Dave Hammer

If you have a metal band saw, you can make bases for small pieces of art... I cut rounds at an angle, drill a mounting hole and sand with 36 grit sandpaper on a belt grinder. Sometimes I just texture. The candle holder and dragon have straight cuts. Spray with lacquer, plastic or polyurethane and you have a great looking base.

I worked on the leather seals again this morning. I lowered the ram guide and took out one of the leather seals and sanded it a bit thinner so the ram moves easier. The hammer runs better, but is still a bit sluggish. I'm getting short stokes as the ram comes down, but they still lenghen as the ram approaches the lower die (much better than it was before though). Also, it didn't trip the breaker this time (I do think it would have tripped the breaker if I had kept using the hammer though). I'm going to leave it as it is, and use lighter weight oil if I need to (I'm using 30 weight, non-detergent now). The temperature was in the high 50's this morning, but the hammer would still have been much cooler than that. It's likely the leather seals will be just fine as they are and the sluggishness will lessen or disappear when the outside temperature is higher. I've also been working on the forge lining video these past few days. I hope to have all the video shot (for the Super C forge lining) within a few days. After that it is still a lot of work to do the editing and commentary to get a finished video for YouTube. I've given up indicating it will be done in a week or so (each passing week). Fall work around the yard, playing with my grandkids, demonstrating, going to meetings, new toys, working on the 3B during nice weather and the holiday season have all wreaked havoc on any schedule I tried to make for videos. The videos will come, but only when they are ready (more than just the forge lining video are in the queue). Part of the delay has been waiting for minor "ouches" on my hands to heal enough so I don't have open sores and can feel safe working with the chemicals I use during lining. Things I do seem to occasionally involve removing skin from my hands and arms (involuntarally, of course). I hope all of you are as busy as I am and are enjoying the holiday season.

I can't offer advice about this.... I never start with a tank with a vave on it. I buy old tanks at a steel recycling yard. The valves are already off them, so I know they empty and safe to cut. You could call a business that sells oxygen (like a welding supply store) or visit a steel recycling yard and talk to someone about how to make them safe to cut. Others may chime in here....

You might try using soft firebrick (IFB) for your doors instead. Coat the brick with a ceramic refractory for more efficiency. If the interior of your forge comes up to forging temp quickly, the hard firebrick doors may be sucking up a lot of that heat. Hard firebrick should work, but it may take the burn chamber a lot longer to get to forging temps. I'm not sure if a ceramic refractory coating can successfully be put on hard firebrick. I'm no expert at forge welding, but be sure you are patient with regards to the materials being heated to welding temps all the way through. Be sure to "soak" the materials throughly. Heat it to where you think it should be, then let it soak a bit more before you weld.

I don't do a lot of forge welding, but... yes, I have easily forge welded in my forges (layered billets, faggot welds and other types of welds). I don't do enough forge welding to be good at it. The burner type is not the only issue. I believe effective forge lining (including a refractory coating, if thermal blanket is used) is as important (including what is used for the floor), if not more important than the type of burner you use. Also, the heat needs to be contained effectively (no excessive openings). I have played with blown burners, but always come back to atmospheric. Some claim higher temps with blown burners, but I cannot testify to that (others may). I'm not sure about efficiency, but remember... it's the BTUs that do the work, not the method of delivery. I believe the management of those BTUs is the key to success. The blown burner itself is not necessarily more expensive to make (buying blown burners, such as ribbon burners can be expensive). Finding a blower that works for you can be both challenging and expensive (unless you get lucky at tailgating or a yard sale). The type of burner you use can affect forge design. The type of blown burner affects the type of blower you need. Some blown burners need a "pressurized" environment most blowers will not provide (think plenum). Sometimes a minimum pressure, with a range of pressure is needed to get higher temps (think inches of water column, using a manometer to measure pressure). I have no doubt the "C" design will work effectively with either type of burner (the burner holder may be different). If you want to try a blown burner, find a design which includes a specified blower (by name and model) and make (or buy) that one. In my opinion, anything else is a crap shoot till you have success.

Free form forge... I will be putting a ceramic refractory coating on the brick (for more efficiency and longevity) in the video. I did find the way to add an image during an edit (use full editor).

