I just had one of those aha moments or maybe a complete lack of logic. Would it be possible to some how mount a jackhammer and stabilize it and use it as a power hammer? Tell me what you think has anyone tried it?

Yes over a decade ago there were two differing builds posted on the net.  Basic take on it was that it was a bad idea a jack hammer has very short "throw" and needs to be mounted with some give to the holder as it's not designed for a rigid mount.  Much cheaper and better to build one of the known good power hammer plans out there already.

Good thing to ask about before building, though.

https://youtu.be/Xw1n0IeQM9A

  Air hammer forge - how silly (wink) or Jesse Sipola in case of inoperable link

 

Very interesting! 

Ah yes the man in the iron mask!  I've seen some very nice work doing using hand held impact tools, especially with repousse ; but they do not do the job of a powerhammer---note that the short throw is compensated by the forger's hand following the work as it deforms and compare it to how a powerhammer deals with differing thickness in a single forging session.   One of the examples I recall had the jackhammer spring mounted "to mimic the 90 pounds of workman's belly hanging over the handle" was how he put it,  IIRC

Austin I use the jack hammer that attaches to my skid steer loader as a power hammer.  I can dish a 5/16"x 2'x2' plate in less than 7 min.  I have also made some different dies for it.   

WAY COOL!!! matto got any pics we love pics friend has both skid steer & hammer HMM ? lol

you doing that cold ??? i am thinking fire pit dishes ? 

I will see what I can get off my old computer.  This sculpture is 1/4" plate.  Shaped then welded together.  I will see what ever else I can find.

 

This is 1/4" plate

this is 3/8" plate

very interesting way to form stuff LOL 

Anvil's Ring maybe 22 years ago or so had three articles by "Hammer and Hand" studio where they talk about using air chippers and jack hammers and such for piercing and drifting and forging. They liked the hex tools as they did not rotate.

You should be ablate locate the back issue with a search over at ABANA.org...........if you find them let me know.

 

Ric

Sure just don't expect them to do the work of a Nazel, Little Giant, etc. but as the videos show they certainly can be used on hot steel. I have a few bits for an air chisel that work nicely for heading rivets, punching, cutting, etc. I picked up a pneumatic needle scaler at . . . a . . . Yard sale! a couple summers ago and it textures hot steel with a vengence. You just have to like a bunch of sharp little crater shapes. However by applying the scaler to a HOT block then breaking the sharper features with a hammer and sander it makes a nice texturing die for a pebbly finish.

Frosty The Lucky.

Frosty, the scalers also work great for peening welds during cast iron repairs. Once the needles get used they tend to get more rounded, you could also take them out and round them up on a grinder/sander some.

Yes, needlers/scalers work good for peening. Also used one for work hardening a brass base.

Super cool what that guy is doing with that air hammer, I was wondering I'm not a blacksmith by any means but in the giant steel mills they have huge roller presses they roll it back an forth on then roll it back into the forge, repeat, etc.. Would  it be possible to scale that process down and incorporate the air hammer function into the rollers so it would a hammer as it was roll formed down? Stupid or is there a functional reason why you shouldn't perform it in that way?

Inefficient and difficult to apply pressure for rolling and then syncopate it.  What is it that you want to accomplish that is not being done in the rolling?

Jack hammers don't make the right kind of impact though there are a couple guys who do hollow forming in steel plate with jackhammers.

It'd be more practical Incorporating a roll forge and impact forge processes laying down a thick steel plate on a really solid floor and running over it with a vibratory roller. The kind used to compact road grades, yes?

It'd be a neat video but . . . 

Frosty The Lucky.

On 4/23/2019 at 7:50 PM, brokendash said:

Super cool what that guy is doing with that air hammer

Here's another video of him, where he actually uses a jack hammer!

 

I thought I'd seen this before, turns out to be the same general sculpture with a different air hammer. 

Does he do other things besides faces?

Frosty The Lucky.

It seems faces is his thing. He does some other stuff too. Here's his gallery.

http://oshipala.com/gallery.html

On 2/29/2016 at 12:45 PM, Austin Ferraiuolo said:

I just had one of those aha moments or maybe a complete lack of logic. Would it be possible to some how mount a jackhammer and stabilize it and use it as a power hammer? Tell me what you think has anyone tried it?

Good idea though! I commend you on your imagination my friend! Good luck on your build!

Austin last visited here around 3 years ago; no updates since then.

Actually pneumatic upsetters are more or less a jackhammer with an extended stroke.

This is an IR34 with square head bolt dies. It will forge about 1 1/2 or so. The IR40 will forge over 2" using the same method.

I realize this thread is old, but heck, so am I. After I retired from my greatly varied career I re-started an old hobby I had of smithing. I found out quickly that I couldn't swing a hammer as long and strong as I once did, so for brain-damage type of straitening and drawing, I put this together. Thomas and Frosty are correct that it is not optimal and requires a wide "top die" welded to it AND a quick hand to move the steel around before it gets a deep channel bashed in it but it is good for straightening the (reputed) 1060 spring steel you can find laying around near railroad tracks. The anvil is the pin of a 100 ton shackle I found at the bottom of the Mississippi River back when I was a commercial diver. Hard to see in the pic, but I welded casters to the bottom of the push rods that ride on the angle iron pedal. I use a foot switch to activate. 

I recently accidently bought a "basket case" 50# Little Giant. Still have a bit of work to get it going but i don't know how much I'll use Ole Jack once I do.

Purple Bullet,

 

That is a cool set up. Do you get much impact/vibration sent back to your foot raising the anvil to the jackhammer?