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I Forge Iron

My First Hammer


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I built this Bull mutant hammer in 2003 and it was originally a 250, recently I lightened the tup by 50lbs so it would be more snappy because finishing blows were too slow.

Yeah, I know the anvil is too small....but when I first built it sat atop 5000 pounds of concrete that was above grade 10'' so it seemed reasonable at the time and it will still will do a decent job forging 3'' sq mounted on timbers but a 4 to 1 tup to anvil is a bit on the bang side, I want it to THUMP again so........

The old piece of round used for the anvil is 9''x 20.5'' x 369 lbs and the new piece is a 18x15x12'' x830 lb scrap injection mold (for .35 cents PP) which when capped with a piece of 2x12x15'' plate will weigh in at 932 lbs. The 2'' plate base under it counts for at least 500 lbs so I'll be  over 1450 lbs total with the lower dies so....7 to 1 + it will be...... B)

I'm going to do the PH test before and after and there better be a diff or I'll bight a nail in half !!! :angry:

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Greetings Macbruce,

 

Very impressive...  Its a shame you only have little toys to play with...   I went  and got older and had to downscale the big toys and moved to northern Michigan... Still got my share of hammers but not like yours...  I'm jealous...  But I no longer have the big commissions to do...  One day when I go to visit my daughter in Evergreen I'll give you a shout ..  I'll bet we could share some great stuff...

 

Keep it thumpin

Jim

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All I can say is I'm glad I built that hammer when I was in my 50's...... :lol: .....Why I started with a big one is, well, just how I am and I paid the price building the thing.....Take for instance the three shiny bolt heads that hold the side plates to the frame.....I was at a junkyard of course  and spotted six SS 1''x 3.5'' coarse thread bolts......A little big I figured because 3/4 or 7/8 would have been fine, but big, fat SS heads would look cool...Right? Tapping 1'' x 2'' deep holes by hand is.....well, you just haven't lived until you do six of em, take my word...... :wub:

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That looks like a "beastie" :)

Just what  made you think that hand tapping those  big holes was going to be a good idea?  I was hoping you could enlighten me as I often get some "smart"  idea only to kick myself later. I'd like to suss out just when I should kick an idea into touch(prefrably before I start) as I'm also in my 50's  I don't like to stop once I've commited myself down some "less than smart" path, I suppose I hate to admit to myself that some plans are a crock!

 

Kees us posted MB

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Is this a self contained hammer? I ask because of the double cylinders and I don't see any obvious feed lines running up the wall.

 

If it is, would you be up for a tutorial on how the air system of a self contained hammer works? I've thought about building one to replace my compressor powered hammer, but I know nothing about the linkage, valves, cylinders etc, and how they work.

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Is this a self contained hammer? I ask because of the double cylinders and I don't see any obvious feed lines running up the wall.

 

If it is, would you be up for a tutorial on how the air system of a self contained hammer works? I've thought about building one to replace my compressor powered hammer, but I know nothing about the linkage, valves, cylinders etc, and how they work.

I'm pretty good, but I ain't THAT good..... ^_^ ......The hammer, like I said is a ''Bull'' mutant. I actually was privy to some drawings by Tom Trozak when I built it. His drawings were of a double cylinder hammer that mounted the cylinders side by side. It seemed more logical to mount them inboard and outboard. If I had it to do over (which I do but I ain't) I'd use a single cylinder design with a Zitur control. It runs on 15 hp compressor.

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There is some new linkage available, I think from one of the hammer builders that can be adapted to most hammers. I remember a vid of the hammer closing a wooden match box a tiny bit at a time- pretty amazing and worth your while to investigate. Good luck with your build!

Dave

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Hey Bruce, interesting hammer design with the two cylinders. I will be looking forward for the results of your before and after power hammer tests..........ken

The two cylinders were a necessary evil at the time and I wish your control had been available. I couldn't get past the small Norgren spool valve with it's 1/2'' npt ports and using one surely would have made the hammer action very sluggish,  so Norgren spool valve x 2 it was. I remember you saying that your valve would operate a 250 lb single cylinder hammer no problem and that would have cut fabricating (the head)and all those hoses in half.

It is an ugly duck I'll admit, but it rocks.

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Best in 10 blows
Nazel 3B - .155
Larry's Say Mak - .248
Big Blu 155# - .258
Bradley guide helve 460# ram weight - .259
Say Mak 60KG - .260
MacBruce's shop built 250# - .280
Big Blu 110# - .294
Anyang 88# - .300
Tim's wore out say mak 60KG - .320
EF Thumann's Model D 125# - .328
IronKiss Octagon 100 - .360
250# Murray Mechanical - .383
Bradley 500# guided helve - .489
Sahinler 110# - .397
Big Blu 155 MAX - .475
Anyang 55# - .545
KA75 - .565
Big Blu 65# - .572
1909 MacGowan and Finnigan "Perfect" 80# - .630
KA150 - .636
Kane and Roach 85# - .721
Don S's Treadle Hammer 66# -.780
Don S's Rusty hammer 34# - .832
Little Giant 25# - .835 
All images posted Copyright Sam Salvati, use of without my express permission is uncool.
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The old reading on my hammer when it was a 250 is still good, but it is now a 220 due to the fact I lowered the tup to more like 100k or 220. I'm going to fuss with it a bit more and see if the reading changes. The timbers it's on suck XXXX and it rocks.....I'm leaning towards making a box out of steel say 10''x 1/4'' the size of the steel plate base and filling it with concrete, THAT will put an end to the wiggles and maybe up the efficiency a tad more.....

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