peacock

Upsetting is not how hard you can hit it it's how fast you can hit. Short fast blows so the metal never stops moving builds heat.

Your 100# LG will draw them out quicker and easier than the up setting will process be. Becarefull and don't get your fingers caught in your guide when upsetting.

I have forged dies. Cliftion showed me how to do this, but DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS ON AN AIR HAMMER. You will damage your hammer. Even 1 0r 2 blows without 1 of the dies in it can damage the ram guide or ram or both. If you have an extra die you can forge a dovetail tool to reproduce your dove tail.. When I make dies I use a shaper. If you do make dies by hand make a key for each die as you will most likely not be able to reprodce the dove tail exactly, and the key can correct some of the error.

Inspireing

Dillon it's a 125# guided helve, I also have 2 40# cusioned helve bradleys. I,m sorry I don't remember you visiting my shop. I don't live at the same place now. We moved to the family farm in 2001 just 7 miles away but moving a bunch of hammers was alot of work. You are welcome to visit anytime just give me a call.

I use drops from a leaf spring shop. Never heat treat, and have made 1000's of acorns with no diffent between the last ones and the first ones. You are after tough not hard. 4340 as forged, is really good if you have acess to some of that

Here's the rest of the pics. Made the shaft, installed the crankplate and turned the outside for the brake.

I got the ram on Wed. so today I got to work on the sow block. After putting the block in the frame and the ram with die in the guide. I was able to get a line scribed where the dove tail would line up. Put the block back in the shaper and went to work, the pics show the rest of the story. That is finished. Now the owner is thinking maybe he wants me to finish the hammer rebuild. For sure build a long shaft to put the clutch out back and build the brake. More pics to follow.

When I am developing a set of dies like this I bandsaw, rasp and what ever else I have to do to get a profile in a pine 4x4 then I rip it in half length ways. Now I have a matching set of dies to work a piece of clay with to work out such things as stock size, shape and what preforming might be needed. I usualy scrap about 3 sets before I get something I can use as a patteren for the steel die

Glad I had a chance to return the favor you have taught me a few things.

The guys that use that type of shoe often move from barn to barn or track to track and may shoe as many as 10 or 12 head a day. Any thing that lessens the pieces you have to handle save time and makes you money. FF when you were posting about your demo trailer you applied the same ideas. To try to make it as effienct as you could. If I were a farrier doing that type of work and needing an anvil I would pay more for that one than one without the grooves. Its a tool and it was his tool. By the way farriers are not usually short on money. When you turn $1000 per day dealing with horses and there owners often times who have poor manners a new anvil that makes your work easier is not a problem. I like and appreciate good old tools, but I like to use them for my work. This very well executed modification reminds me of some of the things I have done to tongs, wrenches and hammers . You do great work and I hope you don't think I'm trying to put you down, Just offering a different point of view

I have posted this sometime ago but can't find the link. forge a blank that is at least 12 in. longer then your hammer dove tail. You want 4 in. sticking out past the die. It needs to have a taper that will bind in the small end of the opening made by the die and frame. With a torch heat about an inch of the key next to the part that binds, With it very hot quickly put the key in the hammer a hit the big end upsetting the key into the opening. Let it cool a little drive the key out. Now repeat this process 1 inch at a time till the complete length of the die has 100% contact along the length of the key. The area outside the die maybe upset at the edge of the die making a shoulder at that point, forge that down to continue the taper. Trim and bevel the ends of the key to your liking. One note of caution the dovetails on the die and hammer frame must not have holes or voids if you want to use this system. If there are any holes the key will upset into them locking the key in place

