Comments on: It’s Just Cool: Massive Power Hammer http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/ All tools. All the time. Your source for news, information, and reviews of hand tools, power tools, and tools of all kinds. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:20:44 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: elemenentfe http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-250995 elemenentfe Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:42:36 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-250995 Doug, I'll bet you dollars to peanuts that it was a press. And, yes. Everyone here is from Seattle :) Andy Doug, I’ll bet you dollars to peanuts that it was a press.
And, yes. Everyone here is from Seattle :)

Andy

]]> By: Doug http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249633 Doug Wed, 05 Mar 2008 04:49:13 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249633 That's a baby one! The (now-defunct) forge shop at the shipyard here has a 1,000 ton hammer. Stands about 25 or 30 feet tall. Impressive. That’s a baby one! The (now-defunct) forge shop at the shipyard here has a 1,000 ton hammer. Stands about 25 or 30 feet tall. Impressive.

]]> By: Brad Justinen http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249413 Brad Justinen Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:47:07 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249413 That thing is seriously scary....it would pop your head like a grape under a sledge hammer. Is everyone here from Seattle (Auburn to be exact). That thing is seriously scary….it would pop your head like a grape under a sledge hammer. Is everyone here from Seattle (Auburn to be exact).

]]> By: Lakanish http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249375 Lakanish Tue, 04 Mar 2008 22:46:12 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249375 I've had a chance to use a 400lb (400lbs of pressure per square inch on every strike as I recall) air hammer at a different blacksmith shop in Seattle (yay Seattle!), and it was an experience. Last day at the shop and I had only used the 125lb Little Giant mechanical hammer, so they decided to heat up some 4-inch round stock and let me just beat the crap out of it. Touchy beasts. I remember a different time with the same hammer; another blacksmith had come in to use our air hammer (it was the biggest one in the neighborhood), and wasn't watching closely enough. He was changing out a rig for a specialty job and his foot touched the release lever. His finger wasn't BETWEEN the plates, luckily, but part of the flesh was caught between the rig and the striker. It burst his finger open on the other side. Safety first! I’ve had a chance to use a 400lb (400lbs of pressure per square inch on every strike as I recall) air hammer at a different blacksmith shop in Seattle (yay Seattle!), and it was an experience. Last day at the shop and I had only used the 125lb Little Giant mechanical hammer, so they decided to heat up some 4-inch round stock and let me just beat the crap out of it. Touchy beasts.
I remember a different time with the same hammer; another blacksmith had come in to use our air hammer (it was the biggest one in the neighborhood), and wasn’t watching closely enough. He was changing out a rig for a specialty job and his foot touched the release lever. His finger wasn’t BETWEEN the plates, luckily, but part of the flesh was caught between the rig and the striker. It burst his finger open on the other side.
Safety first!

]]> By: Wheels17 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249348 Wheels17 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 21:55:37 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249348 Have these made it to Toolmonger before? They're from the turn of the century and show industrial blacksmithing techniques. The hammer starts at 3:19 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7785948612405330551&q=forging+blacksmith&total=41&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0 http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7155626923347560972&q=forging+chain&total=27&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0 Those people worked for a living. Check out the lack of guards and safety gear. Have these made it to Toolmonger before? They’re from the turn of the century and show industrial blacksmithing techniques. The hammer starts at 3:19

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7785948612405330551&q=forging+blacksmith&total=41&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7155626923347560972&q=forging+chain&total=27&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Those people worked for a living.
Check out the lack of guards and safety gear.

]]> By: tmib_seattle http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249298 tmib_seattle Tue, 04 Mar 2008 20:22:04 +0000 http://toolmonger.com/2008/03/04/its-just-cool-massive-power-hammer/#comment-249298 It was incredible to see it in action. This (and the other pictures I added to the pool) were taken this weekend at a blacksmithing workshop taught by master blacksmith Jerry Culberson at Old Cedar Forge. It was an incredible weekend course; three days of blacksmithing amounting to almost 30 hours of training. I learned a lot, and got to see and put to use some techniques that were completely new to me. It was also my first chance getting to use a power hammer (not the huge one shown here, but a smaller one- there's pictures in the flickr pool.) That was a heck of a lot of fun. Learning stuff on your own is always worth trying, and having a good "book learning" background and some hands-on practice over the last couple years certainly made for a good start before taking this course. But having a master at the craft leaning over my shoulder and giving instruction and criticism was really valuable- I'd say that it's likely the same way with most other skilled crafts as well. --TMIB It was incredible to see it in action. This (and the other pictures I added to the pool) were taken this weekend at a blacksmithing workshop taught by master blacksmith Jerry Culberson at Old Cedar Forge.

It was an incredible weekend course; three days of blacksmithing amounting to almost 30 hours of training. I learned a lot, and got to see and put to use some techniques that were completely new to me. It was also my first chance getting to use a power hammer (not the huge one shown here, but a smaller one- there’s pictures in the flickr pool.) That was a heck of a lot of fun.

Learning stuff on your own is always worth trying, and having a good “book learning” background and some hands-on practice over the last couple years certainly made for a good start before taking this course. But having a master at the craft leaning over my shoulder and giving instruction and criticism was really valuable- I’d say that it’s likely the same way with most other skilled crafts as well.

–TMIB

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