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I Forge Iron

Early Pilkington power hammer.


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I saw this a few weeks ago on ebay and decided to take a punt on it. the ebay photos were basic so I was not exactly certain what I was purchasing but you have to take a chance.....

 The hammer was described as working  and I checked that it was before  it was dismantled for collection. It seemed to work quite well.

 I brought it home yesterday on the back of a rental truck and aside from accidentally bringing a non compliant hgv into london and having to pay a £200 quid fine .....!!!!! all went well apart from that!!!

 So here she is after a degrease and jet wash.....

 I think that this is an older type hammer, there is a more modern looking pilkington that Mick Maxen pointed me to dated at 1903, I think this is earlier (just a guess) , the valving is basic from what I can see , with a verticaly mounted cylinder valve above the rear drive piston  directing air to atmosphere or front slave piston , there is a rubber flap valve at the back to allow for vacuum and another on the front piston that exhausts and has a little leather flap on it!

 The top of the front piston has a large cylindrical recess right down into the front piston so the tup must be a hollow form with an open top?

 the pitman at the back (crank shaft) has a modern remade bearing at the bottom and is similar to a lot of the European helve hammer pitmans I have seen, quite a lot more complicated than a normal  crank shaft set up.

I think she is in the 80 to 100 lb range.....overall weight is over 1.5 tonnes (my scales don't do heavier)

 I will take it all apart for a clean and see what is really happening in there.

 

here she is...

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and from other side

 

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the bottom end with internal fly wheels...

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the top of the valving cylinder...

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flap valve and air intake ...( I think)

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the little front flap valve...

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the name plate says it all...

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I'll post more piccies when she is painted and working again...

 

 

 

 

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I have seen an other Pilkington that has a square bar in the hole that holds a wide belt control. Guiding the belt drive onto either drive wheel or idle wheel. These wheels are mounted on the same axle as Owens vpulley, though on the other side on the one I've seen.

Andrew

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I had her apart today , couldn't resist...

 it looks like the whole hammer has been lubricated with grease! or a grease and oil mix could be a bad sign.....

 there was certainly no lack of lube going on which is a good sign.

 the front piston  cover does have a very deep internal cone, I am guessing that this helps with reducing the volume of air needed to pull a vacuum (although thinking about it I think the math is the same either way.)

 

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the ram is hollow as well  (of course) and weighs in at 89lb.

 

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the ram surface is good all the way down to where some SOB has been at it with an angle grinder and grinding disk!!.

There is so much good surface that I don't think this is s problem, all the ground surface is past the bearing on impact, but I doubt that I will be able to live with it looking like that.

I will have to be cleane it  up, as well  as the flat at the back for the same reason.

I can understand having to grind rust off of the exposed piston if its left down and exposed but with a grinding disk!!!!!!!!

 

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I will carefully linish the roughness away on a slack belt.

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 yup the very same, the fields full of poppies on the way down there were a sight to behold.

 

Yeah nice time of year this with everything growing well.

 

I nearly put in a bid for that hammer but really I lacked the knowledge, space and money... certainly looks like its gone to a very good home though!

 

This one is also for sale at the moment - could be the start of your 'big boy' collection. If that is even considered a big boy?!

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I don't think that this hammer is nearly as complex as a nazel.
It's a single acting system with pressure pushing the ram down and vacuum pulling it up so the cone as far as I can tell is just reducing the internal volume of the front piston. I guess it may allow for a taller ram and therefore a bigger bearing surface against the inside of the front cylinder...?
There is a simple one way valve in the top of the front cylinder that allows for air cushioning.

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