Jim Kehler

Its not connected to the coolant tank, the well holds whatever fluid the downfeed uses. I will go to the shop and take another picture with it all together. TDH is general purpose hydraulic fluid.

I just got this one, a Velox, 6" capacity cost me $100

Picked up this cute little saw recently, it works but has some issues. There is a hydraulic down-feed that has a pump to lift the blade on the forward stroke. I have it apart as shown in the pictures. I would like to know what I should put in the well, will TDH fluid work or should it be motor oil or even the same soluble oil that I've put in the coolant tank? If anyone has any info on these saws would appreciate it.

Donald Streeter's book "Professional Smithing" has quite a bit on lock making but not specifically a padlock.

By the looks of it they are making something from a scrap car axle, we used scrap axles as material for lots of stuff. Its not that difficult but everybody on the team, (blacksmith, helper, hammer driver and crane operator), have to know whats going on.

John, the Bertram foundry made some heavy duty stuff the CNRail Shop in Winnipeg (I was at CPRail) that closed in about 1990 had a few Bertram hammers as well as shears and punch presses. Michael, the picture is a beer ad, my workmate in the picture couldn't understand why I was quitting and thought I might just want to go to a Mexican beach and drink a few beers instead. Didn't mean to hijack this thread, sorry! A big enough hammer means never having to take a second heat. :D

Weston Shops in Winnipeg

The big hammer is a 5000 lb Erie and the small hammer is a 1600 lb. Bertram. I worked on the small hammer, thats me with the beard, on my last day.

My 39' x 39' shop has old boxcar flooring (hardwood 2 1/4" thick) in my 12' x 12' main work area, surrounded by concrete.

Those look just like the ones we used at the railway, similar hammer too.

I'm using coal from the Prairie Dog and it works alright.

That Sir, is wonderful!

I made a new spring for my 50 lb Canadian Giant the tricky part is the heat treat. I had access then to an industrial heat treat facility.

They can be very precise if you make the necessary allowances, 1/64" per inch at a yellow/orange heat will get you pretty close. I had to make up a U-shaped piece about 3' across once, the die was almost 3/4" wider than the finished(cooled off) piece in order to meet the +/- 1/16" tolerance.

That grin explains why this site exists.

So your hammer is two years newer, they must have changed the clutch mechanism a bit in that time. I'm thinkin that my clutch is grabbing pretty smooth now. Forged some 2" sq. S-5 into a hardie today and I think I'm going to love this hammer. I started prepping the shop in early January as soon as I knew we had a deal. Moved my 50# Canadian Giant across the shop and started digging. I only went down 18" but I know whats under my shop. I put in 35 Mpa concrete with rebar placed so as not to interfere with drilling the boltholes later. That was Feb. 1, drilled the holes 28 days later and epoxied the 1 1/4" threaded rod 12" into the concrete. I put a rubber stall mat and some boxcar flooring between the hammer and the concrete.

Chuck I think your hammer must be quite a bit newer or older than mine. I had the whole clutch apart this morning and learnt a fair bit. What you see in the photo is the roller at the end of the lever that turns the expansion pin that engages the clutch. I'm going to run it this way for a while, I think the exterior adjustments are enough for now.

It cost a bit more than $300 to (one guy wanted over a grand) to get it out of the building. It had come from a different shop just down the road when the previous owner got it. He says he used it , I just don't think he used it very hard. Chuck, with the ram down which side should I be looking at to find that adjuster nut? K A Willey, my wife wants to know if you also got teased about having an "internet love affair" with a power hammer ? :)

Oh and thanks Chuck, am going to try and find that adjustment this morning.

Wow, great job on that hammer. Yes my hammer is the one that was in Nova Scotia, it got here Feb. 9. Cost me $800 to ship it halfway across Canada. I would love to have a breakdown of the clutch. Even not tuned-up I'm really impressed with this hammer and glad I made the decision to buy it.

Yes I have seen that, good info, doesn't say anything about the clutch though. The serial # is 4220, does that mean it was the 20th hammer in 1942?

I'll ask my electrician friend about that. For now I tightened up the turnbuckle some more and readjusted the brake and I think I'm getting close to where I want to be.

Thanks Bruce I'll try tightening the turnbuckle some more. I've done a bit of forging with it already but the clutch takes quite a bit before it grabs. Hope I don't have to take it apart but my jib swings over it so I can if I have to.

She is, isn't she Sam?

Got my new (to me) hammer running. Would like any info on adjusting clutch, brake etc. to get best performance.