brian robertson

if you add a braking system coupled with your treadle you'll have a much tighter running hammer. check this site and others for how to build it.

tailgating is above

I burn coke exclusively and Roger's pot does the job. I high recommend it

what about just using gun blueing?

thanks

where is it sold? title?

consider coke instead of coal, avoid that pesky neighbor problem and black boogers. with propane now selling between $4 and $5 per gal. coke is very economical.

and to think, I was whining about a frozen valve,

John, it dumps when the compressor cycles off when it  reaches 175 psi. When it's warmer, I'll try taking it a part and cleaning it before replacing or re plumbing it.

I think Saylor Bealle was trying to make their machine idiot proof and it didn't work out so well. For some folks, it must be too hard to remember to dump the gra doo out of the tank. We were trained, as kids, on the farm trucks with air brakes. ONLY ONCE was I responsible for frozen brakes on a semi.

The new valve is only $125 and it's no long used on the commercial duty compressors; too many problems with them. Well isn't that special. The service guy thought I was lucky that mine has been trouble free this long. I guess  I'll be playing with my heat gun any time there's hammer work to be done. With this cold, rerouting the plumbing on that machine will have to wait.

Does anybody know what the insides of one of these valves look like? I'm curious how well it would withstand constant heat from a light bulb.

If I could get a splash of anti freeze inside the tank would it work?

Jim, not a lot of clearance under this vertical rig. I think I'll give the company a call on Monday. Could be the valve has gone bad.

The auto dump valve on my Saylor Beall compressor is freezing in the open position, which does not allow for a build up of psi. I primarily use the compressor to run my Big Blu hammer. The compressor lives in an insulated "closet" in an lean to off the shop (keeps in quieter and cleaner). I've been running this set up for 5 yrs without trouble. But I've not had the kind of sub zero temps as we've had this winter.

If I lay down and aim my heat gun on the valve for a few minutes I can thaw it out and it will function normally for the rest of the work day. When it does cycle open there is a barely noticeable mist of exhaust. I also leave a 100w light bulb on over night but the next morning when I start the compressor the dump valve is stuck wide open.

Any tricks to fix this besides leaving it run 24/7? The profit margin in the forging biz isn't good enough these days to warrant wasting electricity

Frosty, my hammers haven't moved on the 4 yd foundation. My point is that the shock wave travels through the wet clay great distances. Think Jello. Going to bedrock is the way to avoid that not to necessarily stabilize the hammer

Ric, funny you should mention that. There is the makings of a 60 ton press in the driveway awaiting assembly and a space in the shop.

My shop sits on a 75 ft deep clay layer. I poured 4 yds of concrete with rebar for the foundation for a 100 lb LG. When working large pieces of 4140, that hammer would "rattle the china" in a cabinet, in the neighbor's house 1000ft away. The little old lady said that I didn't break anything and she didn't mind because it sounded like soft wind chimes. She liked me as a neighbor.

Now that lady has died, the old LG moved on and was replaced by a Large Big Blu hammer, set on the same foundation and again when forging tough stuff, it will cause the new neighbors dvd player to skip. I have done a number of favors for the folks across the road and I try to never run the hammer after dinner. So all is well. The moral of the story is sub soil is everything when it comes to hammers.

I was told, in order to solve this issue, I would have to dig all the way through the clay, to bedrock and build back up with the appropriate foundation. Not gonna happen

good stuff. been using about 8 yrs. when it arrives, remove the plastic wrap, keep the bags on the pallet, off  bare ground and there won't be a moisture problem. Make sure you have a low setting on your blower/use an air gate or you will be relighting it if you take a break in forging.

I usually have some to sell at SOFA.

from rust to rust....

where does this voodoo come from?

round is more available therefore cheaper

I wouldn't downsize the blower; buy/make an air gate, you'll be  glad you did. better too much air than too little

Got knocked on my butt from the static charge off my truck mounted belt grinder today. My belt grinder has been in service for 8 yrs and has never done this to me before. With a meter, I double checked the 1 hp baldor motor, my extension cord, the GFI outlet I was plugged into, tried a different one.

Somebody has to have found a solution to this problem by now. Any solutions?

tough decision between the Nimba and the Rathole. For the esthetics I would go with the Nimba, for the overall workability I'd say the Rathole. I've spent time with both and I think you'll be impressed with the finish work on both. don't think you could go wrong with either choice.

check out Mankel forges, Tim Carr sells them now. I'm running the one i bought in 1974; on it's 6th liner

addictions are like that....