monstermetal

Great stuff.... I really like the wheel barrow vise

Im not sure about cutting it but I have seen first hand a "C" frame punch that used rifle casings as power to punch holes for the tie plates, You put the blank in and smacked it with your hammer... and BANG you got a bolt hole....

If you had any interest in my little Say Mak hammer Id sell it and drive it down for the gas money.... Its a 2006 model and sat till this spring unused when I bought it.. Like I said earlier its basically the same machine as a Sahinler They sold for $9K + shipping new without a base. Mine has a nice solid base built out of heavy plate and Id sell it for $7K That is as long as I can get the hammer bought that I want to replace it with :)

I think all carbon wire comes in grease to keep it from rusting... I have always just burned it out with a torch.... something that should be done outside and away from the shop... Another thing I just remembered is there is a product called "compact swage" wire that is a bit easier to weld.... What it is ... well its compacted wire.. When the nets got bigger on the fishing boats they needed stronger cable on the winches.. but a lot of the winches have grooved drums so if they are made for 7/8 cable, you have to use 7/8 cable.... so what they did was take 1" cable and run it through a rolling press and swaged it down to 7/8... basically taking all the extra space out... not quite as flexible but since its as strong as 1" cable.... since its a tighter wire it is a bit easier to weld.. not much but everything helps.... It helps what ever wire you use to do a "tighten up" twist at heat before trying to weld it...

A couple pics of my shop an me working A couple of the little hammers I went and saw in Utah a few months back The big one is a 1500lb Chambersberg... the little one a 750lb... And my pretty wife for scale :)

Crud.... I should really read all of a thread before I start running off at the neck.. First off a little self serving... I have a Pettingell sheet metal hammer that I have been tripping over for a few years that I really need get put together.. You think it would be possible to help out my shop mate Joe with a little feedback as to how it should be assembled? He is really the sheet metal guy between us... The numbers on the hammer are EE-70 and If I remember right Fay said it was a #3? it has an adjustable lower die (cranks up and down) and is fairly small.... If it would be ok I'll have him shoot you a pm and tell you his ideas... Here is a slide show of our two current projects, both low buck builds http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f264/hendrixsolo/Latest%20Custom%20-%2009/?albumview=slideshow Both bikes have a handful of hand forged parts.... As far as you and your hammer quest.... Yes... , you need a big hammer... but you also need a little hammer... and probably a hydraulic or fly press... Just as in sheet metal work there is no "end all be all" tool.... I own a 110lb Say Mak, (basically the same as the small Sahinler) a 200lb Chambersberg and a 300lb Nazel... All will do something that warrants there spot on the floor. And yeah, the old hammers are kinda like a marriage... They dont always just "work" You have to love them, care for them and listen to what they have to say... My Nazel I bought as a basket case.. the ram was busted in two when I got her and it took several years and a lot of help but now she runs like a watch, the Chambersberg I have apart now but she is a really sweet machine with very little use.... They may not work any different than a new Striker or other import hammer but there is something magical about old iron.. My Nazel is about 5 tons of 4140... not much else that is as "real" as that....I could go into a lengthy bit about why each has its place but my guess is you already have a pretty good idea... One thing to keep in mind is that a well tuned "big" hammer (200-500lb) will move material in that fluid way that makes big iron cool. You can pound away all xxxxxxx day on a 50 lb hammer, or even a 100lb hammer and never get the same affect as a hand full of blows under a 300+ machine... Its about the displacement of mass and the energy absorbed... I am sure you have seen work that shows what I am talking about but I am not really sure how to label it. Something else that I myself really screwed up is there is a lot to be said for learning your hand skills and putting time in standing at a anvil... I think one of the biggest ways I cheated myself is as soon as I caught the blacksmith 'bug" I bought a powerhammer, and then a second.... I have been at this about 7 years and have now had no less than 20 that I have bought, sold, used or traded.... (there are 5 total at my shop now, Six if you counted the Pettingell..) And I am just now getting to the point that I am having to go back and really learn my handwork in order to progress.... I skipped big sections of the learning curve because I had the ability to buy a bunch of equipment.. and now I am paying the price. It seemed like I was moving forward really fast when I didn't know better then all of a sudden I learned enough to realize how little I knew.... Anyway... swinging that hammer is important, nothing will improve your understanding of how that hot iron moves more than throwing that hammer at it.... All that said there is a Nazel 4N for sale locally ( Seattle area ) The 4N is whats considered a "heavy duty" open die hammer in that it has external guides for the ram. The downside to that is there is not as much room for tooling because the of it... Mike has been trying to sell it for some time, Last I heard he was down to $6000 which is a give away price... I have been to see the hammer in person and ran it a bit, Its not perfect but its a runner and it wouldnt take much to make it 100% The worst part about the hammer is its set out back behind his house and there is no road that will support heavy equipment. I moved a 100lb Fairbanks hammer out of the shop and we had to skid it with chains and a winch at least a hundred yards before we could get at it with a forklift. I suppose a RT crane would have no trouble but my guess is it would take at least a grand to get it set on a truck, maybe $1500.... If you are at all interested I would be happy to do the work on this end gratis just to say i did it.

