Power hammer tooling and texture samples

[Stormcrow]

I made some texturing tools for my home-brewed hammer this week, and used them to help provide some samples to an architect for a potential upcoming job.

The first tool was made from a dome-headed bolt used to hold sections of railroad track together. I found it mostly buried in the dirt near the tracks that run by my shop, heavily corroded and pitted by rust. I cut the head off, welded it to the end of a length of thin mild steel strap, bent the strap to make a spring, and had my tool:



It fits into the auxilliary tool holder on my hammer's quick-change die holder. The bottom die is just a scrap piece of 1" plate, which rests even with the top of my die holder. I need to make an actual completely flat bottom, but mostly just to make it fit in the holder better since this scrap is a bit smaller than the holder. Works really well for using tools, upsetting, etc.

Then I used the tool to make another tool. I took a couple of scrap pieces of 1"x3" mild steel bar, welded on rebar handles, got them hot, and passed them under the bolt head tool, and now had the texture transferred to the flat bar.





After rounding the edges off, I welded these two onto a piece of wide, thin strap, bent it into a U, welded on a shank to fit the auxilliary tool holder, and had a spring texturing swage. When I have my main flat dies completed, which have tool-holding holes drilled in them (don't know if there is a name for that system of holding tooling on), I'll cut them off of the spring and turn them into die-cap tools. As is, it does a very nice job on 1" round.





I love this texture!

I also used the bolt head tool to texture some 1/4" plate before cutting out topographic shapes and plug welding them together. The plate began to cup upwards under the hammer, so I flattened it back out with my press after texturing.





I see the bolt already starting to flatten out some, so I think my next step will be to use it to make a die out of some truck axle that I can harden and use to make new texturing dies as needed.

The samples as delivered to the architect yesterday:



All of the samples not made on the new texture dies were made using my combination dies torched out of a section of railroad track. The octagonal one reminds me of rock formations like Devil's Tower and the Giant's Causeway, so I didn't try to make the faces all even, just smooth. The look for the ironwork is supposed to be raw and primal anyway. The two with the "Dark Tower of Barad-dur" textures are only slightly different from each other. They were the ones the architect liked best.

Today I forged out a quick sample of half a door pull from 1 5/8" round. The amount of offset, the shape of the flattened portion, and the exact texture aren't necessarily what the final would look like, but they give an idea of what can be done. Most of the forging was done on my hammer, and the rest with the press.





Having a power hammer is sure a game changer! Even if it looks a bit rough.

[gearhartironwerks]

I made some texturing tools for my home-brewed hammer this week, and used them to help provide some samples to an architect for a potential upcoming job.

The first tool was made from a dome-headed bolt used to hold sections of railroad track together. I found it mostly buried in the dirt near the tracks that run by my shop, heavily corroded and pitted by rust. I cut the head off, welded it to the end of a length of thin mild steel strap, bent the strap to make a spring, and had my tool:



It fits into the auxilliary tool holder on my hammer's quick-change die holder. The bottom die is just a scrap piece of 1" plate, which rests even with the top of my die holder. I need to make an actual completely flat bottom, but mostly just to make it fit in the holder better since this scrap is a bit smaller than the holder. Works really well for using tools, upsetting, etc.

Then I used the tool to make another tool. I took a couple of scrap pieces of 1"x3" mild steel bar, welded on rebar handles, got them hot, and passed them under the bolt head tool, and now had the texture transferred to the flat bar.





After rounding the edges off, I welded these two onto a piece of wide, thin strap, bent it into a U, welded on a shank to fit the auxilliary tool holder, and had a spring texturing swage. When I have my main flat dies completed, which have tool-holding holes drilled in them (don't know if there is a name for that system of holding tooling on), I'll cut them off of the spring and turn them into die-cap tools. As is, it does a very nice job on 1" round.





I love this texture!

I also used the bolt head tool to texture some 1/4" plate before cutting out topographic shapes and plug welding them together. The plate began to cup upwards under the hammer, so I flattened it back out with my press after texturing.





