Javan C.R. Dempsey

XxxxxxxxI didn't mean to start some big snafu. Hopefully John can clarify, I don't know him personally, I just heard from a few different independent sources he was planning to, or retired. If not, I apologize for spreading unfounded rumors.

FWIW, Tommy McNabb's presses are $4600-$6700 depending on tonnage, and they sell quite well, as they're significantly better built than the two other main options out there. As far as the bigger presses, power can be available using a Rotary Phase Converter, but I'm not sure you can get to 50hp (run) capacity staying within the 200 amp single phase input limitation most would be facing. Larry, what are the caveats of these 10hp power packs that make them so expensive? Could you not source a motor, pump, and the residual parts to build these for a fairly large savings? I understand the convenience factor but I'm wondering if there's some feature I'm missing. I'm in the process of building a new press and I'm considering going the single stage pump route also. I've got a phase converter I can run a 10hp motor from, a 6" cylinder that I was going to run at 2500 psi for 35 tons, with a dual stage pump, but after watching your video I'm thinking I should reconsider. Of course, searching around for info, I can't find much on people using single stage pumps.

Will do Patrick, thanks!

Hi guys. I'm buying that 200lb Bradley Strap hammer that was listed here a couple weeks ago, and I'm just wondering what old literature, etc, anybody has. I'm not new to hammers, I've got an old style 75lb Bull, and I've run nearly every type of hammer out there, and rebuilt a few of them. However, I've never used this particular style, and searches don't produce a lot of info. I make damascus semi-full time, so I'm hoping to put this girl to work tuned for drawing large billets. I currently run my Bull at the limit of her capacity, and she'll likely be retuned and setup for general forging. I've heard these Bradley's are designed to run at pretty high BPM? I know there are some old manuals floating around, etc. Information on adjusting (I know there are various adjustments to stroke length, etc), any old newspaper ads, etc. Would be appreciated. It'll be a bit before I get the hammer moved into my shop, so I'm just wanting to wet my whistle a bit, and hopefully we can consolidate some information about these hammer here. Honestly any Bradley information anybody has would be appreciated. I'll even put together a website if there's interest. Lots of content has been lost over the years, I hate to see more of it go missing. Anyway, thanks!

Same here, PM if needed. I've got an old style Bull, and I've rebuilt/repaired a handful of newer c-frame style Bulls.

1 tube of silicone between the hammer base and rubber stall mat. 1 tube of silicone between the stall mat and the floor. Currently have my 75lb Bull which I've tuned for maximum destruction (i.e. stroke length and power), sitting on a similar configuration for the past year, although it's bolted to a 2" thick piece of wood between the stall mat and the hammer base, but no bolts running to the floor. It's held up much better than when I previously had the whole ordeal bolted to a large isolated pad with red-heads. I wouldn't have believed it, but with the silicone, it's immovable, and it's on a very shabby old 4" thick concrete slab which is uneven. When I go to move, all I'll have to do is run a wire under the bottom to cut the silicone. I run this hammer hard FWIW, day in day out.

Killer. Nothing beats a Fisher, except a huge Fisher.. Recently scored a pristine 250lber (which is the ideal size for hand work without heavy striking IMHO) from the 40's and a 375lb sawyer's pattern myself. It's amazing how compact the saw anvil is without the horn and heel, but I gotta figure it's equivalent to a 500lber in the centerline, and ability to move metal. Will try to post some pics later.

I'm curious to hear about this also. Been using Coke from Kayne & Sons lately, but 1 out of 3 bags is pure coke sand. I dunno if that's normal or just bad luck, but it's aggravating and messy. Would like to buy a ton or two and be done for a while.

I gotta disagree with the notion that contemporary anvils suck George.. At least, not from a "tool" standpoint. You may not like the styles, or the aesthetics of Nimbas, Fontanini's, the current Peddinghauses, Jymm Hoffman's anvils, etc.. but they're all *TOP* quality tools. As good or better than the "majority" of anvils produced in the hay-day. Yes there were exceptional anvils produced all over the world at various times (personally, I prefer and think Fisher anvils were the best ever made but it's a preference), but there were, and probably always will be more crap quality ones made than great ones. Just my opinion, but I don't quantify "nostalgia" as a factor in what makes a tool good. I've worked on all the above mentioned anvils, and most of the usually regarded "classics", and when it comes to moving metal, the contemporary anvils do the work as well as any of the old ones, on top of which, when it comes to *larger* anvils, in the 250lb+ range, they usually do the job better than most of the pre-1900 anvils of any stripe I've used in the same weight class. Many of the old monsters had pretty soft faces and mediocre rebound. Just my 2c, but I don't want to see the continued proliferation of this "urban myth" that they'll never make anvils like they used to. Unless you're talking about nice quiet Fishers, which hopefully, somebody will replicate at some point in the future.

Doubtful it'll be cheaper to run 3ph to the shop Patrick. You can get a 25HP digitally controlled American Rotary converter (CNC ready) on their Ebay store for around $1500 (cheaper than their website) shipped. At *worst* you'll need a 30hp ($1850 shipped), but I doubt it. I imagine this'll be thousands less than the PC will want to install 3phase, and if you're in an area with 3ph service minimums, you may come out way ahead on the power bill. After I blew up my first phase converter, I bought a 10hp American Rotary, and it's been one of the best equipment investments I've ever made. Only mistake was that I didn't buy a 25HP to start with, wish I had gone bigger!

