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I am looking to do mostly shaping and drawing of flat stock as I already have a press to do heavy lifting. I am probably going to go with the 25 lb Little Giant as originally planned because I don't have to change my entire world for that one. It doesn't require a specially poured pad, steel concrete filled base, rewiring of the shop, etc.
Cost and no place to put the compressor is what really keeps me from looking at the "utility" hammers like Iron Kiss, Big Blu, Phoenix, etc. I have a rented shop space, but it is really no more than a large 2 car garage size space with no "out back" space for a compressor. I am in an end unit, but the owner rents out the space on the end of the building for folks to park boats, RV's, etc so I can't even put a large fixed propane tank out there, much less a compressor. The upside is that the space only costs $275 a month in a town where there is no other affordable space in the under 1000 sq foot range that will let me run a forge. If and when I move to Texas, assuming I have some spare cash and the space, I will likely revisit this question and possibly replace my press and small hammer with a large air hammer of some type. I really liked the little 75 pound Kuhn that the guys at Troy have, but whats not to like. Talk about sticker shock!!!!!!!!!Since I'm at it, why stop now?
An Iron Kiss needs no special floor or foundation. a 4" concrete slab is just fine. I've even run them quite successfully at demo events on a wooden platform sunk 4" into dirt. The mass of the hammer itself keeps it still. It doesn't rely at all on the mass of any foundation like some other hammers do.
I'd also like to update a previous statement. An 100lb Iron Kiss will actually out-hit a 150lb Big Blue. I happened to have an email exchange with John today, and it's all about cylinders, valving, and anvil mass. I know that John has some custom valving in his hammers that does some pretty trick stuff, but I have no idea how it works. I just know it does
Next time I get to work with one of his hammers I'll have to shoot some video so folks can get an idea of what I'm talking about with the Iron Kiss. I'll see if I can do something that a lot of folks here can relate to, like working down some of Don's W2.
-d
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Then again, I'm a damascus junkie and always want to do more, more, more! The next weld on my current billet will be at 1 1/2"x3 1/4"x11". Bigger isn't always better, but it's always fun!Mike, I do not. The type of work I do warrants the action of a hammer more so than a press, as I still occasionally to blacksmithing type work, that and plain old personal preference I just like a hammer more than a press even though I recognize how much more a press can do, the ways they work the metal is different than a hammer (not to make it sound like either is detrimental in the way they work the metal, just that the action with which they do is different).
Plus it is just a dowright cute hammer
Presses are definitely cheaper, but what I have discovered is that once you get the stock down thinner than 1/2 inch or so on a smaller press like mine or try to draw or shape, it goes REAL slow compared to what I have seen with any hammer. I am still having to do a lot of my point and bevel forging to pretty much by hand and drawing out the tang would go much more quickly on a power hammer. I also lose a lot of steel to scale on the press because it requires a lot more heats to draw stuff out. The press is great for knocking large round stock down to a more manageable size quickly and it is also good for setting tangs and ricassos. I will use it even more when I start to make damascus, but I really need some kind of hammer to speed up and clean up the blade forging process and take some strain off my already gimpy arm.
Presses are definitely cheaper, but what I have discovered is that once you get the stock down thinner than 1/2 inch or so on a smaller press like mine or try to draw or shape, it goes REAL slow compared to what I have seen with any hammer. I am still having to do a lot of my point and bevel forging to pretty much by hand and drawing out the tang would go much more quickly on a power hammer. I also lose a lot of steel to scale on the press because it requires a lot more heats to draw stuff out. The press is great for knocking large round stock down to a more manageable size quickly and it is also good for setting tangs and ricassos. I will use it even more when I start to make damascus, but I really need some kind of hammer to speed up and clean up the blade forging process and take some strain off my already gimpy arm.
You should have stayed in one place then Tai!
Next time you have a tool like that to "get rid of", give me a call
-d
LOL
No way is any dang hammer or machine going to control my life again!
You're only a slave to what you allow to enslave you Tai.The small hammer is also less likely to over stress the steel. You can actually "hot fracture" it with those big hammers.
And now we find the gooey center in the middle of a Tai Goo!
I regularly work billets that approach 4" high...I guess that why I like big hammers....
And so you need a hammer with good control and a well controlled foot to go with it. Have I mentioned recently that I like Iron Kiss Hammers?
-d
