Steve McCarthy

Use a farriers rasp and draw file the handles.

A friend bought on at auction a few years ago. 1997 model, one owner for $3600. Nice hammer. 

Nice!! Wish mine was in that condition.

Stece

My hammer is missing the pivot adjustment on top. It was replaced with a solid shaft and bearings. It has a tire drive and is missing the gib adjustment on the left side of the ram guide. I used this hammer some, then found a good deal on a 25lb L.G. so the Modern has set idle for a couple years. I really need to get it back to running. It sets on 4" of Oak an a gravel floor. The tire drive is not mounted square, so it would move around quite a bit if you worked it hard. I finally drilled some 1/2" holes in the Oak and drove  3' pieces of re bar through it and into the ground. I don't have a copy of pounding out the Profits. I checked it out from our group library. I am sure either Blue Moon Press, or Astrigal Press will have it in stock. If there if a serial number on mine, I haven't found it. 

Steve 

I just looked at the thread I mentioned, and all the pics are gone. So here is a couple of mine.

Your hammer looks to be all original. My modern has had a rough life and is far from it's original condition. Search the power hammer section for "Modern Power Hammer". and you'll see pictures of mine. The book Pounding Out the Profits has some information on them. Mine has a round base. The round base was first and they changed to square sometime in 1906. I don't remember what the last year of production was. Nice hammer.

A grumpy old fart is grumpy because he chooses to be. It is possible to enhance his currant state of grumpiness by speaking before thinking. But, it is highly unlikely to gain favor just by being polite. Many times members here could choose to ignore a question an offer no reply, but instead spend their valuable time to type a rude smart xxxed  post. Some people are hateful and grumpy because it makes them feel empowered. Being courteous ain't gonna change that.

Remove the flux and make basket twist Christmas ornaments. 1/8" 6011 works really good.

My Modern power hammer was made in 1905, the 25lb Little Giant in 1925.

I took a picture of it at Quad State. Nice indeed!!

I like the elephant.

Dick is a great guy. I drool over his anvils every May at the BAM Conference.

Someday....

Hopefully this attaches. It is an option for welding up dies.

let me try that again....

Well that didn't work either. Google the folowing:

WELDED POWER HAMMER DIES by Monty Bygd

I have a forge exactly like that one. I don't use it much any more, but I used it quite a bit with no linning. Last spring I added castable refractory. Don't make it work any better, but it does make me feel a better when I sprinkle the coal with watter.

In times past, everyone "needed" a blacksmith. The blacksmith shoed horses, made and fixed tools, hardware, gates, utensels and so on. In modern times there is not an actual "need" for these things to be made by a blacksmith, they can all be bought. People have things made by a blacksmith because they "want" them hand made. On the other hand, there is still much "need" for animals to be shod. So the one trade has become divided into two specialties, blacksmith and farrier.

Thats the way I see it anyhow.

A boot jack?   Good idea, it's the right shape, but Esseman lives in Alabama - we don't own no boots down here!   Flip flops, sandals, sneakers, the occasional work shoe.  Boots are fer Yankees!   

LMAO :D  :D

Roger, me and Ken will look you up. (your really not hard to spot) It'll be the first trip to SOFA for both of us.

Only harbor freight ball pien I tried to forge crumbled like a week old biscuit. I have suscussfully forged several old ball piens from the flea market into handled punches. I forge them at an orange, never getting to yellow.

Thanks John. I'm not a very patient person, so I'm pretty sure knives will never be in my future. I do make pattern welded steel from time to time and I would like to give that a try.

OUTSTANDING! The contrast is amazing. What materials did you use?

Never heard of using flour. might try that sometime. Pine tar is what I use. I try to not need it very often though.

Never on my hammer hand. I wear one on my off hand when slitting or punching larger stock and sometimes when forge welding.

Took a pleasant drive to Tennessee today to poke around a junkyard and this followed me home. No idea what it is. It is VERY heavy, each tongue is roughly the thickness of a railroad spike, they all swivel on the central round bar. I plan to undo the collar on the end and pull them off to do....something...with, but was curious if anyone knew what this was?

Btw thanks to eseeman, I had a great time poking around that junkyard. If it weren't so hot out I'd have stayed longer, but still came back to Bama with 72 pounds of Primo Scrounging Stuff!

(Later edit). I could not get the nut on the collar on either end to budge even one tiny bit, so I ended up taking the reciprocating saw to get it apart, which ate through two brand new Milwaukee metal blades! But I finally got it apart, adding a photo of one of the pieces and the cut end of that center rod). So...anybody know what this is ?

Looks like the anti kickback fingers from a large planer or sawmill edger.

Drill a hole to relieve the pressure and stop hitting it.

Guys at a local machine shop should be able to tell you who has a water jet. Find a budy with a plasma cutter.