[TheForge] Air hammer score

Tue Apr 23 00:40:01 2002

Some considerable time ago I asked here about Alldays & Onions air
hammers.  I  had been hoping to get one whose owner had semi-abandoned
it by the roadside.  Alas, he wanted a price that I might grudgingly
pay for one that was in pristine condition and installed but not for
one clearly over-exposed to the weather and not running.

Several years later: The 3HP motor was vandalized.  Another smith with
family connections to the owner bought it cheap.  He couldn't get it
running.  I've just traded a working but rather clunky mechanical
hammer for the 3cwt Alldays and Onions as is, where is.  Now the fun
begins.

Lest someone accuse me of another drive-by gloat, it looks like this
zzmay be a long term project and labor of love.  The compressor is okay
but the motor is essentially a clumsy flat-belt pulley because the
vandals tried to steal the copper and trashed the windings.  And I
can't get 3 phase out here in the boonies anyhow.  The ram may be
seized and there may be water in the valving.  The treadle and control
rod are missing and there's some kind of oiler that visibly needs
repair.  

I've had some very valuable advice from Alan Evans in England and the
Spires Group (that took over Alldays & Onions many years ago) sent me
both user's manual and installation blueprints!  Because the anvil is
a separate piece, the pad has to be poured with a "socket" for the
anvil.  Then I have to move the sucker.  And then, I hope, my 10 HP
Acadia Gas Engine single-banger will drive it.  (Of course, I ave to
make some parts for it, too, before it will run properly.)  If not,
I'll have to go looking for something -- maybe a Farm-all Cub tractor?
-- with a flat-belt PTO and enough oomph.  After all that, I can think
about fixing up some dies better than the big clunky ones that are in
it.  Ho hum.  :-)

Any advice or words from experience with this beast are welcome.

- Mike

---
Michael Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada 

http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/