DanielC

Waiting on concrete to cure. Tried out the new motor. Need to adjust the belts a bit more to reduce the sideways travel of one. Hammer is a bit floppy on this platform. Also will know for sure once it is bolted to my floor, but i hear a little bit of slop at the front bushing on the drive shaft. May need to see about getting some bronze machined out.

Wouldn't slightly wetter concrete fill the voids and get around the rebar sufficiently without a vibrator? I know more moisture gives you weaker concrete, but it doesn't take much to go from sticky to flowing and not have it soupy.

Made my cage and welded on sleeves for 3/4" threaded rod. Fit into hole well, of which I lined in plastic. Poured in 5000psi concrete with fiber thrown in the mix. Everything lines up perfect with minimal grinding where the forms were. Now the 30 day wait.

Japan. Their apprenticeships for different trades are very rigorous and the best swordsmiths are national treasures. The country seems to embrace the old world and integrate it into their lives a little more readily than other countries. Haven't ever been a smith there, but the information about it is available.

Still had some energy today so I went to 36". I hear ya Eric. Never enough of that ingredient!

Thanks Eric! How's the smelter coming along?

Some work done today. 27" for the night. Going to around 32-34 tomorrow. Overkill is my middle name.

The clicking is the motor.

This is a reply on a FB group. I had built a 4'x4' platform, and found I didn't like it so I am making an overkill foundation. Just wanted to update. I have decided to go with a separate foundation. Tried out the hammer today on the wooden base, and the hammer really moved. Picked up the sides even. Could honestly tie the base down, but we feel it is too much for my unknown thickness garage floor. Given a few things I have noticed in the past, I doubt it is over 3-4" thick. Don't really feel comfortable with that thickness. I have free access to gas powered chop saws with 14" diamond blades, gas powered tamps, plenty of rebar, and my job already requires me to dig ditches and holes by shovel, and use all of this equipment already. So I am going to dig a 3'x4'x32"(depth) hole. Pour in and tamp 6" worth of gravel, build a cage and possibly make a sleeve for the Grade 8 threaded rod to go into described here at post #4, (that way I can slide hammer into place without having to pick it up over threaded rod, or if a bolt breaks): '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> I really wanted a foundation originally. I have felt my floor vibrate and even things fall off shelves in my shop when swinging my 12# sledge for striking. The isolation will further help with sound. I also plan on using the same stall mat between hammer and floor given the cast line. A lot to ponder on the next few days. Plan on using 5000psi concrete with the fiber and superplasticizer. Had to also order a new motor for the hammer today. The motor that came with the hammer was bunk for the size. I should have tested it before buying. On the other hand the price was very fair with or without the motor. Now I have a re-built pre-1952 1.5HP 1740rpm GE motor to sell, and a heavy duty, double capacitor 3hp 1750rpm Marathon on its way with a 1.125 shaft. Today's finding were a PITA.

Thanks nj. Fabbing the base tomorrow.

I'm almost ready to set up. Still at my family's shop (More tools and, fab equipment, and helpful hands there). Spent the weekend doing everything I can to be ready. First, me and my brother on Friday cleaned this thing down of grease, grime, dirt in every nook and cranny with used Varsol, wire brushes, and rags (There is a lot of GOOD paint under all of that grime, and nothing is really rusted at all!). Took the dies out and cleaned them up. Cycled new grease in the front and front/side grease port. It was originally grease, so I am sticking with it. Every bit of the old stuff was still soft, and pushed out with Mobil One Synthetic red grease. Inspected for cracks more thoroughly and found none. Saturday I had my father in law who is an electrician, figure out the motor and how to wire it up. It's an older motor that the previous owner had completely re-built. I also dont play with electrical, especially when I have family who are professionals with it. Got the motor (87' GE Motor) running with ease, and it sounds like any brand new Baldor I have ever heard running. Greased both bearings at the bearing zurks as well. Today, we figured out where the motor needed to sit with the expensive belts I bought. They are really nice belts, but $34 a piece hurt a little bit. Oh well. Kevlar coated belts from NAPA. Any way, drilled through the huge motor mount and set it in place, and lowered the bracket to tighten belts. Also set the foot pedal. Then this evening after I was extremely happy with the progress made and nearing completion, we decide to tighten the ram way/guides using the adjustable shims that are found on Murray hammers. They didn't want to move at first but eventually did with a few spurts of WD-40. Howevever could not get the ram guide to not be too tight once it was time to bolt them on. For the life of us, we could not figure out why the ram ways were getting over tight. So we took the guides and the shims off, and I went to the varsol tank and started to scrub with scotch brite and 220 grit sand paper. Old grease stuck to it and rust here and there came off. Cleaned the ram guide at the hammer as well. Cleaned it all up, shiny as new and re-oiled. Had a time getting the bolts to tighten and not get something crooked, which resulted in a tight ram way. Figured out that the trick was to push out of the guides as they were being tightened after the shims were set where we wanted them. Managed to take some of the play out while leaving a tad left to keep control at its peak. Either way, got to really know my machine in that regard. Was scary at first, but very fulfilling and much needed. Upon inspection, the guides have little to no wear or grooved. Looks like the hammer was barely used. Was impressed Everything else on the hammer is tight and smooth. Also replaced the bolts on the ram ways with new grade 8 bolts to replace the originals, and replaced a jam nut on one arm to match one I had to add that was missing on the other. Now I need to figure out my base. I am not digging a foundation for it, and it is going to be on a 4" slab. I want to build a short wooden platform for it to sit on, with rubber on top of that to absorb more noise. I have understanding and relatively far off neighbors, but I don't want to push the issue. Once the base is decided and built, it is getting hoisted into my shop.

