[TheForge] Frosty's valve set up for air hammer

[Jerry Frost]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Smolen" <boka@mwt.net>
To: <theforge@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Tuesday, May 27, 2003 10:19 PM
Subject: [TheForge] Frosty's valve set up for air hammer


> Frosty,
> Using a single ball valve, my homemade air hammer is now banging pretty
> good. In order to get the stroke I wanted , I enlarged the ports from 1/2"
> to 3/4 in.
> I now want to add a check valve to get the ram to stay up at idle. I dont
> follow the second and third circuits you describe in the attached. I do
have
> a check valve that can be added to the bypass line or wherever needed.
> However, this valve will always be one way as it is not a part of the ball
> valve as you contemplated in your description. Do you think this will work
> or do you need a check valve that is only operational when the valve is
open
> or idle? If an independent check valve will work in conjunction with the
> ball valve, where in the circuit is it placed?
> Thanks for your help.
> Bob



Not without designing a Rube Goldberg nest of plumbing. I spent I don't know
how many hours trying to get the valving to work without making a maze to
rival an automatic transmission. The short answer is NO, you can't put the
check valve anywhere except the control valve without creating a real mess.

However, I went to the coffee shop this morning mulling your question over
and asking myself once again how to do it without a few machine shop tools
and the best I could come up with was the old flat slider valve. Basically a
rectangular plate sliding in a tight fitting body with a check valve built
into one position. In one position the hammer is at idle, bypassing through
the check valve and the other position cycles the hammer.

I was sitting there as unsatisfied with the flat slider this time as I was
the first time, it's only virtue being relative ease of construction. THEN
<grin> I said to myself "why can't I just put a check valve in the ball
valve?" Don't get me wrong it wasn't a flash of genius for sure, (no shit) I
was whining about not being able to do it. So, that's when the light bulb
lit, dimly though it was.

Why not? I