acein Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 I recently began rebuilding a boss power hammer made by novelty iron works. I am missing the bottom die that came with the hammer. I have been searching for specs on similar hammers such as the little giant to see if I might be able to use those dies interchangeably. It seems it would be more cost effective to purchase a replacement set from littlegianthammers.com or similar company that is in the habit of making and heat treating these dies on a regular basis rather than talking to a machine shop to custom make one set. Any ideas on a shop who might be able to make them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 Good Morning, I made my own from T1-2.5" thick salvage plate (used for making digger buckets). I did not heat treat and have been using them for over 20 years on my Kuhn. K.I.S.S. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acein Posted January 3 Author Share Posted January 3 That's great! Are they flat dies or combo dies? I don't have any milling capabilities other than what I can achieve by hand. Was hoping to find recommendations on plug and play dies or dies that I could modify slightly to fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 I made some dies for my 30 pound Star power hammer. I used RR track for stock and an angle grinder to shape them. It took a while and I worked on them in my spare time. Like swedefiddle I didn't heat treat them and it hasn't made a difference in how they are holding up. If you put in a picture of where the die goes it might help with suggestions, as like me most folks probably aren't familiar with the Boss power hammer. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s. Semper Paratus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 Good Morning Ace, You have to measure your Hammer for what size and what taper for the wedge. It is easy to make the keys, heat them and drive them in. When the key cools, it will shrink, repeat as needed (or measure the taper and let a machinist make them). My dies are approx 2.5 wide, 6" long, 3.5" (or whatever you need) tall. Flat dies are the best for general work. Use a Fuller Flatter by hand for whatever aggressiveness you want, flat or drawing. Off-Center used to make a double Fuller Flatter, Spring Fuller (Grant died in 2012, now Kayne has his Tools). You are in the heart of NWBA country. Lots of really knowledgeable people within 20-30 miles of you. I am not far by water, just an imaginary line between. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 Ask "Little Giant" if they'll make dies for it? If anybody knows the requirements and specs for your hammer they will. They custom make hammer dies all the time. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 A little googling around and I found this. Pretty cool to have a hammer that old that still works. I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s. Semper Paratus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acein Posted January 5 Author Share Posted January 5 Thanks for the responses.. I will let you know what I end up with. I will get some pics up too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acein Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 I bought some 4340 today at a metal supplier. It was a perfect size remnant. Now I just need some help with the best process to make the dies. I am thinking of attempting to use make them myself using abrasive cut off wheels and a 2" belt grinder. Would it be best to anneal the material them perform the grinding? or Grind the material as is knowing it will take a little more work? I am not too keen on attempting the heat treat process because I don't have an oven or enough oil to quench. I could purchase everything if it is the best option. I just don't know if the application requires the 4340 to be completely heat treated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goods Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 I would heat it to non magnetic hold it to get the temperature even through out, then slow cool in vermiculite overnight as prep for grinding. (Belt can get costly, but I guess fuel it too.) 4340 can air harden a little, but I’m not sure with a large block. Honestly, I would go with air hardening and leave it at that. Too soft for a hammer die is way safer than too hard! Just my two cents… Keep it fun, David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 4340 is low carbon low alloy and hardening it under ideal conditions might get 5RC 54. It's a nickel chrome alloy intended for high structural strength not impact resistance though it'd be okay for hammer dies. Everything you need to know about the stuff is easily available online. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Good Morning, Ace I made the dies for my Kuhn with T-1, salvage plate (2.5" thick, 6" Long). T-1 is used for big Loader Buckets. I never heat treated and that was over 20 years ago. It is better if they are not hard!! Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acein Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 My understanding is that power hammer dies should be right around 50-55. I didn't think they should be much harder than that. Am I wrong about that? I looked around the internet and found 4340 as a steel that others had used for power hammer dies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acein Posted January 23 Author Share Posted January 23 What are your recommendations on hardness of power hammer dies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick Posted February 9 Share Posted February 9 Your questions about hardness and heat treatment of these dies are addressed in some other threads. But seeing the pics you've shared I have real concerns about cracking in the corner of the dovetail during quenching. I had that happen to similar dies I made from 4340. I suggest you use a ball end mill of at least 1/2 diameter to create a bigger radius in that corner. If you can go bigger, like 5/8 or 3/4, I'd do that. these dies are designed for load bearing on the bottom of the die, not the shoulders, so if you have to take a little off that shoulder to improve the corner radius it will not hurt die performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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