SoCal Dave

I'm sorry to disagree with Neil, but I did exactly what he had mentioned above except for the video on tooling. I found the Manzer video way past my needs at the time but found Sid's 4 hour video to be the exact guide for what Rberry1911 needs. Sid's video is about $100 and worth every penny. It takes you through an entire rebuild and what to look for. I had a 50lb hammer that hadn't run in eight years and I didn't know where to start. Sid's video help me so much in adjusting my hammer, to ordering just the needed parts and is a constant resource of info, besides be able to call Sid for the many questions that develop. Good luck Rberry1911.

Rich: From what you have indicated, I must be taking my metal pieces way past the forge welding stage. I see the flux flow all the time. I usually get the metal at least to a yellow before I try hammering. If I am taking the temp to high, is it effecting the metal to the point that it won't forge weld from contamination or changing of the composition of the metal?????

I have forge welded many times in a coal forge. I get the metal to a white hot stage. In gas forge, I find it difficult to get the metal to a white hot state and therefore unable to gas forge weld. It seems to me that if it is necessary to get the metal to a white hot state to forge weld in a coal forge, it goes that the metal needs to be at the same white hot stage when coming out of a gas forge, or any kind of forge. If all other conditions are the equal. The metal doesn't care who is heating it up.

Nohone: You didn't mention what area you live in. Southern Calif. covers a very large area. I also live in an area without a working blacksmith to intern or apprentice with. I found it necessary to just gather tools, anvil, forge, etc so I could work on my projects. It's slow progress but you will learn by doing. Good luck.

I don't know anyone who will take on an apprentice but have you checked out Adam's Forge. It is a blacksmith school and they have lots of different classes. Besides learning during the classes, you will come in contact with others who are willing to share their knowledge. Your connections there should lead to many different paths for you. Good luck

Yes, $850 is a good deal for a working LG. It is hard for me to tell by the photo, but you may have to spend a few dollars to get it running properly. New parts can add up, along with a new motor. See if you can get a stamped number on the side of the hammer and Sid at little giant will give you some good info on that specific hammer. Bearings can be a big deal if your not familiar with poring babbitt bearings and don't have the tools needed. Good luck.

I really like it and believe it could be displayed anywhere. I initially thought it was a light stand with the bulb being held as the light. Could work? Just produce more pieces.

Found a Mankel 3 burner forge in my area and went by to see it. It followed me home with 3 propane tanks (5 gal each). Once he fired it up and he turned on the blower, I was hooked. I tried not to show my excitement, but he knew by my drooling I wanted it. It is a serious forge and I'm so happy to have it.

I bet if you figure another way to secure the table top, other than welding the two metals together, she will love it, especially if you make it look old with some textured bolts, or eye hooks, etc. Good luck.

Ah, Grasshopper, you ask for family secret. The path to secret slurry is a long and guarded one. Take the first step and try one, anyone. May the force be with you.

Mr Morgan or Others: Off the subject a little, I hard faced an arena rake with a comb about 7 feet wide. It's dragged behind a tractor. It had about 42 teeth for me to hard face and I used Stoody 35 rod, using a Lincoln 220 AC welder. When I went to grind on it to remove some weld that got to close to a spot, I found it ground off fairly easily. I was surprised and it seemed to grind off as easily as mild steel. This rod is for abrasive issues. But, I thought it would be hard to grind off. Any ideas why it seemed so easy to grind off, or does it work harden?

I had welded a piece of metal onto the side of my anvil for horseshoeing. I got some welding rod from my local welding school, preheated the anvil, and the weld has held for 20 years. Unfortunately, I don't remember what welding rod I used. I have an old Lincoln 220 AC welder. I would post heat the anvil if I did this procedure today. I have hardfaced farm equipment, and it doesn't seem like that type of welding rod is designed for the purposes you want in a welding rod. Good luck and keep us informed.

How long did it take to make? How was it finished? How were the feathers attached?

If you keep smoking, you might not make January 1, 2014. Or, you won't be able to work at your forge for very long before you run out of breath. I don't understand why people do terrible things that they know are really not good for their health. Stop now and enjoy your days on this earth and you won't mind Obamacare. Then Obamacare will take care of you after probably 40 plus years of smoking and you won't be charged $5,000.00 extra.

