Nazel

[Blacksmith Jim]

I was able to forge under a Nazel 4b last night. What a fun experience! Those things move metal sooo fast. I played around with a long 3/4" rod and just tried to get the feel of the hammer with it. I made a few playful designs on both ends. Then I tapered down a jack hammer bit to fit my hardy. I think I'll probably make a bending fork from it, or a bic for starting penny scrolls, etc.. Before I went I had to try and think of something productive to forge with such a big hammer!

I wanted to get pics but my digital camera wouldn't hold a battery charge :(

[Frosty]

I got to play with Bob Bergman's 3B a couple summers ago. After seeing how gently I could hit the bar I gave it one peddle to the metal hit. Turned 1 1/4" sq to a large flat spoon shape less than 1/8" thick. Looked a lot like a cartoon thumb.

I'd really like to try a 4B or larger. Don't know if I'd want one though, I'm much too lazy to lift iron large enough to need a hammer that large.

Still. . .

Frosty

[irnsrgn]

I got to try the 500 LG at Sids in Nebr. City years ago, only had a 15 hp motor on it tho and I was not impressed with how slow the larger size had to run. I do have it on video tho for bragging rights. A friend was a machinist on a Sub Tender and the hot shop directly above the machine shop had a 500 LG, they had to give everybody on the ship a half hour notice before using it. LOL

[Blacksmith Jim]

A different acquaintance of mine has a Nazel 5b. He makes a lot of hammers with it I believe. Seems like big hammers like that would be great for a lot of different production forging applications. You can move soo much metal in one heat it just seems ridiculous.

The guy with the 5b has been threatening to hold a party / hammer in for the last year+ But I haven't had a chance to visit his shop yet..

I was really bummed when my camera didn't work. I wanted to post a picture of forging under it up on my cube wall at work. It would be a wonderful distraction from the desk job..

[mike-hr]

Was the 4B at David T's shop behind the building center?

[Blacksmith Jim]

That was the one mike He's got a great shop, and is a real nice guy.

[mike-hr]

I'm real happy to hear it's up and running. He bought the 4B from me. There was a rumour around town of the Weyerhauser mill shutting down the blacksmith shop, and scrapping some mysterious huge hammer. I called the department head several times, he never returned my calls. A couple months later I was driving past the local U-Pull-It auto salvage, and the 4B was sitting behind an old Dodge sedan. I got it home and quickly realized the infrastucture involved in setting it up was more than my marriage could take. I was glad when Dave found me and bought it, he does big sculpture stuff and can use it to its potential. Did he make a foot treadle for it? It was set up for 2-man operator/driver originally.

[Blacksmith Jim]

Yeah, I think he had to fab a few parts, one being the foot treadle. It looks great in his shop, and you are right about Dave using it to its potential. He has some very large an impressive sculptures around his place.

That's funny that you sold it to him. He told me the story a while back about how he got it. It was a fun one to hear.

Another neat deal, was that I met some old woodworking tool collector at Dave's. He told me a few stories about how he had found some old sites way out in the woods where railroad companies or sawmills had set up shops then abandoned them after their work was done, or after a fire, or what not. Sounded interesting. Then he mentioned that he actually knew where there was a hammer similar size to the 4b just rusting out in the woods somewhere. He said a railroad company had brought it out and used it, then when they were done, just pushed it down into a ravine with the rest of the equipment they didn't want to haul back. I'm sure it would be prohibitively expensive to try and salvage, and is probably rusted through, but it was a pretty neat story to hear non the less..

[ThomasPowers]

I know a fellow who prospects for gold as a hobby and he keeps telling me about finding smithing stuff way back in the hills---I've tried to tell him that he could probably make more money bringing that back than the little bits of gold; but he hasn't brought me anything yet.

[HWooldridge]

I knew of a 500 LG that used to be in Corsicana near the tracks. They tore the shop down and left the hammer on the foundation, exposed to the elements. I saw it about 15-18 years ago and it had been outside since the '70's. Was locked up tighter than Dick's hatband - but I think it must have finally gone to the scrapper because I couldn't find anything the last time I went through there a few months back.