Finally. . .it is done

M

MadBug

Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Messages
167
This place might look familiar to some of you. Magic happens behind those doors, but something in this photo just aint right. When a man uses a 100 lb. Little Giant for a door stop he has one too many hammers.

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So, after a little haggling, and for a mere arm, and a leg. The owner (I wont mention his name here, but his initials are Bill Burke). let me drag it off the mountain, down to the bottoms where I dwell.

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Home safe and sound. Going to have to cut a hole in the roof. Maybe put a cupola over it.

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Had to take the top shaft assembly off to get it through the door. The door is 6’8”. The hammer is 6’8-1/16”. Nothing a running start couldn’t overcome.

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Now, this was a good running hammer when Bill had it, but I have never let a good running anything stop me from fixing it. So, since the top was off might as well pour new babbitt, and rebuild the clutch. When I talked to Sid at Little Giant about new clutch blocks he chuckled, when I asked around for hard maple block big enough to make them out of everyone had a good laugh. A friend down in Oberlin, LA told me he had some Osage Orange out back that he could cut up and send if I needed, but I finally found some maple on the East coast. We traded straight across, gold for wood.

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Considering the cast of lunatics (thanks guys) who were involved in the babbitt pour it went without a hitch. No screams, no cursing, no ambulance rides. The secret is in the preparation. Here the bottom has been poured, and now the top is ready

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And finally, after a year and a half. . .

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At 104 years old she's not only pretty, she can also dance.

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Thanks for looking,
Bob
 
That's awesome, Bob! Thanks for sharing the progress pics; those glamour shots at the end are sweet!
 
That is one serious hammer! Nice job on the restoration, it is great to see something like that put back in real use.
 
What an excellent story & pictorial! Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

Is the enamel you used farm implement paint? What kind of surface prep did you need to do?
 
Thanks guys. At times I wondered if I'd ever get it done.

Matthew, the prep started with putty knives, and chisels scraping off the 100 yaer old grease/scale mixture that was almost as hard as the frame. Then a lot more scraping, and sanding. I wanted to be careful, because I new the base coat was lead paint. When I got that weird silver paint off I found that the base coat was still in pretty good shape, so after sanding lightly, and feathering out the spots that needed it, and after the last wiping of acetone came off clean I sprayed it with good old Rustoleum hunter green. It stuck so good it was difficult to get it to run like my normal paint jobs. That old lead paint was great stuff.
Bob
 
Great job on just a massive machine. Really nice!:thumbup:
 
Fantastic pictures. Some memories for me as an apprentice electrician. I worked a Saturday morning on overtime to connect up a power hammer like that. Only problem no black smith in the empty shop to test it for us.
Hey when in doubt be stupid. The tradesman switched on the motor and instead of a measured application of pressure to the foot ring he just stomped on it. Well I am pretty sure he craped his pants about a mili second before I did but it made an impression. Banging and slapping and shaking. I thought a black smith must have had nuts the size of foot balls to run it. I was even more impressed when I saw how gentle he was with it on the monday.
Thank you for sharing the pictures
 
Reg ELLERY said:
was even more impressed when I saw how gentle he was with it on the monday.
Click to expand...

The control is suprising.The bar (52100) in the last photo started out 1-3/4" round. Here it is drawn out to about 3/8" X 1-1/2" X 7". It is a little too wide, so I thought I'd try to narrow it down. The photo shows it standing on edge, and there is enough control to upset it without mushrooming it too much. It will go from just light taps to earthquake. This thing is going to be a lot of fun.
 
Bob,
Great job on the rebuild. The way you write, coupled with your sense of humour, make for an excellent read. My only question is... "Where the hell is my Bill Burke?" Every smith within a day's drive from me is hanging onto their equipment for dear life! I can't even scam an anvil, let alone a power hammer. Are you SURE you're gonna use it?:p


Rick:D:thumbup:
 
Rick Marchand said:
Are you SURE you're gonna use it?:p


Rick:D:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Yup. Today some people are coming over. We have a couple of billets to draw out, and restack one more time. A round bar, and a 2-1/2" ball bearing of 52100 to work down. And some of Don Hanson's W2 round stock. It is amazing how much work this thing can done quickly.
 
Beautiful hammer, great story!

I used a 25# LG for the first time this week, I can't imagine how much steel a 100# moves.
 
And just how come I was not invited to this shindig? I may have to sue for visitation Privileges.

MadBug said:
Yup. Today some people are coming over. We have a couple of billets to draw out, and restack one more time. A round bar, and a 2-1/2" ball bearing of 52100 to work down. And some of Don Hanson's W2 round stock. It is amazing how much work this thing can done quickly.
Click to expand...
 
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