Is there a local welder that might have experience with your type of welding machine, or a similar problem. Also, I would check with a welding school. They may also have experience with that type of problem. If the Honda dealer is not a welder, he may just be guessing what the problem is. Have you tried Thermal Arc themselves. They may be more help. Good luck.

I'm with Martin. I think it would look better with collars or rivets instead of bolts. For paint, you might try automotive paint and clear coat. It's designed to be outdoors. Very nice scrolls.

I have the small booklet that was delivered with the hammer in 1958. It has a checklist of all the parts that came with the hammer and has that it's a self contained hammer. It indicates that the hammer is a 300 lbs, type 1, one piece, having the anvil integral with the frame, Size 300 lbs falling weight.

Never using a hardfacing rod before I expected the welds to be a little harder. I tried grinding on a few spots and didn't find it any harder than grinding on mild steel, or other welding runs. Unless it work hardens a lot, I don't think it will last as long as I had hoped. Any one with experience that is different?

Does anyone know the approximate total weight of a chambersburg 300. In contacting a moving company, I assume they will want to know the approximate weight. All I know is that it is very very very very very heavy. Or, who to contact that might know or where to look.

Here is what I found on the Stoody website page, see below. I purchased 10 lbs at $111.00, that is with tax here in California. For the 48 teeth on the comb, I will have used about 40 rods. It does crackle a lot when welding. I tried different patterns at the base of the triangle to see what works best and what may be needed after using it for some time. I'm interested in seeing how it wears, as the info indicates it work hardens. TYPICAL DEPOSIT CHARACTERISTICS Abrasion Resistance Excellent, Diameter, In. (mm) 1/8 (3.2) 5/32 (4.0), Current, Amp. DCRP 125 – 175 175 – 250, Position Flat or Horizonal Flat, Length 14” 14” I used 1/8" rod with my AC welder. I assume that DCRP=Reverse Polarity.

I finished harfacing about 1/2 of the comb portion of the rake. Here are some pictures of the comb with just the paint removed and one with the hardfacing applied. I found it easy to weld with the rod. I used different patterns moving the welding rod as I went along. But, I found the connecting "e" pattern the best for laying down more of the hardfacing rod. Maybe that just me and the way I weld. As I worked down the sides I would make my "e" larger. As you can see, I started at the tip and worked my way down each side. I then came back and crossed over side to side to make sections. I don't think I need to cover every inch with hardfacing. Any way, here it is and I will report on how it holds up next. I used my old Lincoln 220 AC welder. Recommended amperage is 125 to 175. I used the lower setting on my welder of 137 within the range suggested. The last photo is the last section I completed. I tried to increase the width/size of my puddle as I worked down the sides and found the bead to be a little flatter. This covered more area and so I don't need to run a bead across. I found the metal warping a little from the long weld runs, but I don't think that will effect the usage. Not sure if anyone is interested in all this stuff?

I ordered some Stoody 35 rod. It is designed for "metal to earth" type of abrasion. Perfect for my needs. One of the many pins that sticks in the sand to first break it up has one year of use and has ground off almost 1 1/2" of metal in comparison to a new pin. I was shocked how abrasive sand can be on metal. These pins will also need hardfacing. Two new combs have been purchased, and one of them is on the arena rake already. I did check the ware, and fortunately, only the paint has worn off. This has also given me a good idea of where I must apply the hardfacing.

I found on my 50# LG, going slow also meant very light taps. When I start to really move the metal, the rpm's came up and I found it difficult to accurately do the boogie. I found the hip turn to be easier for me at a two tap per side. So, for my hammer, at this stage in my skill level, it's two taps or more per side. The proof is in the pudding and not so much in the technic.

Hello Dale: You have a great teacher Mark Aspery not to far from you in Porterville, and a great blacksmithing school, College of the Sequoias, in Visalia. I think Bill Stuart is the teacher there and is also a demonstrator at this years spring conference. The closest other school is near L.A. called Adam's Forge. Welcome and good luck.

I'm with C.B. It's the process of making things that's really important. Who cares except you.