I like the forges I build to be heavy so heat or rust doesn't destroy anything. I have used lighter cylinders. The issue with using a light cylinder is flexing of the "C"....., something you don't want. To avoid flexing, weld a stabilizer between the door channels (on the "C" side) and the "C" shouldn't flex (assuming the stabilizer is heavy enough not to twist or flex). A five gallon tank would be a large forge for me. It would take a lot of fuel to get to and maintain forging temperatures. Almost all the forging I do can be done with my 8" (outside diameter) forge, which is very economical to use. When I need to heat a large object, I put together a free form forge using light fire bricks. I will be putting up a video later about free form forges. I don't see a way to add a photo during an edit of an existing post. My next post has a picture of a free form forge I used to heat a 4 inch diameter pipe.

Are you using anything for doors on your forge?

Matt.... Thanks for posting your experience. I suspected (as you have indicated) that just running the hammer will not ease the seal pressure. There is little doubt now I'll need to work on the seals again.

It was in the low 60's yesterday, and I did put a 150,000 BTU propane heater in the 3B cave to heat it up a bit (about 2.5 hours). The hammer ran, but it's evident that the seals are still very tight. I need to either drop the ram guide again to make the seals a bit thinner, or continue to run the hammer and hope they will compress more. The motor was still laboring enough to be worrisome and the circuit breaker tripped twice in just a few minutes.

Yesterday the outside temperature was in the 60's. I put the new leather seals in the 3B. I had to drop the ram guide three times and work on the seals before I could get the guide in place without problems with the seals (the ram was damaging the seals as I raised the guide). It took almost 8 hours to do what I thought would be about a two hour task. When I got the hammer all back together (almost dusk), I powered it up. A combination of tight seals and cool weather (remember the hammer is essentially outside) gave me problems. I'm still using 30 weight oil and the night temps here have been in the high 30's and low 40's. The motor labored and the circuit breaker would pop. The hammer did run for a couple minutes (not well), so I'm confident it will run when it's a little warmer. It was cold today (wind chills near freezing) so I didn't try the hammer. Same cold temps are forecast for tomorrow. Monday it's supposed to warm a little, then be in the low 40s again all week. I have a feeling our warm Indian Summer days are behind us. I may run a propane heater for a few hours in the (mostly) closed-in (but un-insulated) canopy Monday to warm up the hammer and see how it runs.

I recently put up a new video on YouTube showing how I build one type of propane forge I use. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbvG4vVJqCw&feature=channel&list=UL This video shows only how I build the shell of the forge. I expect to be putting up another video within a couple weeks showing how I make the refractory floor for it, line the forge with thermal blanket (with a ceramic coating on the blanket), and shape Insulating Fire Brick (IFB) to be used for the doors and horizontal opening cover.

The steel suppliers I use in this area charge based upon what it cost them for the stock on their racks. If cost goes up for the supplier, they don't charge the new prices for existing stock. It does pay to shop around because there is often old stock in the warehouse.

Could you post that link? I'd be interested in seeing that manual.

If what you are working with thin material, you can fold it where the forging is done. Doing this allows working on long thin projects. Straighten it out on the anvil.

I still think the best option is a good bi-metal M42 blade (or better) from Lennox or another high end manufacturer for your band saw. My Model 5 Wellsaw is not set up for using a running lubricant and I cut thick material often (sometimes up to 4 inch round) without any problems. I agree that a thin cutoff blade on an angle grinder could be used, but it's not an option I'd entertain if I had a band saw of any type. I have a lot of experience working with metal and I worry a little about the amount of flexing those thin blades have and what might happen if one would disintegrate during use. I wouldn't want to be standing over a disc that is essentially between my legs if it came apart at 10,000 RPM. A good friend of mine was doing that with a thin grinding wheel that came apart..... He suffered very painful damage to some very sensitive parts. He was not a novice at this either.

Matt... I have references and actual measurements from (2) 2Bs and a (hand) drawing for a 3B (no measurement width for the base of 3B cone or indication of a hole in the bottom of the 3B cone). All cone measurements (except height of the cone) and tower ID measurements are very close to each other (within 18/th of an inch or so). The 3B cone is noted to be about 1.5 inches taller than the 2B cone (I don't give that significance). If this all has relevance for hammer behavior (and I think it may), I believe the most significant measurement is the amount of clearance between the OD of the top of the cone and the ID of the inside of the tower at that point. The size of the hole in the bottom of the cone would also affect that air flow. R Smith's reference about the size of the the top of the 2B tower (1.75 inch) opening is the smallest opening (others are 2 3/16ths openings). My tower is not original (my tower measurements are larger ID (where the cone top is, and the top opening). Current status: I have made the top of my cone larger to approximately match the air space between the outer diameter of the cone and the inner diameter of the tower on the 3B information I have. As noted before (IIRC), I have not tested with those changes yet because I have leakage by my leather seals (I replaced them in the middle of all this activity because I was getting a brown gunk on my ram that I believe was coming from the oil breaking down the leather I put in for seals earlier). My next move will be to replace those leather seals (with leather I bought from McMaster Carr) and put in the newly modified cone. I have also made a cover for the top of my tower that makes the opening there the same as the 3B had drawing I have. I'm just waiting for slightly better weather.

