I got to use this tire hammer again to forge weld and draw out some pattern welded billets this weekend. I have posted another link to a video that is more detailed than the last two I did. My son shot the video at times, so bear this in mind. I also added some still shots in the video. If anyone has any specific parts they want pics of, I may go back later this week, so let me know.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GvSJPyyIoeo

That's awesome.  I love how they used a wishbone to go around the upright instead of putting it on top like most hammers did.  And using that old wheel is just classic.  If I had a wheel like that, I'd build a hammer with it, too.

The design works well - I can attest to its womp when it hits. The only problem that we have discovered is that woodchucks are borrowing under brick floor and undermining it - kind of has a hollow sound when striking.

Thanks for taking the time to share that video with everyone... Great close ups of the machine...

And with the hardy hole still on that anvil, there are lots of options for tooling to help with various movements.

 

Never get tired of looking at that beauty!

@vaughT - until you mentioned the hardy hole, I didn't even remember it. Went back and looked at pics to see it. I am so focused Aron my work, that I don't see the machinery in front of me.

Very cool hammer. About the wood chucks. You can try drilling into one of the burrows under the hammer and grouting it full with a fluid mix of cement and sand.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

Glad I could help, Steve! :) 

 

A coupla bottom fullers would help draw metal faster, but you seemed to be doing pretty good without them.

 

Any idea was the tup was originally?  Does it have a hardened face?

Depending on what the pattern on a billet is that you wish...bottom fullers for drawing may enhance or degrade the finished pattern.

For years I have used drawing dies on billets, a couple of years back I switched to flat dies. Not likely to go back...but kept the others anyway for drawing monosteel.

Thanks for the tips - My damascus work has been random so far.  Going to start a new billet soon.  Still working on getting better welds as some of these photos show: