tala9

I know that on Bradley Compact Hammers the stroke is adjustable but how much stroke do mechanical hammers have. I am also thinking because of the spring the hammer travels further than the stroke of the crank.

very nice work

so what have you been feeding it. I have a 200 pounder I would like to get up to 275

Pink is the new black don't you know?

I would do what ever the literature that came with the valve says. if the valve was designed to run dry or have Teflon coated parts oil can gum them up over time shortening their life.

I am sorry to hear about your Grandfather passing but that is tempered by the story of your tinkering with Grandpa. When my Grandfather passed my cousins fought over the expensive stuff like his gold watch that he never wore because it was "too nice". I took his tools and every time I use them I feel a connection with him that always brings joy to me.

and from Wisconsin

On the way from Wisconsin

hopefully I replied to your PM, if you did not receive it let me know.

impressive to say the least

even at 100% efficiency it still comes up short but as a general rule of thumb you can figure about 70% efficiency in hydraulics. I have a commercial made 150 ton press designed to press forklift tires it is running at about 50% efficiency. 12" cyl at 5000 psi.

For 300 bucks you could spend another 300 bucks buying a multi-lead acme screw and nut from McMaster Carr and spend a week ends making one very nice $600 press.

MB you could make it a lot more portable. Use quick connect couplers on the pump lines by the valve and make the bending assy. separable from the pump assy then you could modify a hand pump to power the valve. Normally hand pumps have single acting cyls. attacked so the do not have a return line but if you modify the hand pump so there is a port on the reservoir you can plump the return line of the valve into. but hey it is a great thing for sure and has great drool appeal to those who know.

I have some RR but sadly it is buried under the snow and yesterday we took about 2 more feet so I will not be able to find it till spring. But I do have a couple of forklift fork pieces I would sell you for what I get scrap 13 cents a pound plus shipping or if you get around Milwaukee Wisconsin you could pick it up.

and from Wisconsin

I think that 51 pound Trenton just like the RR anvil has great collector appeal. They are a size that is easy to deal with and like lathes if a few guys can carry it into a basement it goes for far more than one that you need a rigger to move.

I traded some hydraulic parts I pulled from forklifts we were scraping for these two vise. Both have very good screws and the jaws are true. The big Reed is about 120 pounds and has some repairs done to the swivel base. The smaller Wilton is missing the swivel base. But for a 6" ID 28" stroke tilt cylinder and valve, I think I got the better end of the deal.

great idea and excellent execution

Thanks Thomas, I will look for the book.

I do not think top quality tools make you better but I do think they make you more efficient and productive. For example an anvil with 90% rebound is going to make better use of your hammer blow than an anvil with 60% rebound or a cheap wrench may round a nut where the high quality one takes it off. As an added bonus a good quality tool can be easier on your body and as I get older that is becoming much more important. I have no problem paying for a quality tool but I prefer to scrounge. I also like to use old tools when I can find them for a "user" price. The sense of history is something I think is cool and with really old tools the little details make for a beautiful object IMO.

That is the kind of stuff I dream of being able to making

the replicas are great, you should be proud of yourself for the skill required.

Very nice work I like the look and the seats finishes it off very nice.

Fe yes I use a small crucible and generally make 2 to 4 troy ozs at a time pouring it into an ingot mold and work that into sheets. Bentiron1946 I do not have an acetylene/air torch so I use Propane but yes this Mokume is fun stuff.

thank you everyone Ken I am going to dress the edges after I finish polishing it. I did not take care of the finish work because I was not sure if I was going to heat treat it or just leave it. I did remove about 3/8 inch of material from the top. I was also careful when I welded the stiffener plates in so I would not run too much heat into the base metal. Sam it 17 pounds but I am going to trim the base some so i will cut maybe a pound off that. it is 2" X 9" over all with the horn being 2.625 long.