VIDEO -- Antique operation of huge steam hot forging hammers runs today

[ichudov]

I was out for business and had a chance to videotape this old forging operation, clearly doing commercial, "run of the mill" work -- but on fascinating, old style equipment. Truly dinosaurs of old. I hope that you will like this video.

 

http://www.machinerymoverschicago.com/blog/DeKalb-Hot-Forging-Plant/

 

The hammers looked like Chambersburgs.

[Thatllbuffout]

Couldn't get that link to work but it looks like you've also posted it on YouTube also:

 

[E.F. Thumann]

I don't understand how this is an "old-style" forging operation? How do you envision that drop forging plants do work? The large hammers in use today are typically 40+ years old in operations that are still going strong.

[ThomasPowers]

The big old stuff was expected to be rebuilt pretty much forever and if you keep up the maintenance it will run pretty much forever.

[ptree]

There are closed die hammers like that all over the world. When I started at VOGT we had a city block shop full from 1500# to 25,000#.

I was in a Sypris plant in Toluca Mexico that was running a 13,000# steam hammer converted to air. Many of the steam hammers are now running on air as the compressors now are often cheaper to run than a steam generator.

And as Thomas notes the old high grade industrial equipment was designed and built to be rebuilt nearly forever.