peacock

I use a lot of ball swages. Mine fill best and with no laps on the end if I use square stock. Corners top to bottom and rotate 90. The coners only have to move 45 degrees to fill the hole, and it takes less power to push the stock out the end of the bar, you get much less stock coming back out the stem. On very large balls I fuller the neck with a spring fuller then knock the end corners down a little on the flat dies. When you use square stock the balls come out bigger than the original stock

Don't caulk it if you don't have to as Phil said get a tub or kiddy pool set it in it. Fill the pool and the barrel to the level of the tub it should swell up from the bottom up just keep filling the barrel if is not rotten it will seal up.

As Phil said way too slow for blacksmith work. You will not like it if you have ever used a fly press.

Thanks for sharing your load. I amglad you can be strong for your family, as husbands and fathers thats what we do. On the other hand you also need a listening ear. Iknow we have never met but if you ever want to talk pm me and I'll give you my number. you and your family are on our list we will include you in our prayers daily. In Gods love, Phil Cox

Tells us how the TIG works on wrought iron please. I have tried that and had trouble with the slag in the wrought boiling out and with no flux to float it out I was not successful. I went with the arc and fixed it. You may know how to deal with the slag and I would like to know if you can share that info.

Tells us how the TIG works on wrought iron please. I have tried that and had trouble with the slag in the wrought boiling out and with no flux to float it out I was not successful. I went with the arc and fixed it. You may know how to deal with the slag and I would like to know if you can share that info.

Is it rubber or leather. Some old machinery used leather for packing. I make leather packing for old water pumps for the gas engine guys. Don't know about older air hammers.

Ask first buy later. Not enough for a 25#

A hot cut is pretty sharp but it is nearly impossible to draw stock out with it. Too sharp a pien lets the hammer penetrate but the taper binds and stops it. Half of the job of a properly shaped pien is to create ridges to concentrate the force of the hammer blow on a smaller area the next pass whitch moves the metal faster. Watch the hammer meet the work when Brian B forges, fuller, flatten, fuller, flatten, very efficient. Not deep narrow grooves but as mentoned earlier a wavy surface.

Thanks Frank, Keep it simple. I think people don't appreciate the technology in some of this old items. It seems a lot of people are tring to make a quick change die set up for power hammers also. You just can't do better than a good key/wedge.

Looks really good.

frugalolegeezer PM me

macbryce called it. You need to pour a new clutch bearing. You hammer will never run it's best till you do. You always want at least 3/4 inch opening between the dies more for thicker stock. Over all the hammer looks real good. Be sure to keep the ram guide adjusted as close as possible and plenty of lube on the V-ways with those combo dies. They force you to do all your work off center which is very hard on the guide v-ways if they are loose or dry. Also never hit stock that is not hot with those dies. If you hear a soild knock from time to time on a 50 # the rear ram guide can sometimes hit the crankplate. It will hit 180 from the pin when it is at or near the top. Good luck and have fun.

Quad states will have almost anything you think you will need. Take a truck, fill it with money. I can't see a blower for the forge, what kind is it hand or electric? There is camping on the grounds, saves alot of money if you are so inclined. Get there the day before it starts to get the best deals at the tail gates. With that out of the way you can then spend your time picking brains and watching some quality workmanship. Have a great time.

Come on do you really think me or anyone else would try to use hand hammer on a power hammer? I have no problem if you want you lower die at 43 inches or higher. If I am working a 50 or 60 pound chunk of steel I like my elbows just barely flexed. Holding that weight on your hammer die would be very tiring for my arms. Also my bifocals are made to focus at my anvil height if I raised my hammer die up very much I could not see my work very well. All this saying is this is a very personal thing with many factors that are tied to the individuals need. One more thing to think about is if your work under a PH is always bending down you need to lower your die height or raise your arms. If it's bending up of course raise the die/hammer or lower your arms. I am sure a lot of you know this already but some of the less expierenced guys struggle with this.

I like mine the same as my anvil 33-34 inches. Some like them higher. I have a friend thats about 6'8" and he likes his at 39-40 inches but thats where is anvil is now that I think about it. I do think you can get them too high to be safe. I like things a little farther from my face if it should get away from me.

I start my fire with flint and steel. My side draft forge draws so well it blows out a match but makes char cloth glow very well. I use 3 pc of 2x3 char cloth a big double handful pine shavings the kind you use for pet litter, & coke from the last fire if I don't have coke I use lump charcoal. Put the shaving on one side of the fire pot. coke in a pile beside the shaving turn the blower on as low as it will go. I fold the charcloth over so I have 6 edges lay it on top of the flint, strike the steel on the flint 1 or 2 tries will always get me 2 or 3 edges glowing put the glowing side down in the fire pot you cannot put the char cloth out with too much air it will only burn faster, pull the shavings over the cloth it will start smoking right away increase the air but don't blow the the shaving out of the pot. As soon as the flame appears put the coke/charcoal over the fire increase the blast slowly. It never fails even out side in the wind. From first strike to flame less than 30 sec. to loading steel into fire about 5 minutes for 1/2 inch and under. A $6 bag of pine shavings will last me 5 years. Once you open the bag store in plastic buckets with lids to keep it dry.

I realy don't enjoy useing my anvil till it gets too hot to hold my hand on. Thats over 125F. Little stuff can be worked much longer when it's hot. In the winter or when I'm welding smaller stock I have a20# chunk of sleet iI heat to red and lay on the anvil to warm it up. Even with a piece of koawool over it my 270 lber won't get too hot for me to touch easily.

My 50 Meyer Brother will do 3 of those in less time. Too slow not enought stroke. What a waste of a nice frame. I have done 2 inch cold rolled bale points on my 125 Bradely in 35 seconds

Pughman: Didn't say it wouldn't work. I was trying to say that motoer in you pic may not be big enough to run a 50# tire hammer. I run a Depew with a IHC LB but it's a 2 1/2 /5 hp. My 1 1/2/2 1/2 just is not enough power. Old shops ran on these gas engines all over the country as long as they had enough hp

Harrington Delaware. They think almost all the sites will be air conditioned. It's 1/2 hr south of Dover 2 hr east of Batimore. I think it's the Delaware state fair gounds. I am saving my pennies starting now hope I can make it.

Ok I found a way to get these loaded.They are of the Punzo coppersmith site. The boys took off to see some blacksmithing for a while so PaPa and I did a little work. It was a great experience. Then the boys came back with a nail Alex helped them make for the stump so they made a small bowl put there names in it and nailed it to the stump. Then PaPa wanted pics with the wife and I.

I have over 100 pics but can't get them to load. Some one told me because I always shoot on high resolution my files are too big.

The only thing I can see from the pictures that might cause a problem in how low the cross head (mickey mouse ears) is sitting on the pitman (the bronze fitting on the front). I'd flip this over allowing more adjustment. Dave from Diller quote I don't think that one is bronze. The only ones I have seen in bronze are the split type with a cap that bolts on. That one has a bronze bushinng inside a cast steel pitman. Turning the crosshead over is sometimes a good thing but, you have to watch that the connecting links don't hit the wrap around guide. That guide is cast iron will break easily and is not avaible from Sid.

1 HP =550ft pounds per second. Torque is used in the formula to determine HP This is over simplified but, Torque starts the load HP keeps it turning