territorialmillworks Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 Decided at the last minute to "make" christmas gifts, then work got in the way...well you get the picture. So now I need 80 leaves like today but the problem is I've never made leaves before and soon realized I'd never get them done by hand. So why not use the power hammer which I had just reassembled after moving. Soon realized I had to reprofile the drawing die but they still sucked. Then a bolt on the pitman arm backed out (good thing I had built guards!!) Then the newly profiled die came loose. In that time I made 20 leaves that were 'unimpressive'. Finally, I adjusted the spring tension and lowered the sow's block. At 9 pm, I gave it one more try ---PERFECTION in under 2 minutes. Ahhh, life is good and Santa will be on time !!!:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Creek Blacksmith Posted December 17, 2009 Share Posted December 17, 2009 I'm still in the process of making presents, every time I turn around I need to make a jig or a new tool. Good luck and Merry Christmas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Sorry to get technical territorialmillworks, but the "sow block" is the block under the bottom die. Often small hammers don't even have one. No biggy, just like to keep terminology straight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
territorialmillworks Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 Thx Grant for the clarification...knew it applied to the die/anvil but thought term applied more generally to the shape reflective a pig's snout. I now know that it is exclusive to the hammer. Worked in a quarry/mill (30 yrs ago), they referred to a reciprecating arm that travelled in a gibbway on a shaker as a sow's block.....might have been because this was Tennesee where most didn't have all their teeth and some had close set eyes. I now know that I should have said 'ram guide'. Never let ignorance keep you from showing your true intelligence. THX, Keith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senft Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Now I don't feel so bad. I too decided I'd make a bunch of little things with leaves and cover a bunch of Christmas gifts, how hard could that be? Had previously done some good big leaves that came out well..... tooling no good for small ones, little giant having moods and hard to adjust fits, leaf die tooling bouncing all over the place from outta control hits creating double-vision leaves, decided I actually needed to build tons of new tools including a hydraulic press and air hammer. After day and a half of messing with ended up roughing out with little giant and detailing by hand. Everything I build makes me have to build more stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
territorialmillworks Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 What is with smithing that causes one little what-ever to lead to another jig/tool/die/tong? guess that's why we like it so much...least thats what i tell the wife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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