Lets see pictures of your power hammers

Tom Lewis

Tom Lewis

Joined
Feb 24, 2000
Messages
1,957
There was a very interesting post about power hammers. Some were mentioned that I don't think I had ever heard of. How about posting pictures of your power hammers along with the story that went with them. I'll start.
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About 25 years ago I decided I wanted a power hammer. I had a friend who had a lot of contacts and he found this 100lb little giant. This hammer was bought in 1946 by the Air Force. I'm not sure they ever used it. I think they just gave it a new paint job every year or so. Then a Blacksmith shop in Texas bought it. The motor is 3hp 3 phase. The Blacksmith shop didn't have three phase power so the hammer just sat there unused. They quoted my friend a price of $450.00. I bought it and other than all the paint it was like brand new. My Wife's cousin build a three phase converter for it and it runs great. I have made a lot of Damascus with this hammer.
 
Wish I could contribute, but like a lot of makers I'm still trying to find one that fits 2 criteria, close to me, and not cost and arm and a leg. Not having too much luck so far lol
 
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Old 1941 100 Little Giant bought 20 years ago and rebuilt, it was Rough.

1909 25 Little Giant bought 18 years ago, built by Sid at LG.

New 100 heavy ram (140lb with top die) delivered new in 2010. :D

I need to take new photos, these are all pretty old.
 
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I'll bite Tom. I also thought that thread was really interesting and I learned quite a bit.

I didn't get a crazy deal like you did but i got it cheaper than most 25lb LG's. Ironically I was trading emails with Don about two years ago and for the heck of it I checked out his site and was looking at the very photos he posted above and thought man it'd be nice to have a hammer. So I searched all of craigslist and one popped up in IL for a good price. I was off work and called the guy. I was the first and he accepted my offer. He promised to hold it for me for a week because I couldn't drive out of state. I shot a quick email to Don. "Is this a good deal". "Yes" he replied. I called the guy back and told him to hold it for me. I thought for sure he would sell it to someone else, but I drove out there a week later in a nasty snow storm. He said he had guys offering more and bad mouthing him for not selling it. He also helped me manhandle it on the trailer. I gave him fifty bucks for being a good guy.

Here she is, still covered in snow from the trip home.

PH2 by Clint, on Flickr

Another shot. The funny thing about this photo is that is my old shop. A 750 sq ft storage unit. I'd like to think I was the only crazy bastard in central Ohio using a coal forge and a power hammer in a storage unit :D

IMG_0244 by Clint, on Flickr

Lets see some others. Hoss, Javan, Salem, where they at ;)

-Clint
 
Man I wish I could find a good deal on a hammer. I got excited when I found one for sale here local. It was a 25lb LG and the guy wanted $6,000 and would not budge, ouch.
 
Dude, that's harsh JT. You coulda got a 250# LG in Spokane for that much, not long ago!

Here's my LG50... I got it for $500 (actually, I was thinking of buying it but it was nearly my birthday, and unbeknownst to me my wife passed the hat and got it for me). It was pretty much a basket case, although the frame was good. Needed dies, a spring, babbitt, new toggle links and knuckles, a motor mount fabbed, a bunch of tweaking and adjustment and welding etc., and the spider ultimately had to be pinned through the shaft, but it runs quite well now and helps me make a lot of steel. Just came in from running it!

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Here's my 300 lb. Beaudry, in the process of rebuild- I'm farther than that now, having poured the 4' deep foundation and gotten dies. Waiting to bring it inside now!

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A pic from the other side, with me next to it, for scale...

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If you guys really want to see a TON of pics of the work I've been doing on this hammer rebuild, knock yourself out...
https://www.iforgeiron.com/topic/51626-new-acquisitionrefurb-project-a-300-lb-beaudry-power-hammer/
 
Maybe it was 5k I can't remember. But it was a lot more then I had lol. I will have to stop by when you get your 300 up and running. Or if you need help moving it let me know.
 
Very nice Salem, I knew about your 50. Didn't know you had a 300 in the works. That thing is a beast, how do you plan on moving it into your shop?

-Clint
 
I'm up in Seattle for a week, but I'll post photos when I get home of the hammers I've currently got, and the ones I've sold.

Good stuff here otherwise. Some nice LGs for sure, and love the Beaudry Salem.
 
Don your 100lb is a beauty. It makes mine with all the paint layers look trashy.
Salem, I really enjoyed reading about your work on the Beaudry.
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A number of years ago a local gunsmith asked me to help him learn to make knives. I helped him, and he with his gunsmithing talent helped me. He went to the two week knifemaking class in Washington Arkansas. Then in 1990 he and I went to a one week Damascus class in Washington Arkansas.
After that he got this 25lb little giant. He and my Wife's cousin who was a mechanical genius re-worked it. Later his health failed and he sold it to me for $1000.00. It is in excellent condition. It has round dies and with it I can pretty much forge a blade to shape without my hammer and anvil.
 
Tom, my new 100 has a lot of oil, grease and crud on it now. Your 100 looks beautiful to me! As does your 25.

My old 100 had multiple coats of pant and rust when I got it and was in very bad shape. It needed over $1500 in parts and many hours of labor to get to where I could use it. But it has paid for itself many times over. I use it mostly to forge blades to shape, & use the new heavy 100 for damascus.

Here's a picture of Devin and his 500 pounder I saved years ago. :)

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Augus7us said:
Very nice Salem, I knew about your 50. Didn't know you had a 300 in the works. That thing is a beast, how do you plan on moving it into your shop?
-Clint
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Well, it's about an inch at most shorter than the rollup door frame it has to come in through... so I plan to skid it on greased pipes over to the door, then onto 3/4" round stock rollers to get it in the building, roll it over to the foundation in front of and in line with the already bolted-down anvil, have my neighbor come over with the forklift and carefully pick it over and onto the anvil.
I just have to figure how it will balance when grabbed from near mid-height on the frame.
 
Yeah that's LOT of daylight, especially for a mechanical. I keep feeling sorry for that poor little billet poised to feel all that wrath!
 
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