Thread: Rons new toys.....

Ah, the disease of steel in full bloom. It's a terrible thing to see such a strong clean laboratory intellect being drawn into the dirty world of slag burns and hearing decay.

You have a good start on "the largish strange pieces of big iron that don't move very far or get much work done (yet)" symptom. Now maybe followed by power hammer rebuilding disorder...perhaps. You need to become good friends with John Adams, if not already. Have someone who really knows LG hammers visit and give you a cold opinion about what needs to be done.

Of the two, the bolted gibs is the newer model variation. Little Giant was known to change design features frequently. If you can find the serial number somewhere, or other features: Indentifying your hammer

Also: Little Giant-Mayer Bros. Power Hammer Identification Guide

Great addition to any smithy that's for sure!
I have been drooling over these hammers for years, looks like they are in good shape.

Thats some egg before the chicken shop set up, hahaa Power hammers SSSS (two!!) before the forge and tongs love it! Go big or go home hahaaa

There is definitely NO end to setting up a nice shop. there is always something that can help and that hammer will be a huge time/arm saver.

Thinking about it I would keep both hammers if you can. Having rounded drawing dies one one hammer & flat dies for tooling & general forging on the other one would be a great thing.
Using a power hammer will really save the arm joints & muscles I got carpel tunnel & cubital tunnel problems from swing a hammer to much. Also from playing drums in loud bands was to blame LOL!!
Having a good power hammer or two is money in the bank! The prices just go up like good anvils. I could kick myself for selling the three vintage anvils I had.
My plan is to mainly make pattern weld steel to sell to other makers But I plan also on making razors & knives. I made some knives back when I was running my shop before.
It is so much fun taking a hunk of steel or wrought iron & making a thing of beauty from it. I mainly used scrap to make most of what I did back in the late 90's. The older steel you can find usually means more pure iron ore is in it & less scrap & impurities.

Dave Huffman

Originally Posted by Mike Blue

Ah, the disease of steel in full bloom. It's a terrible thing to see such a strong clean laboratory intellect being drawn into the dirty world of slag burns and hearing decay.

You have a good start on "the largish strange pieces of big iron that don't move very far or get much work done (yet)" symptom. Now maybe followed by power hammer rebuilding disorder...perhaps. You need to become good friends with John Adams, if not already. Have someone who really knows LG hammers visit and give you a cold opinion about what needs to be done.

Of the two, the bolted gibs is the newer model variation. Little Giant was known to change design features frequently. If you can find the serial number somewhere, or other features: Indentifying your hammer

Also: Little Giant-Mayer Bros. Power Hammer Identification Guide

Yes the newest hammers have 2 bolted gibs but that hammer is a very old version of a Little Giant that have one adjustable gib & one cast in the frame> Also they had the crank pin in gibs & the stroke could be adjusted this way. The modern hammers did not have that & the crank pin was pressed in the wheel. Also many of the had forged toggle arms & links. I am not sure how many of these hammers were built before they changed to the front & back ways & later the two adjustable gibs. Also the old hammers had the hole cast thru the hammer frame & no later ones did. Sorry if I come across wrong but I rebuilt several Little Giants & pored babbit bearings in a couple. I have been out of smithing for around 10 years & in the end I spent more time working on hammers with an old friend than I did using them. They are very simple machines but having everything working the way it should with plenty of lubrication will make them sing. Like a old Harley if it "ain't leaking oil its out of oil.
Dave H.

I always appreciate knowing more stuff. Thanks for the additional feedback Dave. I've only rebuilt one 100lb hammer. That was work.

If I don't get an air hammer I want a 100Lb. Little Giant ! Did the 100Lb you worked on have a removable sow block. I like the 100 Lb. hammers the best of all the Little Giants. If they are set up right they are great to work with. Jobie Spencer & I rebuilt a 100Lb. Hammer for Southern Ill. University in Carbondale several years ago. The babbitt was good but the sow block was cracked. They had a new unmachined sow block that we properly machined all the dovetails & flats on. we installed a brake on the hammer. made a new axle for the foot control & also a brace to make the foot control effective from any position. We also rebushied the toggle arms & links & made new pins for them. It was a great hammer to use!

Slawman

So Ron, have you got one of these hammers up & running yet?

Slawman