imagedude

Got me some tooling for the powerhammer:

Hope all goes well with the surgery.

Bob.

I could make just about any type of powerhammer die or hydraulic press die on a shaper. I could do the same on a mill easier but would need to spend more on cutting tools. A shaper is a versatile tool for performing 'one off' operations to blacksmithing levels of accuracy.

name a few bob , other than skimming die block dovetails.

Simple gear cutting
Cutting internal and external splines on driveshafts
Fettling operations on castings
Machining rack and pinion gears
Cutting shoulders or making deep grooves
T-Slots
Dovetails

You can even machine curves if you are clever.

There's a good reason that many machine shops have a dusty shaper in a dark corner, they do jobs that mills can't and you can make your own tooling without the help of a cutter/grinder.

Shaping machines are probably the most underestimated machine available to the blacksmith. They can perform many complex machining operations and will happily use homemade cutters.

Flypress screws are made from impact resistant steels usually rich in Nickel. In Europe the steel used would probably be EN24. The steel is probably not far removed from L6.

Is it still running at the usual BPM? Slipping drive belts is a common maintenance issue on some of the Kuhn clones.

Possibly cast iron?

Ratel10mm, may I ask where you got it from? I've been looking for a reasonably priced cross-pein but I can't find one in this country.

Cromwell tools

Here's a photo of my large anvil, the face is 8 inches wide x 29 inches long. The small anvil on the left is 4 hundredweight.

2lb ball with wooden handle.

I've got about 4 feet of rail track in my scrap pile. Would this be suitable for making fullering dies for a powerhammer? Would it require further HT? I was thinking of using the upper part of the rail only i.e. the half round(ish) section.

Couldn't you afford two of them? If this one broke, how long till the other one goes, and would you be better off replacing them in pairs? Just a thought... ;-)

I'll be replacing both and keeping the surviving arm as a spare. There was only one new arm in stock so I'll just be fitting one for the moment. The 2 new arms should outlive me.

Presses larger than size 6 are best used with 2 man operation but remember they you can work small stock with a large press but working large stock with a small press is a pain in the rear. Here's my size 4/5 press working 45mm stock.

I would still suggest getting a new one from Neville Barnes as per previous reply in this thread.

Ordered a new arm today.

cheers

Bob

I'd suggest that you get a size 6 or larger.

If I remember correctly this is not a simple bar, the end shown is retained in position by a wedge and retaining plate arrangement which allows the shaft to be removed.
The other end is a knuckle, with a pivot pin passing through, holding it to the hammer head.

Correct, one end has a machined taper with a hole for the wedge, the other end has a ball joint with a hole for the retaining pin.

I paid the equivalent of $900 for this 11" Harrison 140, I'm sure there are similar machines available on your side of the pond. Buying a used lathe can be a lottery but there are bargains out there. It is important that you get the tooling with the lathe e.g. 3 & 4 jaw chucks, steadies etc as these can cost more than the lathe if purchased seperately.

WOW, that looks like cracks are running all up and down that bar.

I can see fractures running for half an inch in each direction hence my reluctance to attempt a welded repair, even though my father is a coded welder. The plane of the fractures is at 45 degrees to the holes drilled to accomodate the retaining pin for the hammer head.

It'd be a brave man that tried to fix this with a weld, the metal is too far gone!

I managed to break my hammer today, a Blacker model C. The lower parallel arm broke, you can see from the oil that had penetrated the initial crack that it has been starting to break over a long period of time, hardly surprising given that the hammer is 70 years old:

I'll fabricate a temporary replacement from strips of flat bar, I'll then forge a new bar. You can't simply use round bar as it tapers considerably. If both arms had busted at the same time it would have been interesting.

Finally moved my Blacker onto its plinth today:

Are they your little hammers in the conferance photos, John?

Here's my little Murex 140amp DC welder. It's replaced a large 180amp oil filled AC transformer.

The frame on my size 10 press is 9" deep and 5" wide.