Bob Brandl

They're corby bolts, and almost any epoxy will do fine for you. Just don't use five minute stuff. It would likely work, but I've had some of them fail me a few times over the years. Only once with a knife handle, but still. Truthfully, a couple of plain old .125" stainless pins will do you just fine. Unless the look of the corby bolts is what you're after. Just dome/rivet the ends and you're good.

There are pneumatic over hydraulic hammers in steel mills all over the world, but they're massive. Hydraulic power is used to lift the ram/head, then get driven down with compressed air or nitrogen. I've seen them on Modern Marvels and other shows like that. I don't know why anyone would want one in a small shop.

Warm white vinegar will also take scale off. It takes longer than muriatic acid, but is cheap and very effective.

Does the motor still have a nameplate? If so, could you post a picture of it?

I wrap electrical tape around my index fingers a couple of times and use them as a "shelf" for the spine to rest on, seeing as you're applying pressure to the blade with your thumbs anyway.

Or, you know...a body could just make a phone call or shoot someone an email.

The only person I know of with one is Alec Steele. He may have some information, or know where to possibly get it, but I don't know how easy he would be to contact. But, the man Alec bought his from may know more. His name is Nigel Barnett, and his business name is Fransham Forge, I think. He's also in the U.K. Mark Krause is the self-contained hammer guru here in the U.S., and he know A Lot. The caveat there, however, is that I don't know that he would know much about that specific make of hammer. Hopefully that all will help.

I'd get Klingspor belts in 36 and/or 60, 120, and 220 grit. Klingspor makes really good stuff, and is usually a good bit cheaper than 3M or Norton, and there aren't a thousand options to muddy the waters. And to be honest, I wouldn't go the book route starting out. I would never have recommended it in the past, but I'd just go to YouTube and search for hand forging videos. There's so many good bladesmiths putting out free content, it actually makes sense these days. Jason Knight, Walter Sorrels, and others are great resources for forging and finishing. Kevin Cashen's site is also great for heat treat info on the more popular knife steels, too, and it's also available for everyone. It's more technical than what you're likely geared for, but still. You'd be well served to also find a good chart like this one https://images.app.goo.gl/jy4nGY1QXQM7puex6. It's not perfect, but it's definitely a great place to start. At some point, though, I'd definitely find a good class focusing on bladesmithing when it's feasible.

Thank you! I really like it so far, and have adjusted the point of impact. Honestly, however, I'm still a major Beaudry guy, haha. I really like it, though. Ran into a minor problem with it slipping into a shorter stroke, but it's only happened once...so far.

I bought mine new from James for $5500 after taxes and everything. It was an older style, and I got $3250 for it when I sold it a few years later. It was in very good shape, with very little use. I'm not surprised by the $2000 figure for an older one these days.

Everything Latticino said!

I liked mine a lot, too, but the dies just became a problem for the work I do. But it was a solid little hammer. Sold it to a knifemaker in VT about ten years ago and she's still using it.

I owned a 33# Anyang for a good while. They're good little hammers, but they are little. I always felt like it out worked a lot of 50# mechanicals I've used, but the dies were Way smaller on the Anyang. Not a big deal if you're starting out, but as you go along that may be a thing. If it were me, I'd look hard at a deal on a 50# Little Giant or something, but that's just me. Have you got pictures of the hammer, especially the motor nameplate?

Finally got my 150# strap hammer running! It's already exceeded expectations insofar as being mechanically sound and control. I hope to be hammering steel before December, so fingers crossed. It does run a smidge faster than the literature calls for, but not by enough to be of concern to me. And I need to adjust the guides, strap, and cushions (as per Mr. Nowak), but overall, it's quite solid. VID_22510406_155034_008.mp4 VID_22510405_173349_946~2.mp4

My bad. Borax does float some of the oxides off, and I didn't think about that part because of how I prep the steel before welding damascus. Thanks for pointing that out.