Brand New 100 lb Little Giant

I don't know a thing about one of those hammers but it looks like a SUper tool even to me. Of course I know your work, Don, and if this will help it to continue , all the power to it. Congratulations on being able to get it home !!! Frank
 
I love the history and the outstanding stories around these! Great score :eek:
 
You've hit on one of the main reasons why I like these ole machines and knifemaking in general. The people and the stories.

Dave from Diller
 
One thing I thought I'd add. I hear comments from time to time like, '"Little Giants have no control" or, "too much maintenance" or, "always need adjusting".

This is far from the truth. I think these guys have never run a well tuned Little Giant. I've run a few that were so bad, it would have turned me toward another type of hammer, if I didn't know better. It just takes a bit of mechanical sense to tune one, and some oil :)

I was teaching a damascus class a few years ago, the shop had a 50 lb LG, the ram was so lose and sloppy, it was unusable. All it took was 15 minutes with a couple wrenches and it was running great.

I have run a bunch of different hammers (other than mine) over the years, mostly air hammers, and like them all. But there's just something about the simplicity of a Little Giant, how hard they hit, the availability of parts, and the folks at LG, that's very hard to beat.

I've come close to buying an air hammer a few times. But my Little Giants do all I need, and more :cool:
 
Well Don I don't want to get on your bad side and you know no one has more respect for you then I but. I will be the first to say that that there is not a 100lb. air hammer that hits as hard as a 100lb. mechanical hammer but you have to show me a 100lb. mechanical hammer that has the control of a air hammer and as far as up keep I have had my air hammer since 2002 and have not even had to add oil.
I will say however that running a air hammer next to a mechanical hammer could almost be called boring because a air hammer is only gona hit so many times a min. but you just about gotta hang on using your little giants because after using yours I'm not sure if it wont keep getting faster as long as you have what it takes to hold down the tredel.
Bottom line though All 100lb. hammers are kickass.
All the best
Cliff
 
Well, Cliff. I agree with all you said, and I have a hell of a lot of respect for you also.
I could probably be just as happy with a 100 lb+ air hammer, but I'm mighty
deep into Little Giants right now :D
 
Don,
I forgot to add also one of the exciting parts to running your hammer is the since you get that you better be ready to duck or at any given moment something could fly off and hit you between the eyes. There's a whole lot going on when ya use that hammer. I will also say getting to use it the first time was one of my more memorable moments in knife making and costly. When I left your house I knew I had to buy a big hammer.
Thank you
Cliff
 
I have been meaning to ask, is it really dangerous to run one of those without a cage over the springs or is it mostly just hype? Just wondering, I have not been around LG's much. We have a Saymac (Spelling) The Turkish air hammer here. Buddy owns it but it's bolted to my floor. Congrat's again, truely a rare thing and you have a right to be proud of it. Mark
 
I'm sure Don will step in and say something on this, but with all equipment that we use there is an inherent danger. Moving parts and such. I will say that most of the time there is no need for a guard, but the added security is always nice. If you keep your power hammer in good running order and maintain it properly there is a less of chance of something breaking. Once again there is always the chance of something going wrong, but the majority of the time the mechanical hammer will just go dead if a part breaks. The way they are designed if the spring tension is released most parts will just drop. One common problem that has occurred is the spring breaking. When one of these old hammers are put to use one of the first things that is recommended is that the spring be replaced. First off if you don't know the history it is best to replace. The majority of these hammers were built before 1945 so you can figure that spring has been in there for over 50 years.

I'll step up and say something for air hammers here. If your looking for a larger power hammer such as a 100#er like Dons. Your best bet would be to go to an air hammer. For a couple of reasons one they only made 1600 and they are becoming hard to find. Most folks really hold on to them if they have a hammer that size. A person must really have a need for a hammer this size because a 25# will do most of what the hobbyist Bladesmith will do.

You will find that us mechanical hammer user are kind of crazy like folks that like to collect corvettes.:D

Dave from Diller
 
dsloan said:
You will find that us mechanical hammer user are kind of crazy like folks that like to collect corvettes.:D

Dave from Diller
Click to expand...

That should get Cliff buzzing. Good one, Dave! :D

Mark, Dave covered the guard thing very well and went into more detail than I would have. I did have the spring break on my old 100 a few years ago, and it all just fell straight down, no flying parts.

The Say Mak from the late Tom Clark, is a very good air hammer. I've forged on a number of them and they all worked very well.
 
dsloan said:
I'm sure Don will step in and say something on this, but with all equipment that we use there is an inherent danger. Moving parts and such. I will say that most of the time there is no need for a guard, but the added security is always nice. If you keep your power hammer in good running order and maintain it properly there is a less of chance of something breaking. Once again there is always the chance of something going wrong, but the majority of the time the mechanical hammer will just go dead if a part breaks. The way they are designed if the spring tension is released most parts will just drop. One common problem that has occurred is the spring breaking. When one of these old hammers are put to use one of the first things that is recommended is that the spring be replaced. First off if you don't know the history it is best to replace. The majority of these hammers were built before 1945 so you can figure that spring has been in there for over 50 years.

I'll step up and say something for air hammers here. If your looking for a larger power hammer such as a 100#er like Dons. Your best bet would be to go to an air hammer. For a couple of reasons one they only made 1600 and they are becoming hard to find. Most folks really hold on to them if they have a hammer that size. A person must really have a need for a hammer this size because a 25# will do most of what the hobbyist Bladesmith will do.

You will find that us mechanical hammer user are kind of crazy like folks that like to collect corvettes.:D

Dave from Diller
Click to expand...

That should get Cliff buzzing. Good one, Dave!

Quote from Don. Mark, Dave covered the guard thing very well and went into more detail than I would have. I did have the spring break on my old 100 a few years ago, and it all just fell straight down, no flying parts.

The Say Mak from the late Tom Clark, is a very good air hammer. I've forged on a number of them and they all worked very well.


Thanks you guys, I can really see the nostaljic, renaissance, romance of the old hammer alure to the whole thing. Like knife making itself. I dig it.
 
Thank you Mark

I'll relate another crazy hammer story from a few years ago. There were some folks from I believe the Washington coast. They knew where their grandfathers 50#er was so they sent divers down to pull up the buoy weight. The hammer was in about fifty feet of water being used as a buoy weight in the harbor. They have pictures of it covered in barnacles. They cleaned it up and are using it still.

How deep would a Corvette own dive?;)
 
Mark, now you understand. :)

Dave, that's the best Little Giant story ever!

Sam, that's right, but will round off all the edges and corners on the big flat dies.
 
[.

You will find that us mechanical hammer user are kind of crazy like folks that like to collect corvettes.:D

Dave from Diller[/QUOTE]

Hi Dave,
Have never met ya but would like to.

Never thought crazy was all a bad thing.

Would dive deeper than 50ft. if the corvette was old enough.

Cliff
 
Link works good, Dave.

Keep in mind, this is a new hammer, not broke-in, not fine tuned / adjusted, and the treadle way up in the air. I'm not used to it yet either. My old 100 moves steel quicker at this point.

Have since added a foot pedal to the treadle and tightened up the ram guides. Will grind a slight 5 deg. taper across the front and back of the new dies, leaving a 2" flat down the middle, and round off all edges. This will draw better. Also need lighter springs on the treadle, it's a bear right now. Might even build a brake for it...

Thanks for the vid, Dave! :)

Cliff, I figured there would be no water too deep for an old Vet :D
 
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