marcusb

Slight increase in BPM? All I can think of is a Scottish Voice saying..."She will fly apart Captain!"

I would love some details on the frame fabrication. Looks like a cut and splice with the flanges bent to match then welded in?

My concern would be tripping on the angle. Been there done that.

Excellent job on the frame!

I have tried that route at a previous shop. I have found one low and one high to be a much better solution for me. Since my typing finger is warmed up, here is a bench vise you can beat on!

You guys have better balance than I do!

Drill an underside hole into a large block of wood with a ships auger and pound it into that.

So true. I fabricated a stand out of some scraps I had to mount my post vise in my dirt floored shop. I'm only 6 feet tall and find post vises to high for comfortable hammering. I set them in the ground. Once the concrete cured I cut the leg pipe off at the ground and its as solid as a tree stump.

The anvil on this hammer is a separate casting. It sets on crossed timbers 16" thick and is bolted to the concrete foundation below. The manual I have for Massey Clear-space does not show any bolts for the anvil so i"m guessing they grout them in to hold them in place. On this one you bolt the anvil down, set the hammer then use 4 large wood wedges around the anvil to align the hammer with the anvil then bolt the hammer down. Just different ways to skin the same cat!

Do you have a large air compressor handy to run the Massey? It would be a good idea to install a surge tank near the hammer to. Does it have a treadle? If not its a two man operation. Prepared to form and pour a 2 part foundation? Any plans in the future to forge larger stock and put that extra 75 pounds of ram to good use? The smaller self contained would need anchored to a slab, wired into a panel and your forging in no time. That would be my choice. I think the reason you are seeing larger utility hammers in use now days including Mr Dillions is cost. They require lots of work to setup, power and modifications of mechanism to operate well. Because of these obstacles they can be found much cheaper than a self-contained and some are willing to accept the hassles stated above to get into the forging game on a smaller budget.

Price and lead time?

Blacksmith paradise? With the prices I have seen in Europe that guy is making a killing.....Glad somebody is getting ahead in life....

What happened to the Williams and White? That's a great block! It seems like there are two camps on swage blocks. Some claim there only function is decorative and others use them almost daily. What uses do you find for this one?

Here we are a year later....... Hammer is still under tarp but the building it it will be going in is well under way now.

I love that place. It was a long drive when I lived in NW Ohio and even longer now I am in the SE part of the state. I have not been there in over 5 years now! I'm glad to hear they are still up and running.