and yes.. you need "bright" cable... that is no stainless or no fibercore.. and no galvanized... The standard I think is referred to as 6 X 19 bright carbon wire

Most cable or rigging shops will let you have tails out of the scrap tub ( at least the ones Ive tried. Just tell them you are making cable knives and need a few scraps, They should be more than willing to give you all the cable you could ever want. Much better to work with new, clean cable to weld up than stuff that has had grease and dirt driven into it for 50 years.... Look in the phone book for outfits that swage cable and make up rigging in your area..

I don't know anything but remember a few things I have been told. Tom Clark built his keys out of 6150. Looking it up in machinerys handbook didn't learn me much. It looks like it has properties much like 4140 but has slightly better yeield and hardness numbers The reason he uses it (or did I guess) is because the scale that formed during heat treat has great anti gauld/ lubrication properties. I am with Grant on the heat treated keys. The only wear my dovetails get is from filing out gauld marks. So if you have a alloy or tool steel sow block I would use a soft key to reduce gaulding action. If like me you have a soft sow block then a hard (harder than the matting material 40rc) is the best way to keep wear to a minimum. But like I said just because I think it's the only thing to do doesn't make me right. But I wouldn't use a soft key in any of my hammers even in a pinch because it's the gaulding that hurts the dovetail not the removal of the key sorry for the crappy spelling and grammer. No spell check and hard to use keyboard on my phone

I joked with the guys at Jorgenson that you could "squish" my 3b in there big press... For that matter it would fit in there forge... One of the things I watched them forge was the aluminum rings that make up the docking ports on the space station... They started with a slug of solid aluminum that was 18" in diameter and about 3 feet long... Squished it, pierced it and forged it out to a ring that is about a foot wide, 8 inches thick and 15 feet in diameter.... and is perfectly round Another thing I found really impressive was the fact they make there own steel... way back when they could not get billets of the correct alloys (they mostly work in stainless alloys) so they just made it. The ingots they pour are either 12" about 20" square depending on need.... I tried to buy one of the "tails" that had been forged on just because I thought it would be cool to make a stand or base out of this huge forged chunk of material... They said "sure, for scrap price you can have anything out here" I got all excited till he started naming off "scrap" value for there exotic alloys... This one is about 5000 lbs and we get about $1.20 a lb... this one is 3600 lbs but we get $2.60lb for it.... I said... "oh" :(

Wow... that is cool. I like it!

