some flaws, I was able to get him to knock 1/3 off the selling price. I am really looking forward to getting it in tip top shape.

Mike, thanks for the info on the foundation. I am pretty sure I can get some old conveyor belt from work.

[sandpile]

LEAH-- You just tickle me to death. Worlds common sense, and gobs of try.

Congrats on getting 25* er.

Chuck

[Candidquality]

so when are you going to get this pink monster up and running. You are going to paint it pink aren't ya? :wink: congrats on the find.

[Leah]

Candidquality,

I will pick it up this weekend and start seeing what I have to do to it. I am not sure that even I could stand that much pink in one place, but you never know... :roll:

Come to think of it, I do call my place the Pink Hammer Forge, who says it has to be a hand hammer?

[Leah]

Ok, I got the hammer home yesterday so now the fun starts. I have a book and a video on the way that might help. There is an article online on "Anvil Magazine" that shows some things on a rebuild, but it is a two part article and I can only get the first part to print. It says that you have to subscribe to get the last part. I used to have an online subscription, but it will not let me re-subscribe and email to them keeps bouncing. Does anyone know where I can get the December 2000 issue of Anvil magazine?