WIP - Restoring a Bradley 40lb Helve Hammer

Thanks, Guys. I hope I manage to pull this off! I'll try and post updates as I progress.

Where should I start looking for a belt for this thing? I have someone that can staple it for me, I just can't seem to find a good source for the belting...
 
Matthew Gregory said:
Thanks, Guys. I hope I manage to pull this off! I'll try and post updates as I progress.

Where should I start looking for a belt for this thing? I have someone that can staple it for me, I just can't seem to find a good source for the belting...
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I've never used these folks for anything but they seem the most likely (that I've seen from searching) to provide you with what you need.

Mulhern Belting
 
Matt, Let me know the size belt you need....I know a guy.:thumbup:
If your in need of a line shaft I might be able to hook you up too....got one in the back yard!:D
Mace
 
good looking hammer Matt. Looks like you would'nt want to get yer noggin to close or you might get your bell rung he he. Paul
 
Paul Savage said:
good looking hammer Matt. Looks like you would'nt want to get yer noggin to close or you might get your bell rung he he. Paul
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Thanks for all the replies, guys. Today I'm going to work on freeing the stuck bolt on the eccentric, but not for too long - I gotta work on some blades!

Paulie! How's life treating you! Am I going to see you at Ashokan this year?
 
So here's some updates... so far, the only real issues have just required some serious force and lots of sweat equity.
The lower cushions sit in the seats shown above... however, they've got a threaded rod with a jamb nut under them, and as you can see from the picture, it really doesn't look like anything is supposed to move. Except it does, of course! I had to remove the bolts entirely (the back one was lots of work, but not too bad) then insert a 7/8" bar in the hole and break it free from underneath with a 10lb. sledge. Now, many of you have never met me, so before any of the folks gunning for me get a chance, I'll describe myself: I'm 39, 6'2", 168lbs, and have all the muscle mass and tone that a cushy job selling stereos gives you, which is next to none. So imagine a few pipecleaners with a couple wads of chewed bubblegum and you get the idea...
Anyways, it was a lot of work, but the rear cushion adjustment seat finally broke free. It was entirely caked with who knows what, and it sure didn't want to come out.

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Here's the pocket it sat in:

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The front one was MUCH worse. When removing the adjusting rod, I ended up using a combination of big-ass pipe wrench and sledgehammer and spud wrench with 7' of black iron pipe as a breaker bar. Alas! The incredible resistance was a result of a completely destroyed section of thread just under the cushion adjustment seat. The threads for this seat will need to be re-cut, I hope... if not, then I'll have to drill it out and likely do a big heli-coil or something. Regardless, it took a ton of work to get the rod out. On to hammering the cushion seat free. It took three different days of slugging, and finally the only way it came loose was by removing the anvil from the hammer (heavy!) to clear a path so could 'baseball bat' swing the sledge. Using this technique and resorting to burning the surrounding area where the nasty cakey stuff was and scraping with a chisel, it broke free.

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Here's what the cushion seats look like when they've been cleaned up and given a good coat of oil to prevent them from corroding any further:

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Compare this to the picture BEFORE I got it out, and you'll get an idea why this was so nasty!

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Here's a shot of the anvil and hammer separated:

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I've had to start a pretty nifty collection of wrenches for this project, too! Here's the striking wrench I needed to break the jamb nuts free... not too often you get a chance to use a 10lb with a 10lb hammer! Not sure why these went out of vogue, as they made short work of every single big jamb nut on this ol' girl.

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Finally, I spoke with a friend that has lots of hard rock maple... I need to take some measurements, then I start the helve!
 
Awsome Matt! You gonna invite us all over when ya get her runnin?:D
Mace
 
Forgot to mention... the anvil weighs 850 pounds.

Hardly seems like I need to invite you Mace, you'll show up anyway, no? ; )
 
oh yeah, awesome job matt. this things is going to be awesome. are you going to use it? or just let is sit in the corner like mace does with his hammer?
 
Easy.....easy.....:cool:

Wait a minute.....Didnt this Bradley sit in your fathers yard for years rusting?
It's all your fault Spangles! No wonder Matt has had so much trouble getting it apart!
Mace
 
it's totally spangles Fault! Except he did steam up some lobsta that went down so nice, so I souldn't be to hard on him.

Matt one of the contractors I work with makes leather belts for his lathes and such. Has all the stuff in house and he might even be inclined to do me a favor.

can' think of anything to make fun of mace about so please insert something here Jab Jab
Paul
 
Hey gang!

I finished scanning the manual that Phil sent me, and I'll be hosting it here, for all to download:

Bradley Cushioned Helve Hammer Manual

It's supposed to be hella hot today, so I might start work on a dedicated website for the hammer. We'll see...
 
Matthew- great project! Dont know if the "Phil" you name above is Phil Cox, if so then you have a valuable contact on these hammers (or any hammers for that matter).

I have the helve manual downloaded, as well as the "compact" manual if anyone needs it.
 
Matt, send them to me... it's my intention to make a website that hosts all of these things, as it's WAY too much work to search for it!

...and yes, it's Phil Cox. Without his help, this project would have been near impossible.
 
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