Will. K.

This forum has been acting funny for me all afternoon and evening. I think they should work now.

I fixed the links to the pictures in my first post. The sites been acting funny for me today.

Most of the slack belt clutch Beaudry hammers I've seen have had the motor & jack shaft mounted on a tower above the hammer. pictures http://m1059.sgded.com/~dfoggkni/uploads/monthly_03_2010/post-20552-126939940096.jpg https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/199073_1881482287743_1561909122_2028264_1982684_n.jpg http://m1059.sgded.com/~dfoggkni/uploads/monthly_03_2010/post-20552-126939940096.jpg http://m1059.sgded.com/~dfoggkni/uploads/monthly_03_2010/post-20552-126939947705.jpg http://www.baltimoreknife.com/images/hammers/hotshop2a.JPG http://www.baltimoreknife.com/images/hammers/hotshop1a.JPG videos http://static.ak.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v1/yF/r/WE6KXRY0dum.swf?v=1422402211028&ev=0

Does the top of the ram exhibit the same behavior at the top of its stroke? I imagine if there was something going on with the V guides it could cause enough friction to slow the ram enough on the down stroke to not allow it to reach full bottom before it started on the upstroke. If the spring arms were staring to take a permanent set I imagine it could cause some issues with the cylcling to. I wonder if a strobe/timing light or taking some video and watching it in slow motion would help show whats happening?

Any idea if the Bradleys sold as well?

I had a chance to see a 500lb beaudry a few months ago. It made my 250lb look small.

Rust would be a concern I would have with washing it down with water. What about taking the motor apart and using a brass or nylon brush & compressed air to clean the nests out?

Where is it located?

Its a "Cole" vise. I have one in my junkpile I found in the trash. Mine is cast iron/steel and has been welded & brazed back together several times at the pivot point at the bottom by previous owners. I wouldn't beat on it to much for fear of it cracking near the pivot.

I really enjoyed these two videos on that site: http://www.iwf.de/iwf/media/infotheque?Signatur=C+1680 http://www.iwf.de/iwf/do/mkat/details.aspx?Signatur=C+640

There is a similar style beaudry listed here: http://www.machineco.com/Hammer_forging_70lbs_Beaudry_Eastern_1_stk9000.htm

Did the anvil ever break loose/settle?

I see A-2 and D-2 drops for sale at auction from time to time but I don't see larger 4140 or 4340 to often unless its round bar. I'm just trying to plan ahead so if I see some suitable size stock for sale at a good price I can get it.

I have a couple of questions regarding power hammer dies. Down the road I’m planning on machining some dies for a 50-75lb home built power hammer in the works and possibly a set of flat dies for my 250lb Beaudry. Is grain direction in the die material important to account for when machining power hammer dies? I’ve been told that 4140 and 4340 are good choices for die material. What about some of the grades of tool steel like A-2, D-2 or S-7 assuming I have them properly heat treated? In general are there any of the alloys to stay away from due to wear and/or safety reasons? Thanks, Bill

I've never considered ball screws to be a good idea in situations were they will see high impact, but thats just my opinion. An engineering/fab company built a new piece of paper roll handling equipment for a company I used to work for. They used large ball screws (>2" dia.) everywhere versus the hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders the old system they were replacing utilized. The first ball screw failed after the first day or so, lucky they had an extra on-site on another piece of equipment they could canabalize.

Saw this on Craigslist tonight and thought it was interesting. Looks like a lot of work went into building it. http://reno.craigslist.org/atq/1845106923.html

Looks like it has some weld repairs to the ram and spring linkages. Look at the sellers name and location! www.postvilleblacksmith.com

It must really be wedged up in there! Is there any good reson for someone to go through all the hassle of packing the joint with tar? I suppose it would act as a dampener between the frame and anvil but seems like a lot of mess and work to pack it all in there. Isn't the norm to use wood wedges between the anvil and hammer on 2pc machines? If the anvil isn't sitting on a fondation and is wedgedtight in the frame isn't all the force generted during hammer blows going to be transmitted into the ring and top of the hammer frame that surround the anvil?

Any positive progress in freeing the anvil?

oops double post!

What about some kind of solvent to dissolve the tar? Soak some sponges or rags and let it sit for a while. Maybe some heat and oil or parrafin wax to wick into the joint and help loosen things up? I'ld be worried about getting abrasive on the slides/bearings and other moving parts but thats a phobia I have about most machine tools.

Great looking machine! What did you use to strip the old paint?

Do you have any videos of your hammers in action? I've only seen a short clip of a Beaudry running. I'd be curious of the ram ellipse and spring sises of the different size hammers. I find the design of these hammers really fascinating This is the only Beaudry I've ever seen in person. Mine has an old three phase motor but the tag is really hard to read. I think it is a slow speed motor because its set up to drive the hammer pulley directly off the motor. What in particular don't you like about the beaudry clutch? I don't think it would be to hard to convert one with a clutch to slack belt.

The paint is really coming off the whole hammer! I'm not sure what makes that old paint curl up and peel off so bad. I have an old drill press thats paint peeled off the same way. My biggest concern is the gouge in the ram slide. It appears like its an old injury. I'm hoping it won't affect the hammer in use to much.

I haven't lifted the frame off the anvil yet. From talking to the previous owner and several other beaudry owners I was under the impression that the anvil was loose in the frame and anchored to the floor through the bigger holes in the base. My anvil has a hole that a piece or pipe or round bar can be stuck through. When we loaded it on the trailer to move it the anvil and frame were chained to each other and lifted together but the anvil appared to be loose.