[TheForge] Wooden brake (Re: More air hammer pics up)

[Mike Spencer]

 RIES quoth:

> Your alldays and onions rebuild ....Does one have to eat onions
> allday while operating one?

Hah!  No, One salami, ham, romaine, vine-ripened tomato and fresh
basil sandwich on rye with a large slice of red onion each day is
sufficient.

> ...noticed your brown and boggs brake- Is it wood?

Yes.

> ...Patent dates on it were 1880's. It was primarily wood, with cast
> ends, bending edges, truss rods and weights.  It was a 4 foot, about
> 16ga, I got it from skyway luggage in seattle, where they had been
> using it to bend steamer trunk edging.

I'm even old enough to know what a steamer trunk is.  In fact, I think
I have on specifically designed to hold 4 lady's hats on felt "heads".

Yes this is about the same.  It won't bend 4' of 16ga but does fine
on, say, 12" widths.  It will do 48" of lighter material quite well.
I bent up the 48" lock seams on my stainless forge flue with nary a
slip or blemish.

> It had a rounded over edge on the top bending leaf- about a 3/16"
> radius.

Right, special for steamer trunk edges.  Mine has a sharp edge.

> Got myself a nice D&K 4foot 12 ga finger brake instead. Doesnt have
> the charm of the old wooden one, but it will bend 1/8" plate.

I'd go for that but the price isn't right.  The cancelled check for
all my sheet metal gear turned up in the move, grimy, dusty and faded
-- $450 for break, shear, jennies, 18" rolls, crimper, bench plate,
stakes and sundries.  

I used to live near Millers Falls where every tenth neighbor was
either a retired tool maker or the son or relative of one.  Really
weird tools and widgets showed up in yard sales and 2nd hand stores
and lotsa guys had machine tools at home.  Not here, where there was
never any machine tool industry.  Much harder to find bargains on
stuff less than, say, 50 or 75 years old.

- Mike