Southern Forging!!

J. Keeton · Dec 16, 2005

I just wanted to reiterate how us southerners forge. Which is the best way to forge.... with a big ass hammer. This hammer and anvil have a long family history. My grandfather whom I unfortunately was never able to meet used to be a blacksmith and latter a boiler maker. He had 2 hammers like this that he would use to drive boiler tubes into boilers. According to my father he had "for-arms like Popeye". The hammer is apox. 16-17lbs. and draws out a billet very fast.

Thanks for looking,

PS: Katrina I am ready for a rematch.

tnmike · Dec 17, 2005

If you can swing that with control ..more power too ya..........

Don Hanson III · Dec 17, 2005

Now that's a big hammer.

indian george · Dec 17, 2005

JR: I like to see you swing that for a couple of hours.

Raymond Richard · Dec 17, 2005

IG, Pretty sure thats one of the early drop hammers. No swing envolved.

fitzo · Dec 17, 2005

Tulane U. Med have a good orthopaedic surgery department????

Just be careful of technique or hand, wrist, shoulder and elbow will eventually suffer....... and forging days will come to a premature end. I recommend that your next project be a better anvil stand at the proper height. Get that heavy glove off your hammer hand and go to a lighter leather one. Learn the proper hammer grip. Then you may last until people can call you "an old bladesmith." Don't mean to sound harsh, Jimmy, but I'd rather speak out than know I didn't and you lamed your hand or trashed your shoulder.

BTW, some Yankee probably took one look at "southerner forging", shook his head, and invented the power hammer.

J. Keeton · Dec 17, 2005

Just for peace of mind I only use this hammer for my first welds and for the beginning of my drawing. And when I say draw I mean draw

. I have it down pat pretty well. And with that stand I know it's too tall. I am pretty sure I have a tree stump coming my way. The hammer has other advantages also.... like making the regular mauls feel lighter.

Look what I bought today also. I was geting sick of running out of propane.

PS: Ya, yanks usually do cheat like that....:jerkit:

rhrocker · Dec 17, 2005

I like the looks of the 2nd from the right more than that huge one. I think it's to big for even a striker to use. Speaking of which, what do strikers normally, or customarily use? I know the handle is pretty long, and the technique involves bringing the low hand upwards as the upper hand forces the hammer down. I have a DVD that shows a blacksmith that uses his wife as his striker. He puts on demos, and draws a heck of a crowd. Good blacksmith to! She knows how to use that hammer, and they have the rules or sequence down perfect, I love to watch them (don't know their names)

fitzo · Dec 17, 2005

rhrocker said:
Speaking of which, what do strikers normally, or customarily use?

Both hands...............

J. Keeton · Dec 17, 2005

rhrocker said:
I like the looks of the 2nd from the right more than that huge one. I think it's to big for even a striker to use.

I usually alternate between the Red-handle ball-pien and the "monster" sledge. At least until I can replace the ball-pien this Christmas with a cross-pien my parents are getting me.

Bigjohn · Dec 17, 2005

Is that a V-Twin I see sitting on the left side of that pic?????

J. Keeton · Dec 17, 2005

Bigjohn said:
Is that a V-Twin I see sitting on the left side of that pic?????

Ya thats a customers motor I am taking appart right now. I am pretty sure it's a 1966 H-D FLH. It got caught in the hurricane. It was really nasty when I took off the heads... wouldn't recomend doing that on a flooded bike. It's a pain disassembling it because whenever you take something off it pisses on the ground or you.

BTW: All of these pictures are in the back of my fathers motorcycle shop. I'll try to show the shops layout in these pictures.

That is My forge and Mr. Allan working on a transmission.

Fencing in the background down thanks to Katrina and Rita.

This is me starting up my monster forge for the first time. That is my father to the right watching.

Visit my fathers site at http://www.profcycle.com/ . (THe "our histroy" section is interesting by the way. Back in the day when my parents were drag-racing we held the National 1/4mile record! Unfortunatly he sold the bike; however, he bought it back about 3 years ago and is currently restoring it and beafing it up. I think they have an antique division.

)