markh

I'm wondering if any of you guys have added weight to your anvil or know someone who did. I'm thinking of bolting my 126lb anvil to a 200lb chunk of steel that I have sitting around. I want a bigger anvil but don't want to spend the money. I'm also not corncerned about the looks of my anvil. Will this help or be a waste of time? Thanks a lot.

Barzillai, Dean and Josh, from Big Blu, always offer to deliver hammer to meets so the customer can save on shipping costs. They have some godd deals right now on Power Hammer/Compressor packages that are priced cheaper than the self-contained. I know that a lot of people love th Say-Maks and I'm sure they're nice but I reccomend the Blu. They are very smooth hammers with a great "touch". When it comes down to it, Dean wins awards every year from NOMMA and he uses his hammer and his dies. That tells me that a Big Blu is more than I'll ever need. Go to their tent and try the hammer. I think you'll like. I know that you'll love the customer service before and after the sale.

I like it. It's a nice hammer.

Phoenix builds nice hammers but the price is rediculous. The feature that sets them apart is the 11" stroke. However, a special-order Ironkiss can be bought with the same stroke for 1/2 the price. John Larson has an amazing reputation for customer service an professional attitude. If I were looking for an air hammer I would get an Iron Kiss with an 11-12" stroke. The anvil mass and ram weight match up with the Phoenix for about $6000 less. Larso also claims that his choice of cylinder allows the hammer toperate on much less cfm and a lower psi. Phoenix has a reputation for horrible service after the sale and they are always late with delivery. If you are stuck on the Phoenix, contact David Kayne at the Blacksmith Depot. They often times buy and sell pre-owned Phoenix an Bull hammers. I wouldn't buy one from the company.

Glen I was not comparing rust to a vise, a dog or a hold fast. I was quoting a very experienced/accomplished blacksmith who prefers a non-polished anvil face to a "slippery", polished anvil face. I believe he has a very good point and that's why I included it in the discussion. If you can't understand how a more course surface would help grip something better than a slick, smooth surface then do experiments by rubbing your fingers across sandpaper and then a polished "anything". You should be able to conclude that a more course surface resist the "sliding" action much better. I was not suggesting that blacksmiths start trying to make their anvil's rusty. I was suggesting that the person with the question try the anivil after removing the thick oxidation and before polishing. This way he could decide if he liked that surface enough to save him some time a trouble getting it ready to use. No where in my reply did I compare a rusty anvil face to a vise, hold fast or a dog. Nor did I suggest ever adding rust to an anvil face. Please don't use your assumptions to place words in my mouth.

I watched a Josh Greenwood demo one time and said that the rust actually helps hold the work still as you hit it. He said that he never removes light rust for that reason. So I would, as someone else wrote, brush off the thick, heavy stuff and try out the anvil before polishing to a nice clean finish.

I'm thinking of buying a propane forge instead of building one. Does anyone have a suggestion on brands that proven in the area of forge welding? Thanks

I'm very ignorant when it comes to solving problems with my wire feed. My welder will run for about 3 seconds then the wire gets stuck and the welding stops. When I look at the wire I notice a smashed area that looks like the roller smashed it. Has this happened to anyone else? Should I try to change the roller? Thanks

The 11" stroke of the Phoenix is great. The power is great. But, I feel that the Big Blues are smoother and can work fine points easier. I've never heard anything but great reviews on Tom Clark's. The larger hammer will beat the xxxx out of thick(2"-4") material. Striker's hammer line is nice because you can get a ram, pretty much, as big as you'll ever need. They range from 33 lb up to 2000 or so. Tom Trosack of Phoenix Forging Hammers will build hammers with above average ram sizes(300-1000 lbers). However you will pay alot because Tom is a perfectionist and refuses to cut any corners.

That video showed a very slow hammer. I'm not sure if it was due to a small compressor or the hammer design. I would get many opinions and do a lot of research on Chris Coleman's design before investing in the parts list. It looks to have a lot of extra parts compared to the Kinyon which means a lot more money. If you like his control and the single blow option, look up "Controlling Your Air Hammer" by Mark Linn. He sells a video that walks you through his control system. I was impressed after buyiing it and from both videos think that his design is much better than the Coleman.

The experts at big blu say you need 17 cfm @ 140 psi. This is for their 110 lb hammer that has a 2.5" bore cylinder. I'm not sure how big you want to make your ram. If your compressor ends up being too small you can always add another compressor and use them both. I know of several people that have 150 lb hammers and use a couple of 5 hp compressor to give themselves continous use. I'm not an expert but this should help a little.

