TASMITH

Not necessary to heat treat it for hot cutting. The jack hammer steel will be tough if it was just air cooled after forging. they are not generally a high carbon steel as they are meant to be tough as opposed to hard and will stand up quite well as is.

Terry

I have seen springs almost that large that came from the base of a ten thousand pound LASCO hammer. The Lasco hammer itself sits on large springs in the base to help absorb vibration from the hammer. I would think a spring that size would be from something similar or maybe even from the base of a larger Lasco hammer than the one I am familiar with.

Terry

Well done Lenaghan! It feels pretty good to get that first project done from start to finish and end up with something you needed. First steps are always the best feeling. They look like they will work quite well for you in your next endeavors.Now you know that you can make your own basic needs it won't be long before you are trying something bigger and better.... like more tongs, punches chisels and on and on and on.

Good job and happy hammering!

Terry

There ya go. Thats why we need moderators on here. To keep guys like Frosty on their toes. That was the 'PERFECT' response Glenn!

Terry

The North American standard regarding crane hooks to be forged from a single billet are the same. At the plant I took my apprenticeship, we made all the hooks for the overhead cranes. The hooks we made ranged from 10 to 100 ton capacity and had a 25% safety factor. In other words a crane hook rated for a hundred tons could 'SAFELY' lift 125 tons although it is designated as a 100 ton capacity.

All the crane hooks were forged from a single billet on the 3,000# steam hammer then bent to shape. After bending they would then be heated and the taper section drawn out under the hammer to form the back side of the hook. After forging we had to grind all surfaces smooth to eliminate any hammer marks so the quality control people could check the hooks for cracks. After they passed the test for cracks they were sent to our in house foundry dept., were they were normalized in their large temp controlled furnaces then to the machine shop for machining the shank to fit the crane block.

The hundred ton hooks were made from a 14 inch square billet weighing approximately seven tons and required a week, and all the shop employees working as a team under the big hammer blacksmiths' control. This consisted of 14 men, 1 ten ton overhead crane, 3,000# steam hammer, and a 'LOT' of muscle power!

One thing I forgot to note in the previous post. They also made crane hooks from plate steel as Dodge has stated. However these hooks were for the hot metal cranes that moved the ladles of steel and iron in the steel making department.They were generally two to three HUNDRED TON capacity hooks. They flame cut the kooks from 1" thick plate, drilled holes through them and laminated up to twelve pieces together by riviting them together. These hooks were made in the boiler shop next to ours. they also had the large Hydraulic press we needed to bend our larger capacity crane hooks (40 ton and up).

Great job Guys. Making good use of whats on hand is what made Blacksmiths of old the masters of the trade they were. You can do anything if you give it some thought. As Frosty said, see if you can find any kind of a block of steel with a good flat side or a piece of rail. If you can make a forge like that from what you found, I would like to see what you will make once you have a decent "anvil" to work with!

Terry

Well done for a first pair! Now that you know what your doing it is just a matter of learning to make them to suit the job you are doing. Keep it up.

Terry

Both Glenn and Frosty have the right idea with wood to raise and/or lower your height in comparison to the anvil. It is a whole lot easier to move a small piece of wood that to lift your anvil from its stand to adjust it every time. Also as Frosty said you will adjust 'BUT' keep your health in mind at all times.
I have worked at the trade for thirty years and have no problems what so ever with carpal tunnel, tennis elbow or any other such affliction.

I just wish I could say the same for my back but unfortunately years of forging monster blocks of steel under massive power hammers has taken it toll. Some things you can have complete control over and others you can't, so do what you can when you can and you will have years of happy hammering.

Terry

Alwin is correct in saying you need 2 or 3 inches of coal or coke between the air inlet of your pot and the steel. You need the coal to consume as much oxygen as possible to minimize scale on the steel for one thing and also provide the temp required to get to welding heat. The 'oven like' effect you have seen in the pictures is not really accurate. You DO NOT want an open area inside the mound of coal as this will allow outside air to reach your steel causing severe oxidation (scale) on your steel. The steel should be buried in the coal and your air blast should be controlled to bring the fire up to heat and a steady rate. The idea of waiting for sparks to appear is not the best method of determining welding heat. The sparks you see are actually coming from your steel as it starts to burn. Burning steel is at the point just before melting and is too hot for welding. Also burn't steel cannot be used for any purpose, nor can it be repaired except by melting it down again. Many beginners use the spark type of indicator to get an idea of the color of the steel at those temp and if it is just 1 or 2 sparks you observe (not fourth of July display) you can still probably get a weld from the steel although it would not be reliable enough to use in the case of a lifting device or a critical use. It can however teach you to learn correct appearance of steel for welding just before the burning point and you will be able to make strong clean welds.
Don't get discouraged in your attempts to weld. It takes time and patience, and if you 'WATCH' your steel closely when trying to weld it will soon become second nature and you will soon be welding with the best of them.
Keep going and practice, practice, practice.

Terry

Welcome Paul. You have found the right place for being a 'KID' in an adult body . This forum brings back the excitement of learning and playing just like when we actually were "KIDS". It is also one of the best places for fellowship in this trade on the net. Enjoy your stay.

