Stop.... It's hammer time: New power hammer!

[Twilight Fenrir]

Hey how is the project coming?

I haven't gotten around to finishing it just yet ^^;

I have a million excuses for it... Had to make stuff for orders, and the holidays.... And winter has certainly played a big role, it's tough to feel motivated to get out to the shop when it's pitch black at 5pm; after I get home from work and eat...

It's still pretty much done, and I know what I'm going to do to overcome the last few hurdles, but I need to feel that motivation to do it. Right now, I'm swimming in ideas for hand-wrought projects, and restoring a few other tools. (I.E. I got a leg vise from about 1750 for my historical reenactment that I need to make a new mounting plate, and make an original style pivot to replace the bolt someone stuck in it)

I also stole some time to retrofit a ~1950s Craftsman bandsaw to cut steel, to fullfill a $250 order for crosses.

But, I've been doing research on using kerosene instead of Borax for forge welding, something I can do in my gas forge without worrying about eating my forge. So sooner or later I'm going to start experimenting with damascus again, and then that power hammer is gonna be a higher priority once more...

Rest assured, as soon as it's done, I'll be sharing videos :3 Just been distracted.... Sorry ^^;

[oldgoaly]

My Mayer bros 50# is sitting there needing be moved and connected up, it was getting the attention of my son who wanted to make a couple of rr spike knives. Using the buffalo forge and coal. He did make a couple of knives, couple of garden tools.
He was complaining how hard the spikes were to work when went from bright red to dark red.
The twists turned out nice!
video of him making the twist in the spike
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2jo_OcIzYM

and a video of him working on the blade
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNmZiAu1iRs

well at least he wasn't playing video games

[Twilight Fenrir]

Well, I know it's been a while, but I finally have an update! :D Today I finally threw the last hour I needed to get my power hammer working at it, and it's up and running! (I am so silly with my procrastination...)

I still need some dies, and there's a little fine tuning to do, but it's basically working!

https://youtu.be/psWp2ZQW-TQ

[oldgoaly]

Cool!
I still need to make dies also, the ones that were in mine had been arc welded in.

[Twilight Fenrir]

Cool!
I still need to make dies also, the ones that were in mine had been arc welded in.

Ouch, well, that's one way to keep them from working loose...

I was given this link as a suggestion for fabricating my own dies... Looks crazy enough to work! And, I can do it for next to nothing, as I can use the cap off RR rail for the working surface, and I have nearly a literal ton of rail laying around :D

http://www.metalsmith.org/pub/mtlsmith/V16.4/weld-die.htm

[lptools]

Nice job on getting that Power Hammer running!!!!!!  good luck with your next project!!! Regards, Lou

[turnnut]

Twilight Fenrir,  good to see your updates on your projects. glad to see the power hammer working. Frank

[oldgoaly]

a couple of pics of the horror that is my power hammer dies. This is one, not sure where the other one is? Chiseled most of it, some hacksaw work. Wasn't easy!

[oldgoaly]

I don't know if I or anyone else mentioned this book and how detailed it is. The Little Giant Power Hammer by Richard Kern.
I was thinking about the dies if they needed to be a certain height like a Sheet metal power hammer. Enough differences to keep you guessing.