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I Forge Iron

Hand-held Pneumatic Forging


ldezem

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Blacksmith from Finland has started to apply hand-held jackhammers (originally built for riveting, chipping and demolition) in open forging.

The result is that the experience of forging becomes more drawing like. The technique is shown in detail in a short documentary showing the blacksmiths studio and an introduction to hand-held pneumatic forging.



The video was made for Urban Community Media M2HZ.net
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I'm a proponent of forging with air tools but this looks pretty awkward at the anvil, at least for me. The work speaks for itself, good stuff.
The demo I saw Corky do in 2000 was 3/8 plate dogged down atop a platen with maybe 4'' tube spacers, heated with a big torch, and attacked with the air hammer (loudest demo I ever heard) Kinda the same as this guy but much larger scale......

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Very neat doorknockers. Great looking shop. Interesting comments by the artist/craftsman/blacksmith.

I wonder if he could make some kind of counterbalanced cable system to take some of the weight of those hammers.

thanks for posting this.

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Been done for years here in the USA by various smiths.


Corky Storer demonstrated that technique at the 2006 ABANA conference in Seatle


Nice. Do you have links to some documentation. I'd like to share them for Jesse. I cant tell how long Sipola has been working on "hand-held pneumatic forging" but I think he has invented some interesting applications for it. Here he's forging a 2cm think plate into shape:


(The steal is cold as the furnace was broken)
and for people interested in just on the technique and not Jesses ramblings here is a forging concentrated mixdown of the first post

http://youtu.be/Xw1n0IeQM9A

Given that other blacksmiths are also working on this technique has the developed a common consensus on what to call it? Jesse has pushed the term "hand-held pneumatic forging" forward since I've known him but if there is a less complicated therm out there it would be useful. I got to know him as he has studying in Mynämäki 2003 but I'm not a blacksmith.
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In the early 90's there was some folks on the web even making powerhammers from large pneumatic jackhammers I remember reading of two different methods they used and over 8 years ago I saw a demo at SOFA of Mike Bendele using a hand air tooling to work a bowl---
http://sofablacksmiths.org/meetings/dec/bendele.htm

I think that what holds most smiths back from using these tools is the amount of air necessary for the big boys.

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I have to find that book too (Will make a good gif for Jesse). So when blacksmiths work like this the technique is called "Power Repousee". What is the difference between forging and chasing? Jesse works with steel and the material is up to 2cm thick. That surely cannot be thought of as chasing right?

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Anything is better then Finnish: "käsivarainen paineilmataonta" which roughly translates to "handsupported pressureairforging" but I'm still hesitant on categorize this as a Repousse/Chasing technique. Perhaps the terminology somehow gets misinterpreted when it reaches North Europe. Repousse/Chasing here is thought of as something blacksmiths seldom do. A technique in which metal is not heated to the temperatures which are needed for forging. But again I'm just a craft enthusiast not an expert.

Link removed per request of Jock, the owner of Anvilfire, has insisted NO links be posted to HIS site

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this guy is clearly good at what he is doing, and i think its interesting as a method, the work is good, but i agree, it looks a littel awkward, and personally, the vibration would annoy XXXXXXX me after a bit..... not sure its for me!! short bursts maybe.... intresting to watch though..

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I dont understand but there must be some reason.

Anyway any and all links to information on the handheld pneumatic forging or similar Repoussé/chasing techniques using jackhammers/airhammers etc. for open forging are very welcome.

It there is a history of using such tools for forging the better. Perhaps the history could be documented online somehow.

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Beth hit the vibration thing on the head. I can tell you from personal experience that using those hammers long term will cause you damage that only a surgeon can fix. After 6 times under the knife I have only 50% use of my right arm and hand.
Talk to the guys who used to run chipping guns for a decade or more in the shipyards and they`ll tell you how pneumatic hammers can turn hands into claws. Claws that don`t feel much except chronic pain due to nerve damage.

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What I like is although awkward, this is still hammer and anvil type stuff. When you get into machine assisted forging or metal moving its usually in a very linear way which is constricting and arguably takes a bit of life out of the piece. This guy is running around his anvil using nooks and bumps and even a stump and he has got some oomph in those hammers. Looks like its one heat at a time, let the compressor catch up., plan your moves. He is really sculpting the material. Another set of hands would be useful, I bet he has a helper around somewhere.

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