I see the bolt already starting to flatten out some, so I think my next step will be to use it to make a die out of some truck axle that I can harden and use to make new texturing dies as needed.

The samples as delivered to the architect yesterday:



All of the samples not made on the new texture dies were made using my combination dies torched out of a section of railroad track. The octagonal one reminds me of rock formations like Devil's Tower and the Giant's Causeway, so I didn't try to make the faces all even, just smooth. The look for the ironwork is supposed to be raw and primal anyway. The two with the "Dark Tower of Barad-dur" textures are only slightly different from each other. They were the ones the architect liked best.

Today I forged out a quick sample of half a door pull from 1 5/8" round. The amount of offset, the shape of the flattened portion, and the exact texture aren't necessarily what the final would look like, but they give an idea of what can be done. Most of the forging was done on my hammer, and the rest with the press.





Having a power hammer is sure a game changer! Even if it looks a bit rough.

I like your approach as I think texture is a major consideration when distinguishing ones self from others. The more unique, the better. When potential clients come to the shop, I like to show them dies I made and what they do/could do when they pertain to their project. Also, it gets me excited to talk about smithing.

John

[Ferguson]

Very nice. Good process description.

It seems like for power hammer tooling, it is fairly common to heat up a part, hammer it with some cold shape, and then produce a texture or pattern on the part. Then that part becomes tooling, and can be used to texture or even make a shape like the cold shape that you started with.

Makes me want a power hammer......

Richard

[Stormcrow]

Thanks, John!

Power hammer tooling interests me. At the three shops I worked at prior to getting my own shop space, I only used the power hammers to taper, generally to make scrolls or pickets. I saw some of the tooling used for other operations being used, but never got to use it myself. Tooling under a hammer surely does expand what you are capable of doing, and I really like to see what others have done. That's one reason I went with the die-holding setup I did: it's a lot easier to fabricate a number of dies with base plates than dove tails, especially when you have no machinist training. I can make dies out of scrap. Commercial dies start at $400 a pair and go up, from what I've seen.

By the way, the tool-holding setup on the pending main flat dies I mentioned is the same seen on Sweet Pea in your video:

Is there a term for that system? And when are you going to make more videos so I can pick your brain? :)

[gearhartironwerks]

Thanks, John!

Power hammer tooling interests me. At the three shops I worked at prior to getting my own shop space, I only used the power hammers to taper, generally to make scrolls or pickets. I saw some of the tooling used for other operations being used, but never got to use it myself. Tooling under a hammer surely does expand what you are capable of doing, and I really like to see what others have done. That's one reason I went with the die-holding setup I did: it's a lot easier to fabricate a number of dies with base plates than dove tails, especially when you have no machinist training. I can make dies out of scrap. Commercial dies start at $400 a pair and go up, from what I've seen.

By the way, the tool-holding setup on the pending main flat dies I mentioned is the same seen on Sweet Pea in your video:

Is there a term for that system? And when are you going to make more videos so I can pick your brain?

Yeah ...I love the power hammer and being able to sculpt steel. I find changing the section is fascinating and never fails to excite me. When visiting other shops, I always try to unobtrusively (ie, keeping my eyes in their sockets) look at their tooling and gander at the scrap pile.
One mans junk...

Some pics of the maquette and finished piece for a client and delivered to the shipper last Fri. Approx sz is 48 x 96 and will be mounted on the outside of a fireplace in Palm Desert, CA.

John

[Fe-Wood]

Nice work there Stormcrow. The more I learn about power hammers and there us the more I realize flat dies and top or bottom tooling is the ticket, either hand held or bolt on.

[ThomasPowers]

Folks can we not copy over pictures!

Note that some of the RR bolts are hardenable!

Also you can make a tool much like that called the "smith's thumb" which is one of those bolts on a handle (cut down of course) that you can use freehand under the hammer for shaping.