Steve Shimanek

I concur; also, if it was easy, everybody would be doing it.

Wow, that is really well executed and artistic!

Walk around tour of hammer.....

Worked on my power hammer and got it going, a few more tweaks to do, but it is pretty much there. 

Try again....

As requested....

Video uploaded, but not working?

"When I nod my head, hit it! Uh....let me rephrase that..."

Chris, if you can, taking a welding course from your local community college would be helpful, as you can learn terminology, types of equipment, and learn techniques before you spend money. I started with a Lincoln 140 wire feed welder, but it was limited in what it could do; I added an Everlast multi process machine and can TIG, stick weld, and plasma cut. An oxyacetylene rig finishes everything else. A 120V wire feed welder can get more penetration if you preheat the work. If you can find an old industrial quality 240V wire feed welder, you can do more with it.

I woke up at 3 am today with torrential rain pouring down, it sounded like a freight train. Yesterday in the shop was good; humidity at 50%. I installed blocking between the rafters to limit the outside air, so I can run an a/c or dehumidifier to keep stuff from rusting so quickly. 80 F or more is usual, with 70 to 90% humidity, so every bit helps. Good luck with the forge; as Frosty said, there is a lot of range in what can be functional, depending on what work is done. 

I did some additional testing using one switch; it seems I can run the system with one valve, as the ones i bought were 5-2s instead of 3-2s. If I do, I need to figure out a control mechanism to actuate and control the stroke. I was able to get reciprocating action and the ram alignment was pretty decent. More to come......

I hope the job situation improves for all those looking; supposedly the unemployment rates are the lowest in history, so something will turn up.

Looks like it could be a Champion brand cross pein, a handy hammer to have; like IFC said, ball pein hammers should be easy to find used, or buy a cheap one at a big box store.

Looks nice, happy forging!

As to the cycle rate, i do not know; maybe 120 bpm? I have not seen any home made mechanical hammers that match what air hammers with appropriately sized cylinders do; also some tend to be a bit unstable due to the eccentric motion. The air hammer arrangements tend to be linear in 2 directions; also it seems they hit harder than just the falling weight and speed of the ram generates. I chose the helve style for ease of build since i am using scrap iron; also i have limited overhead room. These are just opinions, backed by experience with a 100 Little Giant mechanical hammer, a Bull air hammer and a Phoenix air hammer, plus watching other builds on video.

I have a Swedish North Star 165 lb anvil also; I had to repair a lateral crack and edges with hard facing wire, but it is still a good anvil. Logo looks like yours.

If you think about how a leaf spring operates on a vehicle, the arrangement is the same as is on the hammer, with the exception being the pivot point is not centered. The shorter section of the leaf spring bundle serves to limit the flex. edit: looking again, I think you are looking at the thick section at the bottom of the spring pack, which in auto use would be at the top....that piece has no function other than as a spacer in my design. it is so thick that it would provide no flex with the forces the hammer will generate.

Buzzkill, you may want to look at the pictures at the beginning of the thread and rethink your hypothesis. When the cylinder is retracted, the ram is up, and vis versa. Also, the limit switches/solenoids will help control the cycling and how far the cylinder travels in each direction.

Frosty, you are a funny guy, if you were not so far away i would enjoy hanging out with you....

Rather than make a whole new piece, i welded on a strap on the back of the existing toggle, which solved the over extension and whipping issue.

My mentor in Hawaii got hit by one who was in his welding glove.

This link allows the ram to travel up farther than the spring eye, and whips back when the cylinder retracts. I am going to make another piece with "ears" that will wrap around the yoke of the rod end to limit the movement; the effect may be due to the testt lacking the solenoids to control the  extent of travel, but it seems a prudent fix to make.

I did some testing today with the main valve hooked to the cylinder and saw an issue with the linkage between the cylinder and the leaf spring; I need to make another linkage that will not toggle so far.  

The biggest roach i have seen was about1 1/2 inches; I have seen coconut beetles about 3 inches long. I have seen centipedes about 5 to 6 inches long; man i hate those things! The wind knocked down a bunch of banana trees on one of my mower trails; when i cut up the truck of one, i found a centipede nest, mom and larvae underneath. good thing I used the machete instead of hands to pick up the trunk. I encourage wild chickens to hang out on the land, as they do eat a lot of bugs, even centipedes.  Welcome home, brother.

So the air piping from Northern is installed, and the parts I ordered from mcMaster-carr came as well. I opted to get a dual air solenoid operated main valve, Norgren MN01CGA23A000, actuated by two Mead Fluid Dynamics LTV-20 mechanical air solenoid valves. I looked for some simpler solenoids, but couldn't find what I was looking for. The LTV-20 has 5 ports, so i am a bit confused as to how to plumb in the valve. As far as i can tell, port 1 is for the air supply from the compressor; 2 and 4 are for supply from the solenoid to the cylinder; and 3 and 5 are exhaust ports. The LTV-20 is actuated mechanically in only 1 direction, as it has a flipper lever that allows the ramp to bypass it without actuating it in one direction.  It may be simpler to run the hammer with only one solenoid valve, and fix the lever to actuate in both directions. otherwise, I will need to figure out the plumbing arrangement for two of them.