Thread: Air hammer?

Still working on ideas

So, I'll leave some thoughts here just for safe keeping; I don't necessarily need responses unless anyone has something they want to add.

I was looking over the Kinyon and Zoller air schematics and have come to the conclusion that the plan I had in mind for the air hammer will be inefficient. Using two electric switches and a latching relay will make the hammer go up and down but unless I figure out how to make a 'balanced' system like the diagram I found on iforgeiron, it will use a ton of air and mostly smash itself up and down ungracefully. Even if I put a regulator on the exhaust of the up port, I think the down will always crash down, but with varying amounts of force depending on the air flow. Btw, I only went down this path because I scored a solenoid valve for cheap.

Now I am thinking that a proper air hammer should have just the one pneumatic switch mounted at halfway across the travel, and use the 'balanced' layout. I can visualize a hammer like this bobbing up and down in mid-stroke with increasing velocity until it has enough momentum to touch down (and still have the up exhaust regulated to be softer).

I think I will try to finish the press first and see if I can get a billet hot enough to weld. Need to buy steel and borrow that band saw.

I just want to say good luck!
I have given up on making such things myself. I need less time to make the razors to pay for tools than I'd need to make those tools. However I do appreciate the skill in building good tools. I follow this thread with a lot of interest.

Well now that the hopes are up...

I will start with a press and see from there. Probably need to spend some more money on my forge to get to welding temps anyhow (ITC/ plistix etc). That alone will eat up some cash. Will see about burners too, although mine seems to be working so far.

So you have a point!

Also, I am going to have to figure out a jig of some sort just to drill holes that line up.

Here are the two clearest schematics I have come across, just fyi.

And here:

I think that some of the older and wiser heads here should have warned you about tool acquisition disorder. It seems that you have rapidly passed into the tool building disorder phase. I'm sorry to have contributed to the acceleration of the disease...but am following your progression with clinical interest! LOL

Build one tool. Get it working properly, the move on to the next. At least be systematic or you will have a shop full of junk that only runs half the time and you'll be spending all your time repairing things.

Originally Posted by Atchbo

One more question: does anyone here use an air/hydraulic press for Damascus billets? I may delay the hammer build if I can press billets with a 6-ton air/hyd press for now. Clearly the hammer allows more/different work.

The press I am looking at is an a-frame air actuated bottle jack type from Princess Auto (similar to Harbour Freight).

A 6 ton press is not really going to help you. I have one that runs at somewhere between 15 and 18 tons and I wish I had 24-30.

we usually start with a 19 layer 1.5x1/8x5" stack, and that takes 45 minutes to punch down to 1/4" with an 18 ton hyd press. Usually get 1-1.5 passes before it needs to go back in the forge. With a 15kg power hammer it takes more like 10 minutes, and less heats are required.

I bought a 20 t air/hydraulic jack and some steel, but I need to borrow a band saw. I'm not prepared to cut 28 pieces with an angle grinder for all the frame, die and die holder assemblies.

I also came across some 3.5" round sections that I could use for the hammer. Still haven't cut anything so all of this can be undone if need be.

I also found a Canadian supplier of pneumatic parts. MettleAir Canada. They have pilot valves, etc for the hammer, which would be better than the solenoid design. Again, we'll see. Busy month or two coming up too.