Madmike Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Wow, lovely dies Grant ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 what about a couple of slots in the lower part for the scale to escape? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macbruce Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Lots of grease in there would help to keep the scale out. Lots of grease in there would help to keep the scale out. If you look closely at the pic at the pic I posted of mine there is grease in the pivot. The simpler design lets the stuff fall away more easily but isn't a combo either. Course another hammer takes care of that..... :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc Posted December 2, 2011 Share Posted December 2, 2011 Great Job Grant, I once had Fairbanks Hammer owners manual that showed a die constructed very similar to that. At the time I didn't have the tools or the money to try and make one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dillon Sculpture Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 What is the radius on the fuller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 Great Job Grant, I once had Fairbanks Hammer owners manual that showed a die constructed very similar to that. At the time I didn't have the tools or the money to try and make one.I don't doubt that a bit. Why I rarely claim to have invented anything. The only one I had seen prior was in "Machine Blacksmithing" but it has a corrugated mating surface so the rocker can be locked in position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 What is the radius on the fuller?That's a 4" radius, as Tim requested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 That's a neat die, I want one . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted December 5, 2011 Share Posted December 5, 2011 That's a neat die, I want one .Patience Grasshopper! ^_^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spears Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Thank you again Mr. Tim Miller for exhibiting the tool you use for smoothing tapers with a power hammer. I constructed my tool using a 1” thick bar welded to a 1” diameter pivot. All low carbon steel no heat treatment. It wanted to flop over rather easily with the way I made it so I screwed a small conduit clamp on it to rub against the pivot. This created enough drag so it stays in place yet rotates to accommodate the taper being smoothed out. This simply constructed tool has greatly improved the quality of my tapering and on long tapers removes re-heating and hand labor. Works excellent ! Mr. Miller you are a strong asset to this forum and the blacksmithing community and hobbyists like myself benefit from the pictures and examples you provide regardless of who came up with it first. The substance of your post stands for itself. Spears. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted January 5, 2012 Author Share Posted January 5, 2012 Well thank you spears. It makes me sad to look at this thread. Grant made me those custom dies in trade for the vise. He had asked me via email if I would post pictures of the die set in use I have not gotten around to it yet. In the next couple of days I will get around to it. I feel a bit guilty I have not done it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 These are pictures of the die set in use as grant requested. It shows a progression of taper being forged and smoothed. You can see grants humor in action you will notice his "touch mark" outlined in yellow at the base of the die. First photo taper drawn out octogone on the drawing side of die. second photo taper rounded up on the drawing side of the die. Third photo taper smoothed on the rocking flat section of die. An amazing tool by an amazing man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Wow, that is an awesome die, is it possible for you do do a Grant Sarver style video of it in use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted January 8, 2012 Author Share Posted January 8, 2012 Perhaps I will ask my friend for some help it may be a few days though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petere76 Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Tim, It tis sad, but we end up knowing the man by the work. It's and ingenious and well made die set. Thanks for posting the pics. Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Gonna miss that guy. Thanks for posting the pics Tim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r smith Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Tim, how is this die holding up? Is there anything you see that could be improved on it after some time using it. smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted February 20, 2013 Author Share Posted February 20, 2013 I used it today it is holding up well, It is a highly valued tool in our shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Thanx for sharing Tim, I do think Clifton used one in the past but it sure refreshed on old boys mind.... Guess I'll get busy building one... slick tool Thanx Jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironpost Posted March 6, 2013 Share Posted March 6, 2013 Spears the dies you made are they for a tire hammer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ironpost Posted March 11, 2013 Share Posted March 11, 2013 I built a set of tapering dies this pass weekend for my tire hammer and they work great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santisandreas Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 hey everyone. since you have some more experience on the power hammer i want to ask you a question, especially timothy who has started this post. i got an order the other day to forge a lot of tapers for a fence which is 400 m long. and the welder who applied for the job want the tapers done by a blacksmith so that he doesn't need to grind a 25 mm steel rod into a short taper. but before i can accept the job i need to make sure that its doable. due to the large quantity and the size of the 25 mm square stock it will be too difficult to forge them by hand. is it possible that this taper can be forged on the power hammer? i am not familiar with the techniques of a power hammer and neither do i own one. but i will meet with a fellow blacksmith in Nicosia that owns one and probably do the job with him. see the taper below which was forged by hand. in particular my question is if it possible to forge such a steep taper on a pair of flat dies. I have seen in the past some tapers forged under the power hammer but they were too long compared to what i want to do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Would be relatively easy to bolt a taper die to the bottom hammer die and get the angle.You can also make a "pinch" die for that taper. Top and bottom tools made to match desired angle; the heated bar is placed slightly past where the point will end then bang/turn, bang/turn. etc. until the small piece of scrap on the end breaks off. I usually do that for short tapers because I don't have to fight the material kicking back at me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
santisandreas Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 i thought that if you bolt a taper die it would kick back the stock towards my body and maybe cause harm, so i was trying to think of a way if one can forge it with the flat dies.. but thanks for the advice. are you sure it is not dangerous to give an angle to the bottom die? i think it is safer to do the pinch die probably, so as to eliminate the kick back which will make it easier as well on the hands as i will be making a lot of them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 That is why you never stand behind the the work when you are forging on a power hammer especially with taper dies. But you can draw a taper that steep on a hammer safely. To consistently draw tapers the same especially short like you show you want a fixed taper die not a variable one like the others shown in this thread.If you don't use a pinch type die, one thing that will help are to use a "scissor cutter" to cut 2 bars out of 1 or just to cut a little off the end of the bar. The cutter is in effect a pinch die to preform. You will probably find roughing the taper out on the corners of flat dies before you use the taper dies will help as well as they will draw the bar out lengthwise unlike the Taper die which will spread as much as they lengthen. A bottom die only is cheaper and easier to make but if you need lots of these for an ongoing basis matching top and bottom taper dies are easier to use especially it the bars are really long and you need a stand to support the outboard end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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