I have an opinion about grease on the ways. I think if the guides are not kept in very close adjustment the grease collects slag and rapidly were the ways. Oil and lots of it tends to flush the crude out. Now I have that out of my system, I will address your problem, the biggest problem is the combination dies. They force you to hammer off center. It appears that about 1/2 of the ram is sticking out the bottom of the frame. This lack of support at the bottom of the stroke forces the ram to kick sideways. Combination dies on hammers with short guide is a less than an ideal setup. If you can shift the dies to the left so the flat part is in the center of the ram without the dies hitting the frame or dovetail slide you can check to see if this helps. Just be sure to not hit anything in between the part of the dies sticking out After reading JNewmans post I think I misunderstood the problem. I agree with him about the need of good key fit. I don't lube my keys and I do not have trouble with them coming out in use or getting them out when I need to remove them. When I make the key I don't grind them to fit I upset them hot .Clifton Ralph showed me how to do this years ago and it is quicker and gets a perfect fitting key every time. Make a key for each die and keep it with that die only. edit: 2/18/12

Newest update. Got the bottom dovetail finished. Now I am waiting on the owner to bring me the ram so I can be sure to get the die angle in register with the top die. I am also going to make a new top shaft so I can put the pulley and clutch out back so the clutch and belts can be serviced without removeing the bearing caps.

Here's the pics I promised of the Bradley motor and jackshaft. You will need to make yours taller I think. Food for thought.

I second what macbruce said. Bradley hammers use a stand on the floor beside the hammer they works very well. I'll try to get pics of one of mine & post later today.

Peacock Forge & Machine. Phil Cox P. Cox Not too tough to figure.

Thomas, it's a 20" American Tool Works 6 foot centers 6,800 lbs. It is a work horse will cut 1 thread per inch slowest spindle speed 24 rpm Phil, I taper the sow block so we can get better access to the dies, The working surface on a 25# is 2x3 if you leave the top big it makes some free hand forging very difficult. It took about 6 lbs. off.

Got a good start on the sow block. Cut off 5 inches of 7 inch round, that stuff is 11# per inch. Put it in the lathe faced 1 end and turned a taper down to 6 inch top. Then back to the drill press drilled 2 shallow holes in the top to keep it from turning and to help index it in the shaper. Took about 1 1/2 hours to cut 1/2 the dovetail for the bottom. The 12 inch Hendey is a nice shaper 8 speeds and 3 axis table gives you alot to work with.

Eric Here are some pics of the brake on my 25 new style. You will notice some of the parts are too long with several holes. When I first built this years ago I put all those in so I could tune it without haveing to take in apart, as it is now works best for me.

What shape head? What diameter? What thickness of stock? What material are the rivets? In my experence the thinner the stock the harder it is to get a nice job. If the heads are anything but flat I use a backing bar with shape of the head in it to help hold the rivet square with the work, then be sure you hit it square. 1 or 2 good blows is much better than several light ones on small rivets. One and one half the diameter is the correct amount to have sticking thru thru tin.

Thanks E.F. I understand what your saying but the setup is a little shaky. That large of tool nose and step over is just too much for this set up and tends to move the frame. Once I got it set up I just go slow and be patient. The green shaper (Hendy) in the background will stand up to that kind of work it will take off 1/4 inch square chips. It has a universal head that I use for sow blocks and die work. I prefere it to the mill for that work much cheaper to tool up. PS I'm useing .040 step over & .060 deep

It's a 14 inch Gavin line belt machine. Put an old 3 speed car trany and a 1 hp motor on it. I can do 25s and 50s. A 1000 # casting hanging out front has to have a set of wheels under the angle plate for support. I looked at a bigger shaper but the slide was too large to clear the ram guide on the hammers. I try to true up every hammer I rebuild. I also like to widen the dovetail a little so we can use a thicker die key.

I don't use seat belt, I buy rolls of new webbing, but seat belt will work if that is all you can find. As I said in earlier post it's .110 thick. Spring tension is hard to say, too many factors involved. Maybe you should PM me.

This is no simple task. I have a shaper deditcated to working on dovetails. The block has to come off and a heavy angle plate made and installed on the apron. After the frame is on the shaper I have to square up the frame useing the ram guide as a reference. This can be a slow, aggravating process. Start to finish took 7 1/2 hours. but the end result is very rewarding.