Not only will I be at the conference it sounds like I'll get a shop tour :D

I should clarify in the earlier post about setting the die position... that 1/4 clear between the die is with the crank on its lowest possible position on the flywheel and with the toggle arms pulled good and tight on the spring and a very well adjusted hammer... Most hammers with a little slop in them you would need more like 3/4 of a inch to get a solid wack but yet have a light touch... and thats if your forging 1/4 or 3/8 stock... if your forging 1" bar you would need more like 1 3/4 clear at idle and the lowest position... Thats one of those things that really impacts performance and you just need to play with your hammer to see what works best... start with half a dozen 5/8 or 3/4 square bars that are a foot long with a center punch mark at 8" ( if you dont want to hold it with tongs make them as long as you want I guess) get them all up to temp and consistently forge out as long of taper as you can in one heat from the center punch mark... make an adjustment and go to the next one.... listen to how and where in its stroke the hammer hits and how hard of blows it lands... and it it is double tapping or missing a beat (way out of tune) its surprising how drastic of change you can get... also it will show you directly what your adjustments do Also I said I would do combo dies on that hammer and the only reason for that is because unlike a little giant the center of the tup weight is centered in the skinny of the die so working on either end has much less of a negative effect on the hammer.. and since it sounds likely this will be your primary hammer and its relatively small ( but capable ... a 65lb Champion that is well tuned will almost do the work of a run of the mill 100lb little Giant though) its sure nice to have fullering dies to quickly break down material and blend transitions..... If you have any questions Id be happy to help... I have owned two #1's and done some pretty major work on them including pouring new bearings in one....

Yep... I was there at 7:15 and made the deal with the shop foreman to buy the hammer.. Talked with the guy who was going to load it... had everything done but pay for it.... When we walked up to the owners office he was hanging up the phone with you... Which was still 20 min before they opened.... But I am glade to see it getting some love

There was this 50,000 ton press as well http://files.asme.org/ASMEORG/Communities/History/Landmarks/5662.pdf I got to take a walk through Jorgenson Forge here in Seattle and stand up close to there 5000 ton forging press... they also have a "little" 600 ton press... And I have the nerve to call my 300lb hammer "big" I cant imagine what a 50,000 ton machine would be like to see in operation

So your the guy who got my hammer! Well good for you... I wont hold it against you as long as you put it to work. That Champion is in super shape. The guides are like new in the thing and with that overhead jackshaft it should give very nice control. One thing that was wonky on that hammer was the brake did not engage when the treadle was up, It might return back to where it should be one the motor is in place and under tension. What I would do with that hammer is carfully scribe the outline of the smaller die onto the bigger die and then take them into a machine shop that can mate them up and flatten them out. I would do a combination style die with the fuller at front. if you change the motor its pretty critical to get the speed right so take note of the pulley diameter on that 5 horse. I ran my last one with a 110V 1.5HP motor and it worked perfectly. If it was going to be in severe use I would step up to a 2HP Once you get it timed right, the brake engaging and the toggles adjusted that hammer should give you single blow capability. One thing that will help down the road is make your self up a set of wood blocks to set the working hight of the upper die. at rest you want that die to be about a 1/8 above the thickness your working for the best control and hardest hit. I kept mine adjusted so when you rolled the machine over by hand the upper die would come within about 1/4" of the lower die and I didnt move it up until I got over 3/4 stock unless I was going to do real fine work... Anyway congrats on the new hammer.... Your going to love it!

It's a regular full size paint booth. And sadly no. I own about 30 bicycles and haven't ridden one more than a 1/4 mile in years

shoot, I dont find that even a little odd. Seems like the perfectly logical thing to do... Wonder if that means Im a redneck? I think its more like a "blacksmith" thing than a redneck thing.... I was told, and I believe it to be true.. That there is no such thing as "scrap" in a blacksmith shop