Sorry I haven't posted about this for a while. I've been working on other things. I hoped to get back to the 3B today, but other events overtook me again. I hope to get back to work on it later this week, but the weather is supposed to turn south tonight for a few days. Since the 3B is outside under a canopy, I generally don't work with it when the weather is nasty. I will get back to it soon though. My current priority is to finish a propane forge lining video I'm working on.

A single piece hammer generally has a flat base. With a two piece hammer, the bottom of the anvil is generally lower than the base of the hammer frame. The anvil to ram ratio is generally greater (heavier anvil) with a two piece hammer, making the hammer more efficient.

Find an online blade selection chart or app that will guide you to selecting the proper band saw blade. Your saw will cut 2" material without even sweating. The 3-teeth in the material is "at least three teeth", not exactly 3 teeth. The 3-teeth guideline is to prevent shearing off teeth because of thin material. I have cut an 11 inch solid round with a 10-(12 or 14) blade perfectly. Buy a proper new high quality blade (not just high grade steel), be sure the blade alignment is proper and let your saw do its job.

I'd say that hammer, in it's current condition and assuming all the basic hammer parts are there, is worth at least $3000. If it were together and running, it should easily bring $4500, maybe more, even with the repairs that have been done on it. Motors, Idler pulleys and jack shafts (if you can't find a low RPM motor) don't really cost much if you are patient and do due-diligence during the search for them. Those are awesome hammers. I have two Nazels, and I use my Fairbanks 150 more often than either one of them. I have bought idler pulleys for just a few bucks at a blacksmith conference and a low rpm motor that would easily drive that hammer for $50.

I'm sure some of you know Bobby. He is a true American Icon in our community. His current address is Golden Hill Health Care Center 99 Golden Hill Drive Room 519A Kingston, NY 12401 (845) 331-0704 I know he would love to hear from us.

I'd recommend your first propane forge be a small one. A 14 x 14 inch forge of any length would be extremely excessive in size unless you have a specific need for it right now. You will waste a tremendous amount of fuel using it. I have several forges and the first one I made over 20 years ago is still the one I use most. It is a 8" length cutout from a large oxygen cylinder (8" in diameter). The forge has been updated several times and currently looks like the included photos. I use a cast refractory floor (impervious to flux), thermal blanket for the walls and soft firebrick for the doors. I also currently coat the interior and the soft firebrick with a reflective refractory. I recommend the "propane tank to burner" list of materials described in the video you have referenced. It includes a 0-60 PSI regulator which can be purchased for about $22 at a TSC store. The burner will work well for you also. I use them in my forges (the photos were taken before I started using the new burners). I will putting a new video on YouTube soon..... describing how I make and line the forge in the photos. Good luck with your adventure.

Wire is a good way to hold kaowool in place. If you use wire, I would recommend you get some hi-temp wire like Nichrome. Just Google "Nichrome wire" and you will see several sources you can purchase it. If you are going to put a reflective coating (like ITC-100) on your kaowool, there is another option. You can use Sodium Silicate. It works like a glue. It can be used to glue thermal blanket to the shell and also glue multiple layers of blanket together. It will break down and fail unless the thermal blanket has a coating. Sodium Silicate can be bought in liquid form from ceramic suppliers (Google for it). Your third option is to use one inch kaowool, and just stuff it in your case tight (cut it a little longer than you need and bunch it in). It will hold itself in. You can buy small quantities of one inch thermal blanket on eBay. Good luck with your project.

Kerry Thanks for the offer... but no need. When I was at Matt Harris's shop a couple weeks ago, I took measurements from his 2B cone and tower.... I was able to get a sketch (with measurements) from a 3B from a new friend from California. I've made some more mods to the one I made and am waiting for better weather to replace the leather seals (again) and put the new version of the cone in... Thanks again. Incidently, my neighborhood did not have power outages (not yet anyway) or significant damage from the hurricane. So far we have gotten over 7 inches of rain though.