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I Forge Iron

Derek Melton

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  1. I got the 220v unit. I believe there are the SAME exact machines listed on ebay, some below 600$, some much more above. I think this is just a difference in the MANY distributors choosing to price their units differently for whatever reason. I do not believe at this time that the price difference has anything to do with the components or capability. I removed the cover and was pleasantly surprised at the build quality inside. Very much like a big computer but all the soldering points, hoses, wiring, etc is tidy and well put together. I too am VERY curious as to the longevity of the machine.
  2. Ok, so I bought one of the 'cheap' ebay Induction machines, 15kw. [commercial link removed] It was around $600 to my door. From all I can tell, it's the same as the US Solid machines. There's been a lot of confusion if you look on ebay at all the various 'models' of the 15kw machine, it's hard to know if one is 'better' than the other. I posted a picture of my machine in the facebook induction forging group and was contacted by an employee at LiHua in China who said "you have one of our machines, you will be happy." After more messages back and forth, they confirmed that they supply the machines for US Solid and just re-paint/re-brand them for them before shipping. So far, I'd buy this machine again in a heartbeat, it's sold by someone called solar.jean and is branded on ebay as "TaiShi" but the machine itself is not branded anywhere. I've made a custom coil, one inch or so inner diameter and I was able to get a about 1.5 inches of the end of a 1/2 square bar to sparking-welding heat in less than a minute. I've not been super active on here but I see that monstermetal "Larry" is listed as deceased on his profile here. Does anyone have any idea what he and Grant were doing to these machines to make them 'better for blacksmithing?' I'm in the middle of setting up my cooling and making coils. So far, initial runs of the machine seem really promising but I'd be really interested to know if anyone has ideas about what kind of improvements were made.
  3. I agree, to me it looks a little too precise to be a fix or modification. I'm wondering if perhaps this was an earlier design that S&B used before going to the split nut system. In either case, I'm pretty happy with it! Thanks!
  4. Right! When I posted this I'd just gotten the press and thick, old grease was hiding the dovetail slot on the other side. My press is just like the OP's press, two slots with 'C' shaped pieces that capture the ram. I've since completely dismantled the press, soaked all the parts in Evaporust and I'm waiting for some help to mount the frame on the new table I fabricated before painting and re-assembling it. It's been extremely difficult to find any information about presses with this particular mechanism. Besides the OP here, and my press I cannot find pics or any evidence anywhere else online of a fly press using this type of leadscrew/ram connection. I've spoken to Ian Brooks at WestCoast Flypresses and he says he's heard about them before but hasn't given any other information. The guy in the UK that runs 'usedflypresses.com' says "Someone did that to fix the press after the split nut broke." If that's the case, then both my press and the OP's press were probably repaired by the same person/company. I'm still not sure I believe that though. When I look down into the top of the ram, there are no threads visible. There are concentric rings but they're very faint, very light and don't look to be threads as much as machine marks. Who knows, perhaps it is a repair and someone bored the top hole out and mostly removed the threads. The connection seems to be well made though and again, if this is a repair I believe both of these S&B presses were repaired or modified by the same place. It's pretty interesting either way. My press is an unmarked S&B with a 2.4 inch leadscrew and other indicators which make me believe it's at least a size 8 press. It's apparently been in use with this mechanism for quite some time so I'm not worried about it but boy is it interesting!
  5. Turns out, my fly press has 2 dovetail slots as well, so much grease on the other side was hiding that one. I've asked several knowledgeable people and none of them are very familiar with this style of ram/lead screw connection. I wonder if this was original, or some kind of 'retro fit' to fix a broken split nut?
  6. Glad to have found this thread. I just picked up a Sweeney & Blocksidge press recently that has the same keyway in the ram to hold the lead screw in place. It's supposed to be a number 6 but it's not marked anywhere other than having the S&B nameplate. The leadscrew is sized consistently with other presses in the 6-8 range though. This particular press only seems to have one key on the right side of the ram. Do you know if taking the lead screw has to be in a particular position to remove and or replace it once the key and the triangular holder are removed? I've been a bit hesitant to dismantle it until I know for sure. I've also tried to find more information about the difference between the 'split nut' mechanism and the keyed mechanism but I cannot find anything on the subject. I supposed the keyed mechanism is an older method?
  7. I recently bought a 15kg ST and am very happy with it. the quality of the machining seems to be high. No issues two and a half months in.
  8. We had to do all of the shipping and customs paperwork, tax, delivery paperwork, pickup, etc all on our own. The process isn't for everyone. =)
  9. Whether or not the hammer needs an external air compressor. As far as I’m aware there are no USA made self contained air hammers. Examples of self contained: Nazel, Massey, Anyang. Examples of utility hammer: Big Blu, mz75, etc. there are significant differences in how they perform as well. I could be completely wrong though. I just don’t know a US made self contained hammer maker, to answer the guy who was indicating that it might be unpatriotic to buy one made elsewhere. In his defense he did say "buy an American hammer" to which I would say he's referring to the utility hammers, which are great but they may not fit the bill if someone wants a self contained.
  10. Who is selling American self-contained Air Hammers? Is there a US manufacturer? If so, I've missed it.
  11. Hey Setlab, did you get your problems figured out with the oil swap? Did it help?
  12. Hey Crappiew, did your hammer get in? If so, what are your thoughts, I recently obtained an ST hammer from Anyang, China. I'm happy so far.
  13. I recently took delivery of a 15kg/33lb Ston Forging Tools ST hammer from Anyang, China. I am writing up a separate post regarding 'my experience with a "non-Anyang" chinese air hammer.' Not to spoil too much but I'll say this, the cost savings seems to have been worth it after the customer service experience and what seems to be a good quality hammer.
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