Powerhammer workshop...

[monstermetal]

I have been asked to do a private powerhammer workshop and am having trouble coming up with 12 hours worth of stuff do to.. I you where just starting out on a power hammer what would you like to learn? what kind of projects would you like to take on? I want to make sure the guy leaves feeling like his time was well spent, so give me your ideas on what would make a good workshop..

Thanks
Larry

[dablacksmith]

well larry ide start by drawing out pieces then start useing different tooling then how to make tooling ... i can tell that 12 hrs with you forgeing with your hammers is going to be a good class !maybee talk about the reason tooling is made a certan way ... and let the student try different hammers .. i know you have a few different ones in your shop ..and maybee explain how press work is different than hammer work and show the differnece...good luck ! and thanks for the help dissassembling and loading the hammer.it made it home tho the rig didnt like the hills!

[Mainely,Bob]

I`d keep in mind that somewhere down the road after the class your student will want to buy a hammer of his own.You are an excellent source of info on what can make or break a hammer and how to tune one up.I`d include as much info in that direction as the student can tolerate.Make it hands on so that you and he can crank a hammer out of adjustment and see the results then let his hands bring it back with your coaching.
Demonstrate tooling and then let the student work metal under each type of tooling you gave a 5 minute short course about.Knock out the dies and then let your student replace them and properly adjust them as you talk them thru it.Show the upper and lower limitations of the hammers you have on hand.Then explain and demonstrate why one hammer is better than another for a particular job.
Safety while using each hammer should be covered in depth.Demonstrate the proper approach and what to do when things go wrong or get out of hand and then CAREFULLY show your student something like how far a hot bit of metal can fly if not controlled or accounted for.
I used to tell all my students a Zen quote;"I hear and I forget,I see and I remember,I do and I understand".Let your students hands do most of the work as you coach.

12 hours will fly by once you flip the switch and things start moving.If you plan for 20 hours of instruction(and you should) then don`t be surprised if you only cover 10 of it.
Questions and discussions will eat up more time than you think.
Plan for short lunches and long days.I`d wish you good luck but someone of your caliber doesn`t need luck,your skills will carry you through.
Wishing you lived within traveling distance and I was in the class too.

Remember,we want pics. :)

[Fosterob]

Uses of different dies and the elements that can be made on them. Do you have crown dies? Also to show some tooling for flat dies. Tool making on the hammer for use on the hammer would be useful. I guess it depends on what type of work your student is planning on doing. I think most classes make your standard powerhammer tooling, taper tool, cutting tool, round tool for butchering, short punch, there may be a few I missed.
Good Luck
Rob

[Timothy Miller]

Find your self a copy of the Clifton Ralph power hammer video. It is 12 hours long. I'm sure you could get a few ideas. It literary changed my life as a blacksmith.

[nuge]

I think beginner classes should be really hands on and twelve hours isn't that much time. Instead of showing a bevy of tricks and techniques it might be more beneficial to the student to get instruction on the basics and have plenty of time to work on them. I was recently at a hammer class and there was a lot of demo and not a lot of forging. The students had one shot to replicate the technique. You could tell that the beginners (most of the class) left having no feel at all for much of what was taught. If is truly a "class" it should be about the student working, not the teacher. "Demo's" are a different story.

[Francis Trez Cole]

Larry I would agree tooling is important. Myself the info that you imparted to me about champion power hammer is priceless. And I did no hands on. I myself like the phylosiphy of having flat dies on the hammer and making spring tools and other items angled plates and punches to walk away from a class with a set of basic tools would be a great starting point as well as understanding the hammer and adjusting it foot control and controlling the hammer well that should be about 40 hours of class. Dont forget welding to conect the dies to the springs.

[Dillon Sculpture]

Does that class include any material that may happen to be lying around?

[monstermetal]

I'd like too see you try and get it on the plane DD!

Lots of good suggestions. The deal is the fellow is buying a hammer from me and has zero operating time on one. He is driving in from out of state and will spend a day and a half getting to know the machine. I like the idea of sending him home with a basic tool set. I think it will help to have him on a couple of the bigger hammers as well. Should be fun!

