RKM556 Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Hello all! I am in the process of acquiring a new 250# Murray hammer. I'm really excited, except for the fact that it needs new dies. I was quoted about $1600 from LG to have some dies made for it, but I am unsure if I can afford that right now. I'm looking into potentially making my own as I am pretty confident I can machine my own set. I have a great local source for heat treat. My only issue is finding stock large enough that is not extremely expensive. I am located near Atlanta, and I have received a few quotes for 4"x5"x16" 4140 bar, but all have been just over $700. Do you know of any creative places where I can find large stock suitable to make power hammer dies? I am slightly nervous to use a scrapyard, as I do want to have some sort of idea what material I am working with for safety reasons. Or, should I just suck it up and by the dies from LG? The dimensions I need are 4"x5"x8" per die. PS: If anyone has stock this large and is within 400-ish miles of ATL, I would love to buy it from you and bring you a beer or something. I love meeting other blacksmiths! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judson Yaggy Posted February 27, 2019 Share Posted February 27, 2019 Buy drops of large round bar and bandsaw it down to rectangular. 4140 in large round(8"+ dia) is WAY cheaper than rectangular stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarntagforge Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 You could look on online flea markets or ebay or such. I found exactly what you were looking for but in Finland. A local reclaimed steel and steel trader is retiring and selling his stock. Even if he hadn't been retiring he would still have a bunch of it. Maybe there's someone local. You could ask local construction steel suppliers for info on such traders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 11, 2019 Share Posted March 11, 2019 I buy 4140 drops from a local equipment repair and machine shop for scrap price. IF they want to take the time to weigh it, they usually just say $10 or $20 and I'm set for a few years. I believe Atlanta has oil tool companies and machine shops, they're a good place to find large drops in the scrap bin. Last time I shopped an oil tool company's scrap bin I staggered away with a 4140 drop, 5" thick slice off a 9" dia. round bar. Of course it really helps that I'm a likable talker. If you aren't, take donuts and be nice to the receptionist!! Make her a nice card holder or piece of table / desk art as a think you. You'll be in like Flin. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted March 19, 2019 Share Posted March 19, 2019 Check with a forklift repair company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RKM556 Posted March 21, 2019 Author Share Posted March 21, 2019 Thank you all so much for the time in replying! I will definitely look into these options. I'll post an update with some hammer pics too once all is set up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason0012 Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 I need some too. My hammer has taper dies for chisle pointing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted March 23, 2019 Share Posted March 23, 2019 Look for a big hydraulic ram. Large shafts are also usually good material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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