Good luck. I hope you can get your hands on some of that stuff.

What department controls the shop? Career Tech, Art?

Ray Clontz Tire Hammer Plans by Clay Spencer These plans are for a 50 lb. power hammer that uses the rear axle and hub from a front drive car and emergency spare tire and weighs about 700 lbs. It is powered by a 1 hp, 1750 rpm electric motor, 120 or 240 volts, runs about 250 blows per minute and uses a spring toggle mechanism similar to Little Giant hammers. The anvil is 6" solid round (minimum size) by 36" high and the frame is 5" square tubing. The plans are 40 pages, printed front and back on 20 sheets that include parts list, detail and assembly drawings, sources, notes, installation, adjustments and maintenance. Over 200 hammers have been built using these plans. Price is $30US including postage to US and Canada, $32US to other countries. Send check or money order to Clay Spencer, 73 Penniston Private Drive, Somerville, AL 35670. Tel: (256) 498-1498 or E-mail clay@tirehammer.com for info. Also, Clay leads workshops for chapters or groups to build 15 to 20 hammers and has Tire Hammers for sale, $2000.

Clay Spencer's plans show the tire hammer being about 6' to 6 1/2' tall. You can shorten if you need to. Just make sure that you decrease the anvil just as much as you decrease the total hammer height. Keep this in proportion and the hammer can be as tall or as short as you want it. I highly suggest buying Clay Spencer's plans. They're very well-made.

That's a Phoenix 150A. I here they are selling for $14,000 now. What a waste.

What college or university do you attend?

Has anyone tried these anvils? The salesman I talked to said that the aluminum base nearly eliminated the ring and gave great rebound. Here's a link: Anvils And Stands

Hey guys. I'm thinking of building a Kinyon air hammer a modify the design to handle a 200LB ram. Does anyone have advice on cylinder bore size? Big Blu uses a 3.25 cylinder on their 155lb hammer and John Larson of Iron Kiss uses a 4" bore cylinder for his larger hammer. Would 50lbs more make a big difference on a 4" bore or should I icrease size? Thanks a lot

I keep hearing you guys talk about anvils that have a tool steel face plate and cast iron body. Lots of people seem to very happy with them so I wonder why they are not manufactured that way anymore. Also, what are the horns made from? Are they cast iron or part of the same chunk of tool steel as the face? Does anyone have a photo or drawing of the tool steel component without the iron around it? I have a Trenton and think It's made this way. thanks

If I were to buy a Euroanvil and have extra pritchel holes drilled to resemble Hofi's set-up, would it be possible? Would the anvil be so hard that no machine shop wouod accept? Thanks

I love that Kris Ketchum anvil. I guess getting one those to the east coast would be very expensive. I've just moved to North Carolina. Does anyone know hwo to contact him? Does anyone know if he come to the east coast for events? How about foundries? Does anyone know of a foundry near North Carolina that may be able to cast a pattern I design? Thanks

I'm wanting to set up a shop in my neighborhood and, of coarse need to keep the noise down. I've got about 3/4 of an acre to play with. I'm already in contact with a sound insulation company and think that the only problem I'll have is the banging of my power hammer. If I were to pour a seperate, 3" deep slab, would that help? What about hard bolting a 4"-6" thick base plate to the existing power hammer base to increase the mass under the ram? Any suggestions or ideas would be really appreciated. thanks

Harbison-Walker makes a Kast-o-Lite that is rated at 3000 F. Kast-O-Lite is an insulating castable that is almost as good as a soft brick but not as good as fiber. I used it to build forges and I think it's great. It insulates and doesn't present the problems associated with breathing the fibers from insulating blanket. If your concerned about the heat up time you can apply ITC. That stuff works very well. Just make sure your design is well thought-out because Kast-O-Lite is about $55/55lb bag. That's if you pick it up yourself.

The Tire-Hammer has a brake. In my opinion, the Tire-Hammer is not a junk-yard hammer. I used one several times and own a copy of the plans. It will save a lot of money to build it from junk materials, but the design is well thought out and the performance is amazing. I think one reason Clay Spencer never started producing these hammers commercially is that he's the consumate teacher. He really enjoys the the fact that his design gives workshop participants a great power hammer for sometimes less than $900 dollars. I'm not trying to start an argument over what is and what is not a junk-yard hammer. I'm just very enthusiatic about Ray Clotz's idea and Clay Spencer's design. Clay sells plans, springs, and pulley wheels. I think it's a much better design than the App. Power Hammer, it has smaller footprint and it's not as dangerous. Also, if you like Little Giants, the Tire-Hammer is very similar but much easier to repair.