February 28, 201610 yr This hammer is for sale he wants $950.00 for this hammer. Is it worth that amount? hawkeye.bmp
February 29, 201610 yr Greetings Harlow, It looks in very good condition. what are your plans for this hammer ? I have one that I use for a lawn ornament because l consider it dangerous for use in the shop.. I would do some research on what the hammer can do and it's limitations. How will you power the unit? Forge on and make beautiful things Jim
March 1, 201610 yr Greetings Morokaye, Sometimes things make a better conversion piece than functional .. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim
March 3, 201610 yr That type of hammer has a very limited stroke and not much room between the top and bottom dies. It's great for thin stock where you might need to draw out a bit, but using a top tool to punch a hole or something..... nope. I'd be likely to buy it for that price if it was working. You're not likely to build your own hammer for that little, and it's got a wonderful look to it. I like antique machinery, but you need to be aware of its limitations and drawbacks.
March 3, 201610 yr Vaughn T - The Hawkeye I have is rated for forging 2" round, there is just as much if not a bit more of stroke during hammering as the Little Giants, (depends on the adjustments made on the helve arm and the toggle arms adjustment). The Hawkeye's are forging hammers not sheet metal tappers. Harlow's picture on the first post of this thread is the only pic I had to use to rebuild mine as far as placements/sizing of wood for everything as mine had no wood at all - just a pile of seized up rust. This is a pic of all the parts in place, just a few needing painting, then it's ready for final assembly. - 1903 Hawkeye Helve Hammer - JK - 5/2/07 The second pic is of as purchased. Third is during rebuild.
March 3, 201610 yr I sold my Hawkeye #3 and got several people who wanted to buy it for the $2500 I was asking. I wound up accepting an offer of $3000 from a guy who just had to have it and was willing to pay a bonus to get to the front of the line. So I'd say that at $950 you wouldn't be taking much of a risk if it turns out you don't like it. My reason for wanting to pass it on was the difficulty in controlling it that really prevented me from getting much use out of it. I'm sure someone more skilled could have tamed it, but for me it was either all or nothing on that idler pulley.
March 3, 201610 yr On 3/1/2016 at 8:42 PM, Jim Coke said: Greetings Morokaye, Sometimes things make a better conversion piece than functional .. Forge on and make beautiful things Jim Ah, but I am a sucker for old machinery, and will always take in a sad old tool and try to bring it back to life. This breaks my heart!
March 4, 201610 yr On March 3, 2016 at 8:20 PM, jeremy k said: Vaughn T - The Hawkeye I have is rated for forging 2" round, there is just as much if not a bit more of stroke during hammering as the Little Giants, (depends on the adjustments made on the helve arm and the toggle arms adjustment). Jeremy, I wasn't trying to imply that the Hawkeye was a sheet-metal tapper, but that the arc of travel that the helve travels in somewhat limits it when compared to a guided-helve hammer. Your rebuild is certainly masterful and does credit to your abilities.
March 9, 201610 yr On 2/28/2016 at 4:27 PM, Harlow said: This hammer is for sale he wants $950.00 for this hammer. Is it worth that amount? hawkeye.bmp I would like to talk to you about your power hammer, can you call me at Phone number removed by the moderator thanks Butch
March 10, 201610 yr On 3/4/2016 at 4:34 PM, VaughnT said: Jeremy, I wasn't trying to imply that the Hawkeye was a sheet-metal tapper, but that the arc of travel that the helve travels in somewhat limits it when compared to a guided-helve hammer. Your rebuild is certainly masterful and does credit to your abilities. Vaughn T - no worries - you are right in that helves hammers pose a challenge vs. other types of hammers as far as some operations.
July 28, 20178 yr On 2/28/2016 at 7:03 PM, Jim Coke said: It looks in very good condition. what are your plans for this hammer ? I have one that I use for a lawn ornament because l consider it dangerous for use in the shop.. I would do some research on what the hammer can do and it's limitations. How will you power the unit? Jim Sorry to drag up this old post. Just want to know what you find dangerous about them. Thanks! Mel
July 28, 20178 yr I'm not Jim but I see a FEW dangerous aspects to this machine. Where to start, uh, the drive belt is not only exposed it's out in the open where it can grab anything that gets close! Then there is all those moving parts, pinch points, shear points swinging, clubs, etc. It's like an exaggerated poster for what safety guards are for! I'd have to figure out how to safely build a shield for the whole darned thing before I even considered using it. It'd be fun to watch and probably use but it's dangerous as all gitout. Frosty The Lucky.
July 28, 20178 yr Frosty I can see the Wisdom of putting guards on the drive mechanism. You would run in to that safety issue trying to use any line shaft driven equipment. Drive it with an electric motor and put a guard over it. As for the hammer and pinch points, if someone can't keep there fingers or other body parts out of them then maybe blacksmithing is not the hobby for them. I have worked with machine tools for years as a hobby. A lathe is a most unforgiving machine. It seems to me all power hammers have a lot of pinch points. I am not trying to be a jerk just don't see anything that can't be managed. I am willing to learn if I am mistaken. Thanks Mel
July 28, 20178 yr The blacksmith will know or will learn where not to put his fingers and body parts. Shields and guards are just a reminder to him, and will keep him from getting close to the danger. It is the visitor or non-blacksmith that comes into the shop and wants to touch. They sometimes even go as far as turning the wheels to see the action of the machine. They will even go as far as sticking their fingers INSIDE or around the guards and shields. These are the people you are trying to protect from themselves. It is a good idea to use TWO electrical switches, one in plain view and convenient to the operation of the machine, and another electrical switch either hidden or at least in an inconvenient location. This cuts down on the possibility of accidentally turning things on. Yes it is over kill, but your dealing with people that have no concept of safety, and how to keep their hands in their pockets.
July 28, 20178 yr IForgeIron pushes safety early, often, and every chance we get. Being hurt is not fun and can take days, weeks or years to recover from injuries. You must always ask yourself, *Is it worth looking a finger, arm or life over?* Ask someone that lost a finger or hand how long it took to adapt and if they are now fully functional with the adaptation. What are the little things they still can not do? If in doubt, wear a patch over one eye for a FULL DAY and then come back and tell us the caution to use eye protection is not justified. We continue to say, if your tired quit. The brain and body have been overworked and are not 100 percent active, alert, and processing the information correctly or in real time. We grow comfortable with working with machinery, as well as hot, heavy, sharp and dangerous things. This does not make them safe. It just means we have been careful and have not been injured yet. One momentary distraction is all it takes to change your life forever.
March 20, 20224 yr On 2/28/2016 at 4:27 PM, Harlow said: This hammer is for sale he wants $950.00 for this hammer. Is it worth that amount? hawkeye.bmp I'll give a grand. It's for a small heritage village workshop/museum I volunteer at. The old blacksmith there would love it. I would too but I'm only the apprentice.. even though i ran an 8000lb double action erie steam hammer for 30 yrs....lol I would love to buy and show her in the workshop at the village.. thanks. I'd wanna sell, message me please
March 21, 20224 yr Welcome from the Ozark mountains. Do you realize the OP hasn't logged in since June 8, 2017 and he wasn't the owner of the hammer? You might try and sending him a PM he may get it if he has notifications turned on.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.