ironstein

I like his mantra, "form follows function", i think he got it reversed!

Nice hammer! After watching the Clifton Ralph dvd's, it made me want a Bradley. I am getting by with the Anyang 88, but theres something so alluring about a hammer with history! I like the handle to adjust for work height. In Clifton Ralphs dvds, he is constantly grabbing those wrenches to adjust it, the handle will make things much quicker.

Nice looking tools Tubbe!

Thanks for posting Danger! I can't wait to see the hammers installed! Scurry, those are some big machines, is that an arch hammer? Gives me goosebumps to see a machine that big forging. I too would like some info on where these videos are from and what type equipment your using. Brian

I like it! The eyes are great. If I have more than one iron in the fire I wind up burning stuff too.

I learn so much on this site!

Nice looking drawing by the way! Looks to be super handy. Looks like it would be super handy, looks like you could change tooling quickly. What's holding the die in place?

Can dovetails be cut on a long piece of die stock? Somewhere I remember reading that some hammer dovetails taper lengthwise. Just curious what type hammer you're running. I've been considering buying a stick of s-7 to make 5 sets of dies for my Anyang to have some "blanks" that I could modify and heat treat at my leisure.

Don't forget to dress the sharp edges so they don't chip. The hardy hole and the pritchel should be dressed as well. Nice looking anvil!

Nice score Clinton!

Brian Brazeal! A great teacher who learns because he teaches. His methods are the most efficient I have seen. I was lucky enough to spend a few days with he and his brother Ed Brazeal who is an amazing smith as well. Simply amazing to see Brian and Ed move metal.

That's a cool looking piece of history. It would be fun to get it running and put it in my shop! Glad to see its there for the public to see.

Nice looking hammer!

Nice work! It's always cool to see a one man operation accomplish something so difficult! Gives me inspiration. (null)

I will take some pictures tomorrow. I made a bunch of tools for the hammer in the last few days. Trying to get back into the swing of things after back surgery. The taper die I made was more for long tapers, it gets kind of limited on short tapers. I'll probably make another one like you talked about. (null)

Yep Macbruce, I was in the Ironworkers union a long time, it's a shame when the prices get driven up to feed the fat cats at the top. I became so disgusted with how corporate america gets away with filing for bankruptcy with 4 billion in the bank (corporate airlines), and it's considered good business practice, but when the average person does it, their credit is destroyed and they are frowned upon. (null)

Maybe James Johnson will explain what all he does to make the oiler more efficient. (null)

Kevan, What James does is put one way check valves on the oiler lines, they have needle valves to adjust the amount of oil going into the hammer. The front oiler that is piped into the ram cylinder can be turned off, as the rear oiler will be enough to oil the whole machine (null)

Good point Macbruce. Tim, The hammers you mentioned were all options, but many have gone out of business and no longer have reps or parts available. I thought about an iron kiss, and still may buy one at some point, I wanted a self contained. I didn't want to deal with purchasing a separate compressor. I have heard nothing but great things about the iron kiss hammers. I understand everyone's loathsome attitude about china, but Anyang makes forging equipment that is used all over the world, modeled after a tried and true design. If it is a good product that works and will make me money, and no one in America makes a hammer like it then Anyang it is. (null)

It can't be blamed on china. The same undercutting is happening right here. When I ran a small construction business we were constantly undercut by companies with illegal labor and poor safety practices. All I'm trying to say is that we can't generalize. It's happening everywhere. I am not pro china, I just happen to like my Chinese hammer. Don't get me wrong, every time I use it I want to tear off the plate that says "made in china"! (null)

I agree with you Tim. I also agree that unions and capitalism have made it next to impossible to compete. There are a lot of American companies like wall mart that have systematically dismantled the way of life we once knew. I was a union Ironworkerfor 17 years and I have seen the corruption as well as the benefits. (null)

For some reason, when I use my phone to post, it leaves the "null" signature. (null)

I don't believe anyone has undermined U.S. industry more than the U.S. itself. Peacock said exactly what I was trying to say. James runs the hammers before shipping to the customer, as well as installing check valves for the oiler. If there were American self contained hammers for sale I would be first in line. (null)

Who knows, by the time you retire the Anyangs may retain more value. I think they got a bad rap early on because whom ever was the American representative wasn't doing any quality control. Like buying a car from a crappy dealer. James has identified and fixed these issues. Unfortunately many people are unwilling to buy Chinese, but would buy a Turkish product without a second thought. (null)

My big selling point was ease of access to parts IF something does go wrong. After talking to James after purchase and finding out that he has a store room full of parts that never sell because the Anyangs are so robust I did think oabout the nazels and other old iron having that "classic car" nostalgia. That it would be cool to have an old steam hammer that came from an old mill. Or just the thought of an old machine that had been in operation for a hundred years. I just kept remembering what Grant Sarver told me, that guys spend a ton of money on a new truck, but skimp on purchasing a tool thatt is more important to their business than a new truck! I will probably have an old nazel or Massey at some point. (null)