Thread: Air hammer?

My experince with the smaller press has been that the it is great when things are big, but once you get down below 1/2-3/4 of an inch, you are thinning out the billet as much by putting scale on the floor as by actually moving the metal My dream shop would have a "four poster" press in the 40 ton plus range like the one that Matt Whitmus builds, something like a 100 pound plus power hammer like a Say Mak, Iron Kiss or one of the German hammers and a Whitmus rolling mill with the twist feature on the end of the rollers. With that, I could conquer the world, but we are talking about $25-30,000 worth of gear minimum.

Originally Posted by Robbied

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.

Think I'm back to the hammer. Got steel, pneumatic actuator, and hoping to rent a band saw today.

Hope this turns out... By the plans I have now I will be welding most of the connections, especially at the base, but I will try to add overlapping steel straps welded in place.

The anvil should be about 5.5x6" by 26" high, sitting on top of the 4x4 base, so the working height will be about 32" high, or higher if I make a wooden platform of 2x4 or 2x6 boards.

If I stick with the steel round for the hammer and the base as described, I will only be about 5:1 for anvil:hammer weight. We'll see.

When your build gets to the working stage, have a friend video the hammer operating from different angles. Watch the video looking for the hammer moving around. It will give you clues as to where it might need some more bracing to prevent flexing/bending and the hammer coming apart on you later.

If you're in there hammering steel, you get lost in the work, paying attention to the hot work piece and can't see things happening right in front of your head.

Cutting...

Attachment 213469

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Man, cutting through this thick steel takes a long time!

I am making a jig for bolt holes and will likely come back to this work in a few weeks. Maybe I'll be able to sneak in some welding here and there.

Cutting is done. I shortened the hammer head to 15" which is still plenty. Probably 35-40 lbs.

Does anyone have strong opinions about whether 4140 (or any hardened spring steel) is needed for the dies?

No input here, just enjoying the journey with you~!