jason0012

I tried to get 3 phase from my previous utility. It would have required all the wiring on my end of course, but the transformers were 40 yards from the building. They wanted something like $60,000 just to connect to it, and wanted me to sign a contract to buy a minimum of something like 30-40 thousand worth per year, regardless of usage. Here the rural co-op charges me $40 a month, and whatever I use. The 3 phase was a big selling point here.

Playing with the hammer this morning, and had a humorous problem. Drawing down tong reins. This hammer breaks down stock quick, and while it can be a tad wild it is controllable.my problem arose when I tried to round up the taper. It forged out square and fairly smooth easy enough, and took the corners to octagon, no problem. But knocking the octagon down to round, just squared it back up. Clifton said you should get used to turning as fast as the hammer runs, but for the last 27 yrs I have been running a 75 pound Bradley. It runs around 300-350 bpm. I am turning twice every time the hammer comes down !

I am having noise issues in my new building. It is all metal and rattles like a snare drum when grinding, forging or even welding. I am currently experimenting with welding curtains as noise baffles, in the hopes that I can at least isolate sound before it sets up reverb throughout the building...

Who is currently selling these? Clifton used to sell them himself, and I wore out a VHS copy. I would like to get it on digital...

If someone finds these they should be archived

Right here...

No idea just yet. For the moment still working a day job ( well night shift). The 250 got to hit steel tonight. Definately an entirely different animal from the Bradley. Slow and deliberate is the best I can describe it. I do have some bad habits from the Bradley that definately won't fly with the little giant. I am used to setting tools in the frame of the Bradley right behind the guides. It is very convenient. That motion puts your tools straight into the arms and spring on this beast...I definately need the gaurd and break.

Rural. Former CNC machine shop. Has 4- 3 foot deep 8 foot square pads for the Mazak machining centers that were formerly here. I went from a 400 sq ft garage to a 4800 sq ft industrial building

Yeah. I went from running on an extension cord to being way over powered. This is the "I am tired of screwing around" shop. I have 3 600 amp 240 v 3 phase panels and the 250 is all I have plugged into that at the moment. The concrete floor is also way overkill.

Clifton ran his 250 on a 5, but said it should have been larger. I have a 7.5 sitting here, but that gear motor came with the hammer and apparently ran it for many years. Everyone's option of how a hammer should run is not the same. I thought I would give it a shot and dont think it will stay. I will upgrade in the not too distant future. An induction heater would be awsome, but they aren't cheap. I do have a 100 amp drop right behind the hammer and no clue what I would ever use it for

Tonight I put some attention into the treadle and its linkage , cleaned up the dies and did make shift repairs to the old die keys. The treadle spring seems kind of weak so I gave it some counter weight. The treadle linkage is odd on this one. The clutch fork operates from a rod that runs inside the frame. The treadle axel is connected to this by a split clamp, held with a single bolt. Of course, mine had worn its seat to the point that it doesn't really clamp. Much to my shame I must confess to tack welding it rather than do a proper repair. The dies are leveled out, just look at those dies! 4x9 1/2! The top die key was too short and shimmied in its slot so I tacked a piece of 3/16 key stock to the top edge. Now it is trapped in its slot. I also added a centering pin which was missing. The bottom die is too narrow so I gave it a single 3/16 thick shim. They only have to hold long enough to for me to forge new, better keys. Playing with it, it has tamed considerably but the motor is stalling on me now. While I am not surprised that a 3 hp motor would stall on a 250 pound hammer, it is stalling at idle and not under load. I suspect it may be dropping a phase... I have some 2 1/2 inch 4140 waiting to become die keys, but alas, I am out of propane... I think I am going to need a bigger forge

Removed the zerk for the clutch and no new grease was present. I cleaned out the grease passage and installed a new fitting and found that the frozen fitting had forced half a tube of grease the wrong way into the grease gun- yuck. Grease gun cleaned up, new tube of grease and greased the daylights out of the beast, fired it up and guess what? Now the clutch pops right out. I may just be able to use it like this. At least until I get the Bradley home.

It lives! A good example of why these hammers need breaks. There is something wrong with the treadle linkage, the die keys dont really fit right, but she turns over. I am surprised at how stabil it is not being bolted down. 20190404_100021.mp4

I like the kerrihards I have used. They are very compact, and the several I got to use were small hammers that had been pretty heavily abused. Neat hammers with a lot of personality. Being a small hammer it will be limited in capacity, but still very useful. Size is a bonus if you are limited in space or power. They did make a bigger model, a 75 i think. They dont seem to be very common, and replacement parts will have to be fabricated. The up side is the parts aren't hard to make or repair and overall it is a tough machine. I have very nearly bought one on several occasions, despite not really needing it- I just like the crazy mechanism. A 30 pound kerrihard in my opinion is noticeably more powerful than a 25 pound little giant and in the same class of hammer. Gross weight under 700 pounds makes it pretty decent to move without serious rigging, and it will run on a 3/4- 1 hp motor so will be just fine on a 110 v lighting circuit. A 1/2 plywood buffer over a concrete floor would be quite adequate for mounting( just some 1/2 inch drive in anchors, or maybe 3/8...) or lagg it down to so.e 4x4 or similar timbers if on dirt. Cheap and easy to install and run. Probably good to 1 1/4 material. It would easily work 3/4-5/8.

I am not even to the rebuild. That may be a year or so down the road. Just doing damage assesment at this point, hoping to have a hammer running soon. I will get back to actually fixing things once I get the Bradley home. Only a few smaller bits have arrived at this point. I bought the 250 wanting more stroke. I probably would have been better off calling Anyang, but this thing does look cool...

New pins are in the future, but I have had limited time to work on it, and half the shop is yet to be moved still. One of the first replacements will be that knuckle near my head. Poor thing is trashed. That will be one of my first jobs for this hammer. A 100 is a much more manageable hammer. I was honestly un prepared for how heavy all these parts are. I wanted a bigger hammer. I am kind of thinking this is quite enough now.

They need to be replaced, but that is not happening anytime soon.

Motor on, some minor bits to go and I can wire it up and see how it runs.

Back together, mostly. The guides are a real pain. Too many directions to shim. Coupled with the casting quality, I see why they didnt carry this design for long. The bolt nearest the light binds the ram unless I back it off 1/4 turn from tight. Calling it a night, will attack that issue another day...

Broken clutch fork welded. I am starting to get it back together. The ram is about mid stroke here with 9 inches of blocks under it.

I have a crane but there is a clearance issue. I am still working on this one...

Has anybody here repoured the bearings on a 250 little giant? How massive of a pain is this? My bearings aren't unservicable, but they aren't good either. I suppose a whole new shaft is in order when I do get to this. My 25 was easy and the bradly was pretty easy, but this looks like a handfull

Do not quit for a "real" job, you will never regain what you have...

This is my rodent control specialist. Hard at work in her office

There goes the neighborhood...