Branding Iron Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 Picked up this project last weekend. Haven’t owned a power hammer before and never been involved with rebuilding one - looking forward to the education from all of you! Delivered new in 1918 to Holstein, IA. She’s a little overdue for a makeover. I’ll figure out posting pics, I know we all enjoy seeing them. Rebuild book is in hand with Sid’s LG videos on the way... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 7, 2020 Share Posted October 7, 2020 Looks a lot like my 1915, (Merino CO) 25# LG; but not run as hard as mine was. I was lucky that the Babbitt on mine is in good condition. Biggest tip I have so far is to have a lifting point above the hammer so you pull the main shaft, flywheel and clutch using a block and tackle or come-along. When I started; my wife gave me a gallon of WD-40 and I used to anoint all the threaded items regularly for a month or two---made taking things apart easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branding Iron Posted October 7, 2020 Author Share Posted October 7, 2020 Partially disassembled, hoping I don’t have to take clutch off. Don’t see any cracks in Babbitt on shaft from outside yet. Babbitt bearings on body were shot. Main body was dropped off last night for blasting and powder coating. Yes, that’s a bit of a splurge, but I think she’s worth it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branding Iron Posted October 10, 2020 Author Share Posted October 10, 2020 Couple packages came in the mail today! Motor mount, Babbitt, forming shaft, shims, and rebuilding video. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branding Iron Posted November 4, 2020 Author Share Posted November 4, 2020 Sand blasted and powder coated. One step closer! Any reason I couldn’t pour Babbitt over paint? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 I wouldn't, afraid the paint might deteriorate due to the oil and leave too much clearance or bearing spin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted November 4, 2020 Share Posted November 4, 2020 I'd be more afraid of it burning off producing bubbles in the Babbitt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 That too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwj Posted November 7, 2020 Share Posted November 7, 2020 How are you going to get the correct temp to tin and pour the babbit without burning off the powdercoat? The bearings should have been poured first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branding Iron Posted November 8, 2020 Author Share Posted November 8, 2020 I’ve got a couple more weeks to think about it. Worst case scenario I’ll touch up with some wet paint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwj Posted November 8, 2020 Share Posted November 8, 2020 A friend and I just finished pouring bearings in a 100 LG. The journals need to be cleaned to bare metal, all rust, dirt and oil removed. Tinned with 50/50 solder. We preheated the journals to about 400F and the instructions for the babbit was 685F for pour. The top caps were poured too cold and shrunk and had to be repoured. I must have read the LG book a 100 times before we tried the pour. It is not real hard to do but not easy either. Good luck on your pour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branding Iron Posted December 12, 2020 Author Share Posted December 12, 2020 Work, nice weather, family obligations and hunting have delayed me on this project. However, Not completely slacking I was able to locate a used motor over the last few weeks and cleaned surfaces for Babbitt last night. Surprisingly there was no visible bubbling of the paint when I melted it off and the other painted surfaces appear unharmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Branding Iron Posted December 1, 2022 Author Share Posted December 1, 2022 Almost embarrassing but I’ve come to accept certain projects in my life are going to take longer than initially planned. I came across a fantastic deal on a good functioning 25lb LG a few months after the last post in 2020 so here this beautiful unfinished one sits… I pulled this project out again a couple weeks ago with the intention to finish this winter. My first attempt at pouring the bearings is shown here. There were no issues with the paint bubbling from preheat and everything went according to plan (almost). Unfortunately I forgot about leaving the bearing a bit long to trim off, so I went ahead and removed these bearings to pour again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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