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I Forge Iron

Czech power hammer


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I was lucky enough to visit Petr Florianek just out side of Prague .

 he has a loverly little Guided helve hammer of a type I have not seen before in the flesh.  Although there are many of them (similar) on a lot of the German you tube videos of industrial tool making.

 The hammer is a 40KG Prako a real compact hulk of a hammer around 4 foot tall.

I was quite smitten. The hammer has been completely reconditioned and has the lightest blows I have experienced (up there with the nazel) and packs a punch at 300bpm..... The helve spring arrangement means that you can feather the blows and the ram comes down progressively . A matchbox shutting mechanical hammer. clutch is motor with ruberised  (some synthetic) wheel to flywheel and a brake, basically tire hammer tech in reverse.

The machine is around a tonne , compact and sturdy.

 Anyhow I was impressed, I am thinking of getting one , the directly linear control would go down well with damascus students.

 

here is a little vid to show the action.

 

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Awesome and it really illustrates one of the big advantages of a guided spring helve hammer; they simply are not top heavy and have inherent stability. 

Interesting that they don't use the very simple and reliable flat belt clutch though. 

Edited by arftist
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Mattias Peters in Aachen had two similar Federhammers in his forge alongside a 50kg. Reiter. When I asked his blokes how they got on with the (then latest and best and coveted by me) Reiter they all said they preferred the speed and sensitivity of the feder hammers. 

Definitely horses for courses though, limited use for me, but I can imagine for a blade maker they would be perfect.

Alan

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Mattias Peters in Aachen had two similar Federhammers in his forge alongside a 50kg. Reiter. When I asked his blokes how they got on with the (then latest and best and coveted by me) Reiter they all said they preferred the speed and sensitivity of the feder hammers. 

Definitely horses for courses though, limited use for me, but I can imagine for a blade maker they would be perfect.

Alan

​Is horses for courses like comparing apples to oranges? This is the problem with idioms. English is difficult enough without you brits adding to the confusion (sarcasm).

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​Is horses for courses like comparing apples to oranges? This is the problem with idioms. English is difficult enough without you brits adding to the confusion (sarcasm).

Outrageous! ​Anyone would think it was our language to do with as we please! :)

I have heard the Americanism "comparing Apples to Oranges" (even though the British are renowned in your country only for the green coloured citrus fruit). But "comparing like with like" would be the most familiar UK version of that for me. "Horses for courses" is not so much a comparative expression. In case you are not familiar with the phrase it derives from horse racing world. Whilst recognising they may well be brilliant in their own field, a flat-racing horse will not be as suited to a steeplechase course as a steeplechase horse and vice versa. Matching the right tool with the job.

I am now just going to go and "throw my hat in the ring" in the Call A Hammer A Hammer thread about the misuse (from the English language point of view) of the word "die" in the American language! :)

Alan

Edited by Alan Evans
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