iron766 Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Hi guys i am endeavouring to make my version of the rusty/dusty/krusty power hammer and i am asking you how do i straighten the leaf spring? the sprig is in 5 separate sections at the moment due to cleaning off all the scale rust. their clean and ready to be straightened. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbeard Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Heat up to red and hit with hammer! If you have a forge you can heat a small section at a time, then put it on a flat hard surface and hit with the hammer, if it loses colour return to forge. Bb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron766 Posted December 28, 2007 Author Share Posted December 28, 2007 thanks for that. i wasn't sure whether the heating of it would reduce the "spring" in the steel. thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paragon Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 You could also use a fork design to straighten it some after heating of course. I would think.. but if you dont have a fork. hammering should work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skunkriv Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Left the curve in mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 Getting the spring isn't all that hard . The tough part is getting it re hardened and re tempered. That is best left to a spring shop. When i was checking into it I found that buying a new spring would be cheaper than having an old one reworked. If I buils a spring helve hammer I'll just leave the curve in the spring. Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 If I was the one building the hammer, I would not mess with any heat treating solution due to bending the spring. That is because I am not qualified to apply or discuss heat treatment of any sort with leaf springs for purposes of restoring the original spring properties that it was designed for. So, if it was me making the decision to heat, bend, and heat treat, I would avoid the heat treating issue completely just by leaving the spring in its natural shape. Then I would adjust the springs installation orientation (angle of incidence) in such a manner that would maximize its use as it is presently shaped. It may even give the hammer a more streamlined appearance! Be safe! Old Rusty Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paragon Posted December 28, 2007 Share Posted December 28, 2007 It will make it look like it is going fast when it is not even on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron766 Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 thank you all very much for your suggestions. i think the best way to tackle this situation is to just leave it as is, without the neccessity of hardening and tempering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackbeard Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Hmm I had a look at Daniel Gentiles plans for the Krusty, it seems like the springs he used were straightened. Maybe the best sollution would be to contact Daniel and ask how he did it? FERRUM D. Gentile: FERRUM D. Gentile Bb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron766 Posted December 29, 2007 Author Share Posted December 29, 2007 thanks blackbeard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted T Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Good Idea Blackbeard You might want to check out this set of photos (up close) in the mean time. It has a close-up of the spring and the hammer. Just use this URL like Blackbeard gave us. Then slip down to the photos. The spring looks like there is some bend in it to me. But not much. FERRUM D. Gentile: Krusty The 100 pound mechanical powerhammer Be safe! Old Rusty Ted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinD Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Thanks for the links guys! [thumbs up] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerald Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 You might also consider the safety implications of using a junk yard spring for your hammer. You don't know (without some hi-tech testing) what the stress history of the spring is and therefore how close this thing is to breaking under the kind of load that you are putting on the spring. This may be the one single part that you would want to spend a few bucks on to get a new, still flat spring from a spring shop. Consider that this spring is at the level that can cause a lot of damage to critical body parts (head, eyes, etc) if it breaks and goes to flopping around at/near the speed of light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevet Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 I used truck springs that had a slight bend left in , the curve caused no problem, but it was always at the back of my mind that they could break being used, it wouldnt be to difficult to enclose the whole spring in a cover, it would be worth doing this even if you use new springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 forging a tong You notice how close that his hand gets to the fuller that was left in the hardie hole? That is scary !! making a candlestick I guess power hammers are like any other hammer, you need a couple of them so you don't have to change dies all the time (Grin) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blubrick Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 forging a tong You notice how close that his hand gets to the fuller that was left in the hardie hole? That is scary !! Even more scary, did you see him brush the scale off the die with his hands? Sure, he raised the head, but the machine was still running and he put his hand into it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerald Posted December 29, 2007 Share Posted December 29, 2007 Yep, brushing that scale like that could leave him picking his nose with a hook. Good use for an air hose w/blow gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irnsrgn Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I used to rearch and/or straighten vehicle springs all the time, even those real thick ones for semi trailers and trucks. Did it cold in my hydraulic press, the only rule is don't do any pushing cold at the center hole or within a couple of inches of it. Bang. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Funk Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 I see no real reason why the leaf spring helv must be straight. It may take some tweaking of the design to use an arched spring. Using a forge to straighten a spring would be relatively easy but getting a quaility heat treat over such a long item is beyond the capability of many blacksmiths. A spring shop with heatreating facilities would appear to be a desirable option I would be scared to take a leaf spring and cold straighten it and use it in this type of application where a spring failure could be fatal without a subtantial guard. I would plan on using used springs, if I were building one, but we must keep in mind spring failures on trucks are very commom and a used spring may fail due to fatigue at any point. (speaking as a former tractor trailer driver and a road side scrounger who picks up broken springs for forging stock) Use a multileaf spring pack should be used to reduce the negative results of a spring failure as a single leaf failure will not be catistrophic. Also add enough clips on the spring pack so the a broken spring leaf will remain in place if it breaks. The good news is that leaf springs usually fail a leaf at time so inspect the spring pack daily for cracks near the center of the spring. If broken leaves are ignored then the pack can fail catastrophically and wack our vulnerable heads or other anatomy. This is a cool design and as an mechanical engineer it appears to be one of the best options for a shop built mechanical hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ice Czar Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 fatal without a subtantial guard. a good idea for any hammer one that is second nature to anyone using a little giant we have some impressive holes in a few of our guards :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalmangeler Posted December 30, 2007 Share Posted December 30, 2007 Looks to me like Mats has at least 3, there is an air hammer in the tong demo. that he is brushing the scale off of the die. As long as you are setting up to make a hammer might as well make several. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron766 Posted January 1, 2008 Author Share Posted January 1, 2008 Straightening the spring using the weight of a cement mixer truck for three days failed to even make the slightest difference. thank you for all your help guys. ile revise my plans and accommodate the curve in the spring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stretch Posted January 2, 2008 Share Posted January 2, 2008 Springs used to be recurved and a lot of old blacksmith shops had a form to see when the spring was back to its original bend. When you hammer a piece of metal on 1 side all the time it will curve in that direction. They used to take the springs off a car, take them apart and hammer them on one side until the proper curve was attained according to the form. That is why when you are forging a knife you hammer the same amount on both sides of the blade so when you harden it, it won't get a curve to it. If you take any piece of flat bar you can curve or straighten it this way. Make sure where you are hitting with the hammer is on the anvil so it is a nice solid hit and it will curve into your hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tecnovist Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 I have straighten a lot of leaf springs some 60mm wide by 6 or 8 mm by useing a BIG hammer 13 pound and a real large Block of hard wool 700mm high 600mm wide--- have some cord to stop the spring from going onto orbit. if you hit it worng or it brakes in 2 -----i then sharpen about 6 inches of the side of the spring steel tool that is 600mm long to make a hammer slasher for cutting cars up ---I hit them with a 4 pound hammer to cut panal steel and the like ---I tip water from a plastic coke Bottle onto the hot part to stop up setting the temper..as i sharpen them with a 7 inch grinder.. I have the gringer in one hand and the water Bottle in the other.... I have a Roveing Vice on one 44 gallon drum and another 44 gall drum to put the grinder on.. I have Holes slashed in the top of the drums , some were for the water to go stops me getting wet----to add ,,Make shore evey one has a hard hat on --- ---- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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