Thanks guys. She feels solid. Quick question though.. I havent pulled out the feeler guage but how much play is "tight" at the ram way? I have a very slight play in it when i pull the toggle arms back and forth towards me. It has adjustable shims at the top as well.

Bad pics, but all I had was my phone and some so-so lighting (It is not painted green, but gray). It is parked in my family's shop at the moment until I build the base this week. Also the motor is not pictured, but it is already at my house.

Just bought a 50# Murray power hammer yesterday. Will be moving into my shop next weekend. I looked it over and everything looked and felt good. Has been inside all of its known life with little to no rust bryond what accumulates in a shop setting. Has flatter dies on it now. No cracks anywhere. Pleased with the $2500 transaction that came with a 5" post vice as well. Pics to come later.

Just bought a 50# Murray power hammer yesterday. Will be moving into my shop next weekend. I looked it over and everything looked and felt good. Has been inside all of its known life with little to no rust bryond what accumulates in a shop setting. Has flatter dies on it now. No cracks anywhere. Pleased with the $2500 transaction that came with a 5" post vice as well. Pics to come later.

My first flatter i made over a year ago by hand and by myself.

I take some of that back. A few friends if mine add white cast iron at those carbon ranges to their bloomery material as they are folding.

Also i am not really aware of any bloomery process making workable steel at the 2%C range. White cast iron is a byproduct if the process ever now and the, but the japanese take this and perform orishigane to bring it down to workable carbon ranges.

Usually we use limonite ore we mine locally. This ore tends to want to be iron regardless of furnace design. This video is from a titanium-magnetite supply we ran through the smelter. If you are familiar with japanese magnetite, it often is a titanium bearing magnetite. This is steely, but not high carbon steel. The smelter's height of 3' is designed more for iron. Plus we tapped off a lot of slag, allowing the air supply to blast a lot of the carbon away. Tend to not care if it has any carbon in the bloom any more since after repeated folding and forge welding temps it is mostly just iron. That is the trick with bloom. It must be worked at forge welding temps. Almost always a white heat to sparky, otherwise it would crack. Similar to erought but a little more extreme since wrought is bloom iron, just folded several times. If i want high carbon steel we hearth refine it using evanstad method. Which depending on tuyure height can yield either highly pure iron or high carbon bloom steel. Even more recent my good friend has been carburizing in stainless tubes in a process nearly identical to making blister steel.

Yea, right now a 12# sledge is my power hammer...

This was some work done this past Friday night, using a 3# and 12# sledge. It was after working on a much larger piece of bloom iron so I was pretty tired. Didn't squish into a bar, but this video is basically some cool footage of bloom being worked to muck bar stage with a camera that can focus in on high temps. Don't be fooled by the color captured by the camera as well. This thing is at the cusp of sparking, if it isn't sparking every time I pull it out of the forge. Also since it is bloom steel, it is a little more difficult to deform than the bloom iron I am used to working with. EDIT: This is also the reason I missed the NCABANA meeting at Peter Ross's shop. I hadn't swung the 12# in weeks, and between using it on a 4.5# bloom iron chunk and then this, my body was wiped at 7am the next morning.

Didnt know he lived in NC John. I may have to make it to that one and bring him a gift from the bloom pile!

Sad day for the US and Alcoa, but good news for big forging in general. China has completed their 80,000 ton forging press. http://www.france-metallurgie.com/index.php/2014/10/11/china-80000-tons-world-s-largest-closed-die-forging-presses-help-to-develop-the-f-11-us/

First i have seen Jesus Hernendez carve out his saya with these, along with a few other videos if Japanese craftsmen using similar to make their saya. This is ultimately for my brother and guitar making, needing a curved chisel. On one of his supplier websites they sell a curved chisel and it resembles pretty much identically with the saya chisels i have seen. I have also ran it through my own test and have carved out a few pieces of wood to make sure it worked properly, and sure enough it works like a charm. I can hunt around for the videos and a few pics when i am infront of a computer.

And it is finished. Finally got around to finishing up the handle, and getting everything drilled and together. Handle is 3 pieces of the heartwood of American Walnut and the sapwood of American Black Cherry. I liked the color contrast of both, maintaining the theme, plus the cherry had good figure. The chisel end is ground down to 22 degrees, and sharpened to the point of shaving my arm on my Japanese stones, ending with a loaded leather strop. I originally said it was for Saya, which this type of chisel typically is, but it is actually a gift for my brother. He makes acoustic guitars as a hobby, and needed a curved chisel to carve out the braces. This was my first of its kind and there are a few things I will change when I make more in the future. One of the main things was stabilize my wood in my stabilizing system. I was in such a rush with the handle from excitement, that I forgot to stabilize before I glued it all together. Since cactus juice takes a 200F cure for an hour, I didn't think the TItebond III would take the heat, so I instead natural stained the wood, and polyurethaned with a buff. Also the transition from handle to bolster will match up. Again, already had the handle varnished prior to fitting like a numb skull, and I really don't want to sand it to the width of the bolster and risk screwing it up. Next time for sure. Had to throw my name on every pic because there has been known entities on facebook stealing photos and claiming it as their own.