I had this idea rolling around in my empty head for awhile, day late and dollar short. Looks like he nailed it!

Looks like a good setup. From his website it looks like he is going to be selling the valving as a retrofit for hammers.

Very interesting... I sent him an email asking for some more details

One could make one XXL J.Y.H if he could build a large port valve. Double end cylinder and a ram with large V guides. I also like the way the cylinder was connected to the ram, pretty compact.

wow, that just looks amazing !

quite a bit of kit , does not seem to be a hard hitter (in this video) but that control !

I have used Kens hammer personally - it hits hard!

This is indeed the basic system used on the Drop hammers I knew. The big difference in this one is the linkage on the ram. On the Erie's I knew we used a long curved cam called a sword that was pushed further sideways as the ram cam down. Did the same as on this one, but had to have lots of grease on the cam.

This looks really fine! I'm impressed immensely by the control with traditional handled tooling. I look forward to learning more about the valves. Though the sliding tube rocker arm and the hammer's guide system are VERY much like various Trozak's machines, the main valve is likely to be similar to old steam hammers.

Did you guys check out his other hammer control youtube? Darn impressive.

Quite an achievement. Cool way of making the anvil.....allot easier than coming up with 10'' x 10'' sq solid.

Very impressive indeed! But he is making adjustments to the linkage for different hammer patterns. Look at the position of the adjustable part of the linkage on the side of the hammer in both videos.

Hi everyone, first off I would like to thank Danger Dillon for starting this thread and for all of the comments. I have been working on this hammer on and off over the last 3 to 4 years trying to make a hammer that responded like the
steam hammer that I operated when I was a blacksmith for the railroad. I would like to invite anyone that would like to try my hammer to stop by my shop, we can get a fire going and do some forging! I would also like to point out
that yes the linkage is adjustable. Moving the adjustment arm inwards towards the pivot point makes the hammer respond more like a treadle hammer where you have to step on the treadle each time or you can just ease the head
down by gently stepping on the treadle. When you move the pivot point outward the hammer reciprocates faster and hits harder. For general forging I run the hammer with the linkage in the middle of the slot. When set this way
you can go from the 8" or so forging height to 0" to single blows to clamping all without adjusting anything. I can assure you that I am not making any adjustments to the hammer in either of my videos. Thanks again.........

Don't think were going to let you off that easy Ken. How big of hammer will it run, when is the valve going to be available and how much will it cost? Oops, I don't even have one of these hammers :huh:

Hello, Kjzitur, I enjoyed your videos and your control without limit switches is an achievement for sure.

I'm not trying to heighjack this thread but my hammer does the samething with limit switches.

Other video explaining the controls.

Check out the other video on Youtube about hammer control.

I guess power hammer Olympics has gotten boring. -_-

Don't think were going to let you off that easy Ken. How big of hammer will it run, when is the valve going to be available and how much will it cost? Oops, I don't even have one of these hammers

I second the above....

I've continued to think about the new valving system debuted here on Ken Z's 100. In my blog I've conjectured about it before, but this morning I think I figured it out. I believe --whether he uses this approach or not--what will work is a 4- or 5-port poppet valve with roller & lever actuation and spring return (a fairly common configuration for a high Cv rating), movement of the roller by a circular cam the profile of which looks like a miniature curved sword like was used on old steam hammers, a lever on that circular cam that is horizontal and parallel to the slotted lever prominent in the video images. The throttling of the hammer is via the amount of lift of the poppets, hence docility at the pivot end of the slot and much more aggressive action at the outer end of the slot. This is the INGENIOUS part of the machine's valving. I have known for a very long time that a roller actuated 2-port valve could be used for throttling and that a 4- or 5-port poppet valve could be used instead of a shuttle valve for creating reciprocation. I'll give credit to Ken Z for seeing that the two valves' functions could be combined. Again, even if he copied an old steam hammer, it is ingenious.

Further, if he wanted to get the truly single-blow behavior that Tom Trozak shows for Phoenix, all Ken has to do is remove one pin in the short tie rod linking his rocker arm to the slotted lever. Yes, I know this will make the slotted lever floppy, but an alternative hole for the pin can fix that. Thus, at the pivot end of the slot, Ken would then have true treadle hammer behavior without the reciprocation he now has showing in the egg and match book videos.

Of course, I could be wrong. :-)

I talked to Ken on the phone today and he did say he Played with a sword style linkage but that's not what this is.... I was impressed enough I ordered one, the first he has sold ;-). Now I just have to find time to build a hammer around it....

I'm building a kinyon hammer next February, when the shop slows down. I'm really interested in the linkage, also how KenZ feels about the 1 x 10 laminate base anvil, vs. a big chunk of 8 inch round solid. is it wiggling at all? A fellow could put holes on a 6 inch schedule and bolt it all together and come up with a strong base that's easier to buy than a big chunk of round, if it works.....

I don't think there would be any problem with an anvil built-up like that. Note the way he banded and capped it.

I talked to Ken on the phone today and he did say he Played with a sword style linkage but that's not what this is.... I was impressed enough I ordered one, the first he has sold ;-). Now I just have to find time to build a hammer around it....

No sword? I was thinking it has the hour glass shaped valve as in Chambersburg, Niles hammers instead of the poppet valve. There has to be some sort of ramp for it to work, huh?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3DsNeky9F4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

What really impresses me is driving the hack.... For a small home built hammer seems to have exceptional control...

It does seem like its got enough umph to do some work although I would never do general forging under the one I build, I really am just interested in it as a tooling/treadle I think I'll build something closer to 150 lbs

So Ken are you ready to tell us on an open forum how much you are selling the retro kits for or should we contact you direct? Would it be difficult to make one for the left side of a hammer rather than the right?