Andrew T

John, mine will be similar to your second photo. Are you at 3" to 3.5" clearance under that one? Thanks for the feed back so far. Additional comments are encouraged, I'll check back tomorrow. Andrew

The job is a tool set, screen, and fire grate with andiron like uprights. My initial design is about 4" off the hearth. I was concerned about getting to high above the coal bed with a modest fire.

I'm building a medium sized heavy fire grate. It will be about 20" wide 16" deep, with 7/8" or 1" square bars for the grate portion. What height from from the hearth do you recommend. This will be a low use fireplace, burning soft and hard wood with oak typical. I'm thinking about ease of fire starting, cleaning out ash, and ability for newly added logs to rekindle. Thanks, Andrew

My local Napa has a durometer for testing tires. I took my rubbers in and tested them in about 20 places and got readings between 50 and 60 on the "A" scale. If anyone eles comes up with hardness values please post them here.

The place Bob Bergman suggested to me was Scougal Rubber in Seattle. When I talked to them years ago they mentioned wraping natural rubber on a mandrel and vulcanizing it. They needed size and durometer info, and had no particular knowledge of Bradleys. Old 100# Compact Rubbers

Thanks for the replies. There is no tag or name cast into the frame that I can see, seems a bit odd. Looks like a different make than the photos I've seen of other friction presses. I've seen several Hopkins style presses with the larger flywheel and a 2 lead screw. This one seems quite unusual. I agree, it would be big job to resurrect it as a powered press. For the meantime I will use it manually as a companion to my #6 Indian press. Here's a photo of my "Charles Stecher Co" press, it seems identical to presses labeled "Hopkins".

Picked up this press today. Looks like it was originally a small motorized friction press. Has leather band on flywheel and flats on casting for bolting arms. It has a 2.75" diam. 3 lead screw and the arch frame is 6" square in cross section. If I could figure out all the parts and linkages, it would be fun to set it up as a friction press again, but I may just use it manually. When I grab the wheel with both hands and spin it as hard as I can into some steel it absorbs all the force without a squeak, it's quite heavy. The flywheel seems a bit light to develop maximum force when used manually, I may add some weight. The green press came with the deal, does it look like someone modified a book binding press?

OK Danger here ya go, steel and copper fireplace doors. Still looking for specs on Bradley Compact rubbers. Danger the chart you posted shows the single rubber above the head on the helve style hammers won't work for my Compact. Called Higbee, said they didn't have records back that far, and they probably wouldn't share the info if they did. Cortland sold the rubber stuff to Bruce Walace (Bruce, you want to give me a quote I'll listen). The rubbers on my hammer seem fine, maybe compressed some over the years. I'm considering a heavier upper die, and have been wondering how fresh rubbers would increase performance (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) I'll probably end up running the old ones, just looking for info. Jason0012, you still out there?

Tate and Danger, is this the chart you have? http://www.forgemagic.com/bsgview.php?photo=2392&cat=&by=Patrick%20Nowak Looks like this chart is for "upright hammers", possibly the "Upright Helve" and the "Upright Strap" but not the "Cushioned Helve". Thank you Patrick, for posting it. I'd like to find the measurements for rubbers on a 100lb "Compact".

Thanks Danger, what's a F-42?

Jason, If you can find specifics on the rubbers you had made, I would appreciate it.

Grant, Maybe forgemagic? I thought you showed a drawing with: Two rods placed against the length of the dovetail, take a measurement, (diameter of rods + dovetail) Raise the the rods on blocks 1" (or whatever) and take another measurement. Use advanced math to turn a triangle described by lengths into one described by degrees. Math link where you can plug in your numbers. http://www.csgnetwork.com/righttricalc.html

Grant, can you post an example of your angled vise jaws, do you bolt them to a Kurt type vise ? I've measured the dovetail angle on my Bradley and Beaudry dies, using your two rod method, and I get between 3 and 5 degrees per side. What hammer has a 7 degree angle on its dies?

David, Nice work, and photography, on your website. I have the same 100lb Bradley. I would be very interested in hearing a comparison of the two hammers after you give the Sahinler a good workout. Things like power, control, capacity, versatility, joy of use, noise, oil mist inhalation, etc. Two things I like better on the air hammer are the taller dies that are set on a 45 deg angle to the frame, more clearance all around. IIRC the ram with die on my Bradley weighs 130-140lbs. Andrew

I've used bits from Brunner and Lay, my understanding is the heavy ones are made from 1045 M. I quench in brine, and temper to a dark straw with very good results when making heavy masons chisels. It is also my understanding that S7 is NOT typically used. I think that common misconception comes from tool steel selector guides stating "S" series steel would work well for paving breakers, etc. This info comes from Grant Sarver and B&L. If you can find the brand on your bits you may be able to find what alloy they are made from and proceed with more confidence in your heat treat or just heat to about 1500/1600 quench in whatever is handy and temper somewhere between straw and purple.

Check out the UMBA video library, and Brian Brazeal has a dvd on a fantastic looking horse head.

On every hammer I have done this to the drive pulley "slips" off, and the crank plate and shaft come out together. If the shaft needs to be separated from the crank plate use a press. One idea for pulling a key out is drill and tap a hole in the end of the key and use a bolt and spacer to pull it out. Some thin tapered hardwood wedges carefully hammered between the crank plate and the hammer frame could be used to provide some gentle force to get the shaft moving forward. PS Isn't there a square headed set screw on the drive pulley locking it to the shaft ? I'd say go for it, just don't break it.

This is a corner chisel I forge welded from 3 pieces of steel. Socket and body are mild steel cutting edge a piece of 01. I forged the corner with top and bottom tools under the trip hammer. Somewhere there is a demo where Peter Ross forges a socket chisel where the body and the socket are made from the same piece of steel. The socket was wrapped and welded closed. Very slick beyond my skill level.

"A Blacksmith's & Hammerman's Emporium" by Douglas Freund has about 20pg of old sales brochures with a parts breakdown and foundation plans for Fairbanks. size B 75lb hammer weight .......2400lbs motor hp... 3 bpm..........up to 350 die size......4 5/8"x 6 3/4" Sid Suedmeier at Little Giant still may have a spring or two for FB hammers, he'd be worth a call. Friendly smart guy. 402-873-6603. I believe he sold the rights to Fairbanks to Bruce Wallace Fairbanks Parts and Service R.D. 1 Blacksmith Lane Kempton, Pennsylvania 19529 USA 1-610-756-3377 I don't think Bruce actively stocks parts for FB like Sid does for LG, but give him a call.

ptree, could you post a drawing of your die form, or link to Hofi's description ? Thanks.

Cortland Machine, New York.

Excellent work and photos, thank you for sharing. Do you have photos of the forging process for the large tongs? The "slag" you asked about in another post is called "scale", like the scales of a fish, but we all understood you perfectly. Andrew