Well when some gawking passerby asks what I make, I tell them I can make anything but money... I wish that was a little less true:rolleyes: I am a small fab shop. I have basic machining capabilities, a well equipped fabrication shop and then the forge area... I dont do enough forge work to justify the forge shop, its more hobby than income generation. As far as work that comes through the door im not picky. If they can pay shop rate I will weld a muffler their pinto. Some of my best customers are industrial contractors. This year I have built a bunch of carts used that went to Seattle's light rail project, 6 machine rises for a aerospace outfit that weighted 3 tons each ( I ran 9 45lb spools of 1/16 dual shield wire in two weeks) They went on a huge six spindle Gantry CNC mill to space up a titanium forging that became part of a 777 Last year I built over a 100K worth of brackets and little parts for the 40 ton truck to train gantry cranes at the BNSF rail yard at the port of Seattle. The first job I did for them was kind of funny, the crane service manager called me up and said I got eight brackets that have the holes drilled in the wrong spot, could you weld them shut and drill new holes?.. I said sure, drop them off by my door you can pick them up tomorrow. He kinda chuckled and said I better look at them first... He showed up with the first "bracket" It was about 10 feet tall and weighed two tons... the holes he wanted me to weld up... well they where 10 1.412" holes through 2" plate.. and the new holes overlapped the old.. So I had to using a annular cutter make the new hole, machine a copper slug to drive in the good hole, weld up the bad hole then drive out the copper slug with a 20lb hammer... 80 times The brackets hold the emergency clamps that lock the 100 ft tall gantry to the rail in case of a earthquake or cyclone... Needless to say I didnt have them done for him the next day.. Anyway so yeah I am not really picky, I can find joy in just about any metalwork ( although I really do hate welding on mufflers, a red hot bb always seems to find a way into my ear:o )

Just out of curiosity, Is there anyone out there that knows of another 9" or something bigger? Someday I am going to put this on a stand but its not really useful for me at the moment. Its just way to dang much work to deal with a big vise, My 6 3/4 is about as big as I need and I find a 5.5 to 6" is ideal for most things. The only thing I can think of is like doing Darryl's animal heads it would be nice to have a really stout vise for the chisel work.. at 215 lbs this vise is heaver that a lot of anvils! Swinging that three foot long handle around half a dozen times to get it clamped on a hot chunk will cure you of wanting a big vise.... Especially if you clock yourself in the chin once or twice

Dang it Grant.... I still haven't figured out where to get the money to by a induction forge from you... Now I have to go and figure out how to come up the money for a transformer anvil hammer?

Not quite the deal that Grant posted but looks like a nice Little Giant priced at about what you would expect for a nice little Giant Little Giaint 25lb Power Hammer

just because someone will say "I have never seen a 9" post vise" This monster came from the Genva steel mill in Utah... 215lb, and yes 9" jaws... I know there are bigger vises out there but so far this is the grand daddy of my collection....

Shoot if you can make money selling them for $1400 Id say that's a bargain for anyone looking for a real working tool.... $4/lb for a anvil that versatile would be unmatched. Granted for the hobbyist $1700 with shipping might seem like a lot.... but its not a hobbyist anvil. One hurtle I can see is just the look of it. I am not one of them but I know a lot of "blacksmiths" who want there shop to look period correct, part of the mystic draw of having a blacksmith work for you is that 100 year old shop with that old time look.... Just like the guys selling trinkets at the street fair want the people to believe those "hand forged" items where all made by hand in a coal forge ( but because the smith wants to eat and pay rent he has a gas forge and a powerhammer).... Anyway I might get badmouthed for such a comment but I say screw the traditionalists. My feeling is that if a smith 200 years ago had access to a CNC machining center and a TIG welder he would be more than happy to embrace the technology... I would be real surprised to meet any professional (read trying to make a living at it) smith that wasn't interested in doing the best work he could with the least amount of effort

Sure anytime... I had about 60 people over this summer for our "metal head o rama" party and think having like minded souls over to play is about the greatest thing there is.. Here is a few pics of the press in its natural environment nestled in back with the power hammers. Im surpized how little the 110 lb hammer looks next to the "big" stuff,.