Concrete was 119 yards, foundation is 10' deep x 15' wide x 25' long, i think, pretty much from Chambersburg manual. We did install the VibroDyanmics vibration pads under it which expanded the budget to about $200k, it is operation now, working on adjusting the column keys and need to make dowels for the dies. Use the dies flat to hit some hot metal in next couple weeks. Maching in impressions into the dies and hopefully make some parts in Febraury.
We plan on producing parts for the rail industry that we either make with other processes like milling or parts we are purchasing import that are currently cast. But everything we do is for rail track in some way or another. From amusement parks, tunneling, transits, overhead crane runways, and yes railroads.
Well we are not a museum, ha, an actual business. My dad started it in 1986, so it feels a lot like a museum, some days I would like to turn it into one, after graduating with mechanical engineering degree from Case Western in 1999, I did some auto engineering and ended up coming back to good ole WV, dad retired in 2008 and its been my mess ever since.
The picture that you are referring to was the removal, it isn't an overhead crane, you can see the mast going across the very corner of the picture, on removal it was all frozen so we removed the top as one piece, took it apart and rebuilt it in WV. Had to put top on the columns to get ram knocked off the rod, then set it all back to continue the rebuild and then set it all back on top with a forklift. Our plant doesn't have overhead crane either.
Running it off compressed air. When I first got it up and running, we only had a 40 hp rotary screw compressor with no regulator to operate it on, so long story short couldn't run it very long, but that was expected, worked on regulator and then purchased a 150 hp Sullair out of an auction in MI during covid, so got a good deal on it, bought old regulator off ebay, rebuilt it and installed a 3,000-5,000 gallon air tank bought at the same auction for a few hundred dollars. Today we put top die in and during idle the compressor is definitely keeping up. Some where between idle and full on hammering we may run out of air, but there is another 300 HP Ingersol compressor I bought out of the same auction that I still have to throw at it. Part of this whole journey is determining the operating cost. So far it is looking like we did ok on the rebuild and air consumption will be about what we thought, 500-1500 cfm at 85 psi depending on how hard you are hammering.
Not a hobby shop, can see some background on my other post earlier, but pretty small, have 4 employees in production, another mechanical engineer and mother doing accounting, sales, etc. Trying to build my forging capabilities with projects I pick up at auction and do them on the cheap when I have time. Have done just about everything on the hammer. Also working on a 2-1/2" Ajax forging machine / upsetter. but it is slow progress, have to get the revenue parts done first and then we can work on stuff for the extra projects.