Power hammer "Play time"

[kbaknife]

I got to play with some hammers this weekend that are just a little bit bigger than mine!
I could take my 1 inch steel, give it a good heat for about 2 feet of it, swing over to the 500 pound Chambersburg and knock it down to about .300" X 2", then jump over to the 200 pound Chambersburg and flatten and straighten, in ONE HEAT! Only about 1/2 of the time I would need to re-heat the bar and tweak it a little bit.
Every time I did this I was grinin' from ear to ear!!
I was having WAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYY too much fun!

 

[Leftieshot]

Thats impressive!!  Where do you even buy a machine like that and how much do they cost?

[kbaknife]

I thin he told me the big green one was a 1950 that he got in Missouri, and the smaller one was a 1913. Not sure where he got that. The green one ran about $10,000.00.
As well, they were both steam machines, re-ported for air.
It takes a big Sulair deisel compressor - another 5 grand - and a 2000 gallon propane tank used as an air bladder between the compressor and the hammers.
Quite a set up.
They are available if you look around in industrial steel manufacturing equipment.

[LC]

Wow! Very impressive

[LEOPARD]

Cool!  :D

[Lin Rhea]

It does look like fun.

How bout those legs!  :eek:  
                              Lin

[theunluckyhunter]

so do we not get to see what you made???  :confused:

[tippit]

Those hammers must not be crunching the steel...no burn marks on your legs    Pretty cool set up...tippit

[kbaknife]

Originally posted by Lin Rhea:
It does look like fun.

How bout those legs!   :eek:  
                              Lin

I didn't think you'd notice.

[kbaknife]

Originally posted by theunluckyhunter:
so do we not get to see what you made???   :confused:  

All I actually made was steel in a dimension that I could take back home and then work with my 50 pound Little Giant.
I use my friend's hammers here to reduce my 1" stuff down to about 1/3 of an inch by about 2 inches, and then take it home.
I like forging from large stock because I can make anything I want!
I've been pretty busy since the Blade Show, so I'll have something to post in a week or so.

[Lin Rhea]

Karl,
      When you reduce the 1 inch square, do you start by forging on the bias? One corner up and one corner down and re-square (OK, rectangle)it? Or do you run it through the die parallel? That is, to get it to .300 X 2 inch?
                                    Lin

[kbaknife]

I just run it flat. Need to sort of consider the size of those dies on the Green Monster. They are a slightly radiused drawing die. It actually knocks it down wider than 2 inches on the first go around. Then I take it to the 200 and flatten and "tweak" to my chosen size. In that bottom picture you can see I'm knocking it down to about 2 inches.
I've smashed it down to about .270 on the first go-around and had much wider than 2 inches.

[theunluckyhunter]

that's some AWESOME equipment your working with. does your friend forge knives with them?

[Ray Hammond]

Karl,

You look like you are in your element, there my friend.

All you need is a fiery beard and you're set!!!

[kbaknife]

Originally posted by theunluckyhunter:
that's some AWESOME equipment your working with. does your friend forge knives with them?

No, he forges knives with a hammer and anvil. With these he makes Damascus.

[OconeeDan]

Wow, that is some big equipment!
I assume he sells the damascus, and if so, can you pm me with contact info?
Dan