Backwoods Blacksmith

Call Tom's cell. 541 912 5364.

Metal Work 7030011100u 5 port 2 position glandless shuttle valve 1/2 in ports Tele# 877 700 0749 Tim Schaues. Hope this helps.

Thank you. Nice presentation.

Check with E-Motion in Eugene Oregon. They fixed me up with a steel body shuttle valve that will handle the air flow needed. It is a glandless valve that has no O rings.

I did the heat quench break test on Bellota rasps and it broke clean. No bend. But still did not harden.

Steve, Good work. When I made up mine I replaced the splitter instead of trying to attach to it. Only one bolt. I also ground the base plate smooth and bolted my anvil directly to the base. This way I had no movement in either end. Both the anvil and press end have plates that are drilled and tapped to hold different press plates or tools. I still use it as a splitter so I can put the wedge back on and split away. I have had no problems with the wood skidding the bottom plate smooth. Keep it up and don't be afraid to try new things, keeping in mind the safety factors involved in hydraulics, high pressure and very hot metal.

Cutting the rod short and adding 2 to 3 inches would be the way to go. Think about using coil spring instead of an alloy. Use 6011 rod. I don't think hard face is the way to go. Extra work for little result. The spring is pretty tough. You may want to preheat a little for stress relief. Weld one up, let it cool and see if the weld breaks away from the spring. if it does, then stress relief.

Check out David Einhorn Civil War Blacksmith. He has a really neat set up and it is a side draft. No clinker breaker needed and it would work well with charcoal.

While there is lots of good and bad information be bandied about here about fuel choices what really makes the the difference is the fire pot style. A side draft narrow fire pot will make the use of charcoal a pleasure while a wide bottom draft is a lot of work and uses more fuel. If a guy was serious about charcoal and had the means to make his own and had a good side draft he would be good to go. I think the ratio of charcoal to coal is about 8 to 1 and is even greater with coke. If I had it to do all over again I would set up a side draft and use coke for general work and charcoal for PW. It really depends on what a guy is doing and the size and quantity of work. If I was still doing industrial work I would be using gas and an induction heater. But the work I do now demands coal or coke. I use both. But as i said before, if I had to do it over it would be different. There is no better or worse. It is a matter of economics and availability.

These things support tons of load with little or no impact. Use them as they are on hot metal. It would not hurt to support the rail and the foot but your 35 ton press is nowhere near what they support on the rail road. I would cut the web out and weld the rail to the foot if it started to move. As time goes on you will change things any way.

Thanks for the advice and the recipe. I looked at cactus Juice but prefer not to use the oven.

Good thinking. Looks good

As I have started making knives again, and looking at my supply of grip material [ various hard woods and antler ] I decided to try my hand at stabilizing. After watching several videos I went with the hand vac pump method. I cannot say that I was impressed with the results. The wood used was very light in color and the elk antler, after cleaning, was pretty light. I could not find any Min Wax wood hardener so I went with the Min Wax poly with a light oak color. After roughing the scales to size and cleaning the antler, into the vac chamber. After 1 1/2 hours the bubbling quit and I removed the material. Wiped down and let dry on a rack. Let dry for two days. It is pretty cool in the work room. Fine steel wooled the antler. Not unhappy but not much color. The scales , however, took no color, and would still soak up moisture. I was able to add stain after shaping and sanding to finish. If the wood was fully soaked with poly, how was it able to take stain? And why did the stain not transfer? The poly was well shaken before the vacuum was started and was shaken numerous time during the process. I am sure I missed something, but upon review, cannot figure it out. I am not sure what I expected, but it is not what I got. Talking to another local knife maker that uses poly. He seems to be satisfied. Does anyone with more experience have some advise? :huh: Thank you

I put a 3 hp 240 volt moter and a 11gpm pump on mine. Works great. 3 hp electric equals 5 hp gas

I like your anvil ruler. I made one a while back and it sure is handier than a tape or steel rule. They are never where you can lay your hands on them when needed. I put a hook on one end as to hang it up when not needed.

I use a hand crank blower with coke and have no trouble keeping the fire. I have walked away from the fire for several minutes working at the bench or vice. I keep the fire deep with lots of material around the fire. It depends on the coke. If you are using coke intended for heating boilers it won't work. You need to get coke intended for blacksmiths. James Van Moosh in Oregon has good blacksmiths coke. Contact him through the NWBA.

Great Idea.

Andy, That turned out great. Looks good and a neat way to mount the blower. I have been using coke more than coal the last few days. I think I like it better. A lot less work on fire control. If I am going to leave the fire for a while I put a hand full of coal on top. This helps me to restart if the coke dies down. I also like the coke better for welding. Be safe and have fun.

Thanks again for the information.. I wonder why this has not been discussed before?

The rolled eyes and the distance between them have to match the distance between the swivel point on the frame and the attachment on the tup shaft. Too long and it will over stroke and too short it won't make up. Rolling the eyes and proper heat treat are essential. Either have the spring made at your local spring shop or order it as per the directions. This is not the place to make a mistake. Also, do not use the shuttle valve suggested in the directions. Use a 5 port 2 position glandless valve.[no o rings on the shuttle] The Norgren valve is not designed for .5 second strokes. You need one that is rated at 3.6 to 4.6 ccv. They can be had for the same price as the o ring type. Norgren does not make one rated for this application.

Thanks for the information. Did you go direct to Parker?

I defiantly have wiper ring problems. The edges are rough and seem to hang in the spring loaded position. The spring may be the problem. I will make a 3/8 spacer and see if it helps. I might try with a 1/4 first. I found a gland less valve in Eugene that is the correct ccv. I will know more Monday. According to Norgren the valve we are using isn't really rated for .5 second strokes.

Are you using the Norgren valve? I have been using the recommended oil. Just talked to Norgren and they suggested using a gland less valve.[no o-rings] But they don't have one quite big enough plus 6 to 8 weeks delivery. I sure need something sooner than that. I used air tool oil to begin with when I wipe out the first time. What is your drop rate on your oilier? Thanks for the reply.

I am using the shuttle valve suggested in the plans for the new style Kinyon hammer. Using Mobil DTE light oil in the air and 60 drops per minute. The wiper rings have deteriorated and the shuttle valve hangs up. These are flat rings, not o-rings and cannot be replaced. This is the second time in a year. Norgreen supplies a new shuttle assembly for $50.00 plus shipping. My question, is anyone else having this problem? Do you have a good fix? Can anyone recommend a better valve that is repairable without spending $50 +? Will be calling Norgeen today but don't expect much help. My air is clean and dry. Running 90 psi and the hammer strokes about 120 beats a min. Thanks. Tried e-mailing Ron. No answer.

I made the mistake of going with a 2 1/2 in cylinder. Uses way too much air. 70 to 80 lb tup with 80 to 90 psi. is recommended for a 2 in cylinder and your air will last longer.