CGomer33

Thank you all for your comments, I really appreciate the ideas from you. I have narrowed it down to what I believe must be the bearing or bushing or something on the lower end of the connecting rod. I turned it on when the greasing cover was off and I could hear the noise a bit clearer. It's coming from the bottom side of the rod/piston I believe. I have had no response from the manufacturer other than to make sure it's getting enough oil. I took off the top cover of the piston and there was oil sitting there, very clean as well. I have asked them for replacement parts of the lower connecting rod. We will see what happens next. I will keep using it, which I hate to do but I do not have an alternative. I think I might need to buy a second power hammer for when one might, God forbid, breaks! Who knew!

George, that was my thinking as well. Frosty, nope, the dies were not hitting. Glad you heard it though, that is the sound I was describing. I will try to find if there is a schematic out there, I doubt it but we will see. You make a good point about the sound not being the linkage. I just wonder why it starts faint or not there then when in use it gets really loud and goes away. I would think there shouldn't be any wear that bad yet since it's been over oiled since the oiler isn't the best on these i've noticed, been really messy but I guess that is better than a lack of oil. I just thought of another possibility, I wonder if something could be jumping around in one of the components.. reason I say this is, I have had a piece of casting slag fall off during use and the linkage hit it against one of the doors you take of for greasing, there is a cork gasket that got all torn up. Since this sound just happened, not a gradual thing, I wonder what the chances are that a piece of slag could be up in slave ram / tub area? Heck I don't know. Just odd that it came out of the blue and is gets louder when I step down on the lever. I will wait to see what the manufacturer has to say. I will let you guys know what and if I find it out.

Right after I pull the lever down you can hear the sound. That isn't a sound it should be making, though it sounds like its the ram it is not. The only sound normally for these hammers is the sound of the piston which sounds the same when in idle and in use. Just this has that clicking sound right when I pull the lever. These kind of hammers don't have a water separator. I thought maybe it was not getting oil, but the ram and the piston have oil all over them. The oil reservoir seems to be feeding just fine, nothing is dry. It's a real head scratcher! I did reach out to the manufacturer just today. Will wait and see what they have to say. Thanks for your input!

Hey there, I have a Runfa power hammer (very similar to an anyang) that just started to make a knocking / ticking noise that sounds like it's something to do with the linkage. Lack of oiling and lack of greasing the zerks is not an issues, I always make sure it has oil and grease the zerks once every two months. I have been using this hammer almost daily for 2 years without any issues and just days ago this knocking sound started. It's not as loud when the hammer is idling but when you push the pedal down it does get louder, loud enough to wonder what is making that noise. Sometimes it's not as loud and other times it is louder. I posted a clip of it on YouTube so you can hear the knocking / ticking sound. Has anyone else experienced this? Any help would be greatly appreciated. It seems the noise is coming from lower down, the only thing lower down is the linkage. I suspect it may have something to do with the noise.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I have actually been here for years, just living in the shadows ( so to speak ) without an account since I typically found all I needed. But just had to finally make an account and make a new topic for my question. Perhaps I will be more active now as well. This website is an invaluable resource for anything blacksmith related, really glad I found it. Well isn't that interesting. I suppose if it works, why not! Cameron

Thanks for the advice George and Frosty. Appreciate it. I will use a lighter oil like you suggested and I have a propane nipco I could use to heat the hammer if needed. If I decide to not use the hammer on the extreme cold days I guess I could do some production runs of some items that I will need the hammer for on the warmer days. I guess I will see how it all is after I receive it. To answer your question George. I live in the SE of MN about an hour from Mankato but will be moving up north sometime next year where I will have a heated shop as well so I will not have to worry about the cold at all then! Been to Dubois and Jackson Hole many times over the last years, have family there. I always said if I had to live elsewhere besides MN, it would be in WY. Thanks kindly, Cameron

Hey there, I am probably spending too much time thinking about this... would anyone happen to know from experience (or other sources that I have yet to find) whats the lowest temperature one shall be using a self contained power hammer? I have looked at several articles and read many things from "If it's too cold it could crack the frame or dies" to, "It won't get cold enough to matter". In January the temperatures can easily be around -20F or lower for the lows, I start working at 6am when the low temps are still present. I bought a new self contained power hammer that is due to arrive in January 2023. I work full time as a blacksmith in a dirt floor shop with no heat/insulation. I just want to make sure I can use the power hammer. I have a self built leaf spring power hammer that seems to work okay in the extreme cold but I have no experience with self contained power hammers. I have asked the manufacturer if there was a point where it's too cold to use but they only said to change to a lighter oil. So, should I worry about the frame or dies cracking? I could preheat it if need be though I hope letting it run for 15 minutes before use would be enough. I would greatly appreciate any advice! Cameron