Terry

Welcome fellow Canuck. you have come to the right place. Great people on here and all the information you can handle. Also you probably have noticed by Quenchcracks comments that some have a tendency to offer tid bits on the lighter side as well:D

Terry

Welcome Tim. This is a great place for information. You will find all the information you need to make a first forge,anvil or whatever else you need right here. Start with the "Metal Working Lessons" on the home page of this forum. It will direct you to all kinds of threads and info on this forum. You could probably call this place a "Virtual Library" of Blacksmithing. Also ask away. It doesn't matter that the question has been asked before. You will still get good responses and directions to the proper thread or forum for further information. Great bunch of people on here,ready, willing and able to help.

Terry

That's probably the best piece of advice given in this thread Thomas....
Good one!

Terry

Congradulations Jimbob. A long old road finally comes to an end and a new one just begins. Heres to a long and fruitful journey on this new road. Enjoy!

Terry

Element;
When quenching two faces on the same hammer we used the cool and switch method. It is a little difficult to do because you have to keep sufficient heat on both faces to get maximum hardness on both faces, but at the same time not let the first face heat too much while quenching the second. we used to flip back and forth between the faces until the centre mass of the hammer had cooled to the point that the residual heat would more or less temper both faces evenly. It is something that takes practise and good judgement of remaining residual heat in the centre mass. If done correctly you have a hard tempered face and a tough core in the hammer.

to quench the face you need to use the same method as shown in the video with the water coming up against the face. This ensures that you are not quenching the main body of the hammer with the water, but maximizing the cooling of the face. This is almost like differential hardening in a way and works well with the proper steel.

You don't really want "square" corners in the hardy. If the corners are "square" (aka...SHARP) it will be a guaranteed point of a crack starting that will go through to the edge of your anvil. Any sharp transition like that in steel is the weakest point and any stress will be at its' highest at that point. That is also why you never have a 'sharp' edge(except on knives of course). Almost all machined tools have a very small radius(break) on edges, corners etc., unless they are specially designed for trimming , cutting or punching. In those cases a special tool steel is used for just that purpose.

Terry

Good points Matt. You have given a lot of newbies something to think about.
Well said.

Terry

As Frosty said, good for you Herby. Don't be too concerned with trying out a technique you found on this site then not working out for you the first time. As you have no doubt discovered there is a difference between reading about it and then trying it. That is how you learn to do new things though. Now that you have tried it you can figure out what you might have done wrong, and next time it will work out better. Thats the real beauty of this trade. You get to try things several times over till you get it right or at least are happy with your results. Keep at it and I can guarantee it will grow on ya! Happy hammering.

Terry

You got that right dodge. Now if only someone could figure out how to start in the last place first we could maybe find things sooner?

Any ideas Frosty?

Terry

That is a certified test for the hardenability of steels. It is used in research labs all over the world and is an industry standard. This type of quench is different than putting a piece of steel in a tank of plain water or even superquench. There is a constant flow of water against the end of the bar with no chance of steam formation due to the water constantly being refreshed and a a large flow rate in comparison to surface contact. It cools the end of the steel far quicker than any other quench method could thus giving a high RC value at the front quench edge. You will note however that the hardness drops off quickly even though the bar was quenched for 10 minutes in the water. This is typical of a plain low carbon bar. The hardness tester used in the video is highly accurate.
It is the same type I used when checking the tool steels I used to heat treat.

That method of end quenching has been used for years in the blacksmithing trade on the face of hand hammers. It gives a hard face with a tough interior for shock resistance. We used to do this with a brand of steel made by Atlas steel called Alpha 8. It was a water hardening steel but we used to just end quench the face of the hammers we made for the same reason. Hard surface face, but a tough core. They used to stand up extremely well.

Terry

Welcome to the site! Great place for information and fellowship!
ChrisB is giving you good advice on updating your profile on location.There are a few blacksmiths from Ont. on this site, but as you already know it is a BIG province. There may be someone close to you and never know it.

Terry

Have you tried TSC hardware stores? They are a type of country hardware store. There are not too many of them around and they don't show a catalogue on-line but they carry a wide variety of tools.Some I know carry farrier supplies as well. I checked and there is not a store in Hamilton but there are ones in Chatam, Guelph, Kitchener, St Jacobs and others in that area. If you happen to be near one of them sometime check them out. You may find quite a few tolls you might want or could use. they also supply all kinds of welding gasses etc. at good prices. I have been to one in Brockville and they have a lot of things I can't get anywhere else without ordering.

Terry

Hope you don't have to shut yourselves or your animals in Frosty. I'm sure you know the routine having lived with that for as long as you have, but take care just the same. We will be anxiously awaiting your return if you do have to shut down your computers, cause after all, who else would be here to offer such good advice and gems of wisdom in the same (Hmmmm... just how can I put this? ) 'manner' (guess I have to be nice! ) as you do. Take care and watch your and Debs' health and your animals too ,of course.

Terry

Well done! I'm sure it will fetch a good price for the fund raiser and someone will most certainly get value for their dollar.

Terry

Good for you! It gives one a great feeling to know that you can make something with your own two hands. You have also learned what to do and what not to do when making or using something. That is all aprt of the learning process and you will find that the more you learn and the more mistakes you make (and know what they were) the better you will get. It is addictive to say the least and from the sounds of things you are well on your way to happy hammering for some time to come. Kep it up and have FUN!

Terry