What are you using now? 1045 seems like the perfect steel to me, easy to forge, HT, and holds up perfectly if the HT is right. I don't really see any reason to use 4140 personally.

I've got one of his flatters and a 12lb sledge.. Both phenomenal, and he's a super easy guy to work with.

Yeah I've got an old style 75lb bull, the non-C frame version.. You wanna make a kit for it Ken? ;)

I've used an 88lb Striker (very similar to the Anyang) many many hours. Yeah, they're loud, and they shake the foundation pretty hard. We used to have it in a shop 20-30 ft away from a brick house, and it would rattle all the windows in that house when hammering. Stall mat may help with the ground vibrations, but there'll still be a big smack running through the air each time it hits. If you have close neighbors, you're gonna have to make friends or work out an arrangement. Soundproofing your shop may help to some degree, along with a stall mat, it may be enough. My neighbors like shooting automatic weapons, our agreement is, I don't complain about the gunfire that goes on all day long every Sunday, and they don't complain about the power hammer running at 2am. ;) That being said, an Ironkiss and a compressor that's in a separate sound insulated shack outside your shop, is much quieter for your neighbors and you, I run one often, that another forum member has, and the 75lb Ironkiss hits on par with the 88lb Striker/Anyang. Honestly, I prefer the Ironkiss hands down of any hammers I've used, I'd sell my 75lb old-style Bull in a second to get one.

Kerosene, and carb cleaner are the two best things to use imho for cleaning old machines. Doesn't matter much with power hammers, since youre not dealing with precision surfaces, but if you get around to restoring old mills, lathes, or the like, you need to be very considerate with the products and tools you use. Some heavy cleaner/degreasers will leave acidic residues, that can continue to eat the metal afterward, and any abrasives or steel tools shouldn't be used on precision parts ideally. Kerosene, scotchbrite pads for the non precision surfaces, and #0000 steel wool for the precision ones, will take care of most issues, along with a plastic putty knife. May need acetone for any oil based paints. Carb cleaner spray works great for heavily crusted parts, after a kerosene soak. A brass brush is also very useful. Invest in some fluid film to protect everything from rust after cleaning. One small pump bottle goes a long long way.

Yeah... It was listed locally for $8,000 also. Having run another hammer built by this guy, which was faster, but still flakey, I think the dude has potential to build decent hammers, but needs to take an honest look at his control scheme. I hate seeing talent wasted by the inability to be honestly self critical. Looking at the video, this hammer seems to have a lot of slop in the tup like the other one I used also. Dunno if anybody noticed, but I can see it clearly deflecting on the strike. The one I've used was 100lb or so, as I recall, and I will say that it hit pretty hard, but it had a lot of quirks, sloppy tup, and erratic control. Seems like with a little work, this bigger hammer could have real potential, but I wouldnt pay anything other than scrap value the way its running in that vid.

hey Vaughn, I do have a good 1800's Fisher for sale up here in Asheville. Cheapest (and now broken) bathroom scale in the world read 135/140lbs, but it seemed to be a bit low. It's got a tiny bit of saddle, but a glass hard (hammer and file destroying) face. Not sure if I'm allowed to be posting here, so pm me if you want to chat about it.

Let us know how it works out, I've never gotten a chance to use one of these.

Hey Sam, I think you made a good choice, based on some solid reasons. I love the design of these anvils, although i really wish there was a 200lb option. That being said, the nicest faced anvil I have is a 90lb Fisher made anvil, and it really moves a lot of metal since I made a stand that weighs a couple hundred lbs. Way more than the 200lb Fisher with a wobbly wood stand.

Glad to see that this hammer is staying local honestly. Nothing against the op, but if you can't find a good deal on a hammer in WA, you aren't looking. It may be a misconception, but it seems like the most hammer rich state in the country. The SW on the other hand is pretty hammer poor, especially when considering the huge number of smiths in appalachia.

Yeah, the only LGs I see going to big money on ebay are the restored ones matchless offers, even those seem to be having a hard time fetching insane prices. That being said, I wouldn't pay $4k for a 25lb anything, new or otherwise. A nice 50lber ok, maybe, but I couldn't settle for anything smaller. Admittedly I started out using 75lb and bigger, so my perspective is obviously warped, but I've regularly seen 25lbers popping up in the less "visible" venues for $1000-2500 depending on condition, and that seems much more reasonable to me when compared to the equivalent alternatives. *shrug* I'm in the market (casually), for a good 150-250lb mechanical or air hammer if anybody hears about one. I wish I had been in a position to buy that 200lb beaudry that p.lemee sold a few months back

Good advice MacBruce, never thought about it for something to cycle the tup on for tuning, but I should have. Thanks!

Yeah I put the mats under all kinds of machinery, and I've got a piece big enough already. I guess my question is more; is there any disadvantage to using it?

Hey all, I'm moving my Bull across the shop, onto a different pad, and considered putting a piece of rubber stall mat under it while I'm at it. Why? I dunno, I've just heard of people doing it. It's already got a 2" thick plywood footprint that it's bolted to, and then to the concrete. So I'm just wondering if I should consiser the rubber stall mat also, or ditch the wood and just use the mat, or forget the mat. Picking the hammer up is a pita in my shop, so this is the only time any changes are likely to be made, and I'm certainly not going to try all the different configs to see which is best.

Aye I'm setting it up so that I can easily cut down the linear volume of tthe forge by dropping firebricks in.