[Mainely,Bob]

Now that we have "The rest of the story",as Paul Harvey would say.
I`d focus on what the machine he`s purchasing can do for him and on simple tools that will demonstrate the techniques he`ll need to build tooling for his machine,spring fullers and dies,punches,flatters and the attachments to hold and position things under the dies.
I`d also want to know how to tune the hammer to my personal work habits(like how to adjust the impact height,pedal linkage and clutch engagement point),troubleshoot and maintain my hammer and proper lubrication if it was me buying it.
After all that I`d maybe be interested in playing on the other hammers to see what they could do.
When you asked for input from newbies I just posted what I`d like to get from a class.As you know I don`t have a power hammer yet.I am collecting parts though. :)

[Fe-Wood]

Have you asked the purchaser what they would like to learn?

I think a major chunk of time should be spent on safe operation, maintenance and hammer technique with an overview of tooling concepts. You don't want to overload him with soon forgotten information. Keep it relevant to his skill level.

Good Luck!!

[John Larson]

STRESS SAFETY!!!!!!!!

Have the customer make something where the hammer is one tool, but not the only tool. That way how the power hammer inetgrates into an otherwise functional shop becomes clearer.

Slitting, punching, drifting, upsetting, spring fullers (closed dies), hand held tools, bottom die saddle held tools, pullimg versus pushing work through the dies, ..........

[peacock]

I have done a few of these. I agree with John about safety first. I have found that you need to help the student understand that the hammer will not make A blacksmith out of him if he or she doesn't know how to forge it by hand they won't be able to forge it with a power hammer. With that said find out what they know how to do then show them how to do it easier or faster. If the student has a fair amount of skill with a hand hammer simple tongs are a good power hammer project, you can demo & teach drawing ,punching, shouldering, changing cross section, Drawing a taper, etc. Then you get to make another piece just like it & wind up with a usefull item. Making the matching part is very important skill. How many of us has made something then could not make another one like it. Teaches you get an order to your work and stick with it. I use lots of tooling and jigs but starting with a bunch of tools before basic skills are mastered slows down the learning curve. The one exception would be a flatter that is one tool you can use from the start. Making the flatter is also a great first project.



P.S. Don,t forget about teaching proper heating. Often many of our "hammering" problems are really improper heating.

[mike-hr]

My opinion, taking a length of 1 inch square, drawing a four side taper, then turning that to an eight sided taper with equal facets is a great exercise. I like to stand off to the side of the operator and yell 'Lower, Lower' so they don't generate a hockey stick. Also, if the heat leaves, it goes back in the furnace.

[forgemaster]

As someone who has trained a fair few apprentices and who spends a fair amount of time working under decent powerhammers my feelings are 12 hours eh, If you can teach a rank beginner much in 12 hours you are a better man than I Gunga Din. I have kids (apprentices) here that after 12 months of using a hammer every day are still stuggling with some of the basics, things such as, forging square that is square, tapering to a set length, forging hex that is hex, punching holes under the hammer that are in the middle of the bar not off to one side, finishing up with the job somewhat straight, forging a chisel with the blade in the middle of the bar, not one sided, necking in a shaft and getting it in the middle of the stock, and then forging that shaft out and rounding it up while keeping it in the middle of the bar still and not going in too far and hitting the shoulders with the top die and wrecking them.
You could spend 12 hours easy just on basic processes, safety, getting the rhythm of the hammer, getting in sync with how the hammer works.

Its a hard call, do you give them just the basics, to allow them to safely use a hammer, then do their own practice to build technique and guide them as they do progress, or do you teach them a little bit of technique then throw them into making tools to do more complex jobs when they have not even grasped the basics.

I don't know.

I agree on safety as No.1 though, and just don't mean wear safety glasses and ear muffs sort of safety. Things like don't put your hand under the hammer, use a link on tongs, don't forge your job to cold, warm the hammer blocks before you start, inspect your tongs and loose tools every time before you start to use them. That kind of stuff.

Phil

Oh and if you get him to make things, they make 2 of everything, that way they get to take one home and you get to keep one as well. Also and more importantly any idiot can make one and get away with it, making 2 and having them the same is a little harder.

[monstermetal]

Good stuff Phil, and everyone else...

I just talked to my guy... Im still home and he is waiting at my shop gate.... So I'll let you know how things went tonight

[NickWheeler]

Well here I was thinking that I was going to be signing up for a Monster Metal hammer class!!!



Hope all goes well with the guy Larry! :)