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I Forge Iron

james gonzalez

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Posts posted by james gonzalez

  1. I own one of these drill presses.
    Be careful, they are extremely top heavy.
    Not really much there to disassemble.
    If you are transporting it standing I would bottom out the table and "intermediate quill guide body" and maybe remove the motor to bring the center of gravity down some.
    I love this thing, it is a real beast, I can drill a 1" hole through 1/2" plate without pilot hole.
    Good luck

  2. I have seen a guard on a #50 lg that was a half cylinder of looked like 16gua sheet. The half cylinder had an ear coming off it that went up to the ram height adjustment bolt where it was secured.
    This appeared to be an elegant, simple and unobtrusive safeguard and seemed to work real well.
    This was on the hammer belonging to Rick Korinek (sp?) of now closed island city forge.
    I do not run a LG these days and when I did I employed the "life's dangerous" philosophy. I would do things differently now. A sunday afternoon project could mean no spring steel where it doesnt belong.
    I suppose the only real annoyance with this type guard would be complicating adjustment of ram height.

  3. I have been offered a running and allegedly rebuilt Beaudry 06 with motor presently under power. I have not tried it, but reputable sources guarantee it's condition as good. Price is $3,500.
    I presently am running a striker 88 in my shop and it has done everything I needed done up until now. A second hammer is not a necessity for the volume
    of forging I do. My shop, furthermore, is not large enough as it is. If I bought this machine it would be in storage until the day I set up a larger shop space.
    I love these old machines, though, and it is hard to pass one up.
    What do you think?

    I am not at liberty to post seller's info without consent.

  4. Did some ironwork for a liquor store. The owner happened to have a spare beat up old aluminum keg. One cutoff wheel later I had the best slack tub you could want.
    Make friends with the liquor store owner!

  5. Hi Ried
    I use a circa 1920 yates american bandsaw originally for wood in my shop.
    A metal bandsaw wants to move real slow, about 100-150 FeetPerMinute.
    You can figure this mathematically. Motor RPMxdiameter of driving pulley divided by diameter of driven pulley=rpm at bandsaw wheel. diameter of bandsaw wheel x 3.14=circumference of wheel©. CxRpm=fpm. You can bring the speed down in several ways. 1-gearbox with appropriate ratio and HP rating 2-Jackshaft 3-variable frequency drive. I think the cheapest way would be a jackshaft. I have a couple of spare gearboxes if you want to go that route.

  6. Bear in mind, Corten or otherwise, the piece will bleed iron oxide. If this were going in the middle of a paved town square or concrete slab, the eventual results would likely be unsightly.
    I have experience with clear powdercoating over a rust patina on Corten. Do not do this. The surface will fail. You would be better off coating it with a product like Permalac or perhaps Penetrol, spray applied, if possible. I still suspect the piece would bleed some.

  7. Started in my home town JR college O/A welding horrible sculptures in the auto repair dept. Years later found myself in Boston with a full grant to art school. Spent all my time in the basement metal shop. I laid down a few miles of bead then got a job at a local weld shop making fence and grilles. Went into business for myself and eventually bought an old lincoln tig. Still learning.

  8. So I have a good airhammer and am happy with that.
    I am looking into a more controlled approach for certain processes and it looks like a hydraulic would fill the need. It seems to me it would not be such an ordeal to put one together.

    I figure the reasons screw presses are popular are

    1. no need for electricity, simple
    2. Quiet
    3. Good "feel"
    4. Fast action

    Of the above, speed is the only real rub. I know a 2 speed press can be made, just not sure on the details.

    So what do you know?

    Thanks

  9. I have welded cast iron using 55% nickel rod many a time. These electrodes are expensive, it might be cheaper to buy some thick plate and weld up a new firepot.
    Just a thought. If you do go with the cast firepot weld, I recommend preheating, peening and dont bother grinding the finished weld.

  10. I was working at the powerhammer today. 1/2 round drawdowns.
    My hammer is about knuckle height at the anvil. A bit of a pain for small stuff.
    If you work smaller stuff mostly, set the hammer high. If you work thick, set her low.
    I suppose a "barber chair" setup would be pretty convenient...I know there are hydraulic systems avalible for adjusting platen tables at Weldsale...

  11. my striker #88 arrived with schematics. In principle the machine appears relatively simple. You would, I suspect, require a big lathe and mill.
    I seem to recall hearing that the fellow who builds the IRON KISS hammers built a self-contained prototype...
    Buying a new one would be more cost-effective, but when has that ever been the blacksmith's prime motivation?

  12. Hi Wolf Mtn.
    -A mechanical forging hammer wants to be firmly anchored otherwise it will walk around and you will have to chase it with your hot bar. The anchoring method specified in the original technical sheet that came with this hammer is not necessarily the only way to go. I do not know your shop's floor material so I cannot make a suggestion there.
    -Talking about wanting a smaller hammer indicates to me that you are having control issues. As SG suggested, a brake is really a MUST on mechanical hammers of this type if you expect any kind of real controlled forging.
    -as for the three phase problem, If you have single phase 220v available in your shop a rotary or static phase converter could solve the problem for both the hammer and your three phase compressor. three phase motors are real simple and last a long time. they are cheaper to replace or repair when they do go too.
    -I have owned two Little Giant #50 hammers in the past. I found them a little weak for my needs and I now run a striker#88. With this machine I have managed to controllably forge 1/4 square.

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