Hitting Hot Steel with the 3B

[Dave Hammer]

I finally hit a little hot steel with the 3B I've been working on. I had problems with the drifts (die keys) coming loose, so I didn't get as much done as I had hoped. I did however, put together a little video that is now on YouTube. For any interested, you can find it at

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3gPMX2d_Gs&feature=channel



I have worked on the drifts a bit and hope to be putting up more video later.

[Bill Cottrell]

Congrats Dave - that is a sweeeet looking hammer.

[JNewman]

Looks Good Dave. So you want to sell the 1b now?

[Dave Hammer]

Thanks........

Sell??.... and break up the family? Nawwww.

[Frosty]

Looking good Dave though I have to admit I've only gotten to spend maybe almost one minute on a 3B. Bob Bergman's shop 3B as a matter of fact in 05. I was doing the same thing seeing just how much finness I could apply till Bob said "OH just give it a smack!" So I gave a 1 .25" sq bare one full power blow and made it look like a cartoon thumb mashed to about 14ga. sheet metal thickness.

I'd just LOVE a working 3B but would love even more to be able afford one up here in the far north west of Alaska. Not that I'm in NW Alaska that is.
Frosty the Lucky.

[K. Bryan Morgan]

Oh I would really like to have one of those. Of course any power hammer would be nice. As it is I have to drive 5 1/2 hrs to Frosties to play with one. Which is fine with me. Frosty rocks.

[Frosty]

Oh I would really like to have one of those. Of course any power hammer would be nice. As it is I have to drive 5 1/2 hrs to Frosties to play with one. Which is fine with me. Frosty rocks.

I rock because my balance is still a little messed up.

Heck Bryan we can build you a power hammer for not much with a little scrounging. It's not like they're complicated things like a sewing machine.

Frosty the Lucky.

[K. Bryan Morgan]

Oh, thats a good idea. I think I know where I can get some I beam for next to nothing. It may take a while to get what I need. You got my wheels spinning.

[david hyde]

which ever of the many routes to making a hammer (air, tyre, axle etc etc) my advice would be to put most of your time/ budget into finding a good lump of steel to use as a anvil. It's the single most effective and simplest way of improving the "forging effectiveness" of a power hammer.

I've got a 25kg kinyon. I first used a piece of 130mm diameter by 750mm shafting .... it was ok but nothing to write home about. I then upped it to a piece of 230mm dia ..... made a MASSIVE difference.

If the budget is there it may be worth thinking of buying a length of new shafting, rather than spending days trawling through scrap yards and then only to find an odd and marginally suitable "lump". Buy yourself say around 3 ft of 8 to 10" diameter. I don't know what steel prices are like in your neck of the woods but I would imagine it would costs around £250-400 (pound UK). This investment will repay you MANY MANY times over a few years use.

Hell, look at the ludicrous amounts of money people will spend on a Hofi hammer at the drop of a hat. To me, my "ergonomic" way of hammering is to do as little heavy duty hand hammering as possible, use your power hammer (preferably powerhammerS) to do the bulk of moving the metal (it soon becomes a drudge by hand when moving lots of metal) and do the skillfull, enjoyable, rewarding final finishing by hand. Saves your body FAR more than any Fancy Dan hand hammer will. (I taught myself using a 3lb club hammer, not the best but it DID). Money on a suitable lump of steel is money WELL spent. In the unlikely event that you decide to sell your hammer, you'll probably get your money back. I say unlikely because after aquiring the first power hammer, the usual journey is to want ANOTHER.

[K. Bryan Morgan]

Thank you for your insight David.

As far as an anvil is concerned, I may have a solution for myself. We have one of the largest rail yards in Alaska here in Fairbanks. I am going to ask them for an axle from a box car. I know they have to be replaced on a regular basis for maintenance reasons and weigh in around 4-600 pounds. I figure that would be good enough. IF and a big if .. they will give me or sell me an old one.

As for the other things I may need for this project. I found a good place to get scrap metal just the other day. And I know where this I beam is that will never be used for anything. I'll ask the owner if I can have it. Use that for the framing.

This is a down the road project. Not something I'm going to be able to do for a while. Just some of my thoughts on how to go about it.