Machine shop

I have put a short video up of using the hammer to forge a hardie hole hot cut. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gqOLMLrDP88

I have recently got into blacksmithing but I have been making things my whole life. most of my blacksmithing is done out in the car port (with the land rover moved) as I don’t have space in the shop. it’s all a bit tight, but the new big anvil will be living outside under a cover

When my friend cut me the log he cut it a bit short (see thread) and when I got it home I decided that it was also a bit wide when sitting end grain upwards (I wanted to minimise cutting with my little 14” saw!). I think it will be solid enough even if it cracks a bit when it fully seasons!

Just finished my new anvil stand for my 300# double horn anvil. It’s made from a block of oak with a recess routed in the top, a layer of nitrile rubber between the anvil and stump. The anvil is held down with 5” coach screws and clamps. my 100# London pattern on it’s oak log is in the background My MIL made me a cover for it to protect it when outside and to reduce the groin to horn contact pain!

A friend cut me an oak block for my anvil. Unfortunately he cut it 75 mm or so (3”) too short. I have a couple of choices. Either I can mount it ‘side grain’ or mount some blocks underneath to bring it up to correct height. Any thoughts? IMG_5105.MOV I added a video of the block being cut, the thought better of it (20Mb), but it still seems to be partly attached. Sorry!

Video of the steam hammer linkage is here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W0k-n2QZWYg

I have finished the hammer reciprocating project and I am pleased with the result. I am getting about 150-200 bmp and it is controllable, although the controller needs some practice!

Well I have completed a first working version of the mechanism. It works well but there is still some tidying up to do ( like proper shoulder bolts for pivots rather than running on a thread) and a bit of tuning. I have a video of it running, but I guess uploading that directly may not make me any friends. At some point I may make a YouTube video

Well I have caught the dreaded covid and so, in England, that means you are stuck on you property for 10 days. To give my wife and kids a rest from me I have decided to develop the power hammer from striking function to reciprocating. I have used cad (cardboard aided design) to lay out an ‘adding’ mechanism that adds the input from the foot pedal to the plus and minus input from the ram. See the pic to show the concept The lower rod is the foot pedal input, the lever to the right is the ram feedback and the top rod connects to the valve control This is the mechanism so far, in real life

I realise this a fairly old thread, but I thought this was relevant https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c_UuVV7fhMc

I have some oak sleepers to mount the hammer on. The issue is that the anvil piece is a bit long already so the hammer will be too high. I could solve this by creating a standing platform or if I move the hammer, sit the sleepers in a pit to lower the overall height.

Thanks frosty. The hammer certainly needs a proper foundation. Here is a pic in its current resting place, although if I develop it to be more useful I will probably move it to somewhere were I can cast a proper isolated block. sorry, the picture is not the best. The hammer does not have a halo in real life!

Hi all. Thought I would update this thread. Used the hammer a bit, but even with a 1000lb anvil it makes the neighbours house hop, so I have to be careful. I have modified the valve arrangement slightly to give me a lot more control. This makes it possible to use the hammer a lot more gently ( and quietly!) so I hope to use it a lot more in the future. the treadle type action is fine and it is possible to achieve 100 bpm manually, although I may modify it to have a steam hammer linkage or solenoid controlled valve in the future as this would be a lot more useful for bigger pieces. No issues with the bands slipping there is a lot of friction with 12 off m8 bolts holding it together. It is also bolted to the ground very securely so I am not worried about it toppling

I spent a couple of hours this morning wire wheeling the anvil and giving it a coat of Linseed oil. Now need to find another oak stump

I have updated my profile. I am in the East Midlands of England, about an hour from Nottingham ( where the bloke with the green hat, bow and arrow hails from) And about an hour from Sheffield While I am at it I might as well show you my current anvil. About a 100lber on an oak stump.

My Christmas present arrived this afternoon. It’s a 300lb ish double bick anvil. I think it is a mouse hole but there are no markings, so I am 100% sure. Any anvil spotters out there that could comment? the face is flat with only one small chip on one of the edges. Useful but not extreme radius on the edges. It’s always a bit of a risk buying something like an anvil on the basis of pictures only.

Thanks. I am interested in tool making and the functional side of blacksmithing rather than the artistic side, although I am sure I will get into that side. Hoping to learn a bit more about the metallurgy of forging, forge welding and heat treating.

Hi all, This is my first post on I forge iron so please be gentle! I am pretty new to blacksmithing but I have been machining and making things for some time. I have been putting a few bits for blacksmithing and I was made aware of some big lumps of steel that were being scrapped so (despite the fact that the blacksmithing skills don't warrant it yet) I decided to turn them into a 55kg power hammer (120lb) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-knMZTTUCg&t=1027s Hope you like the video. I have a few other videos related to machining and blacksmithing if you are interested. I look forward to joining in the I forge iron conversations rather than just lurking! You guys have already taught me a lot and I hope I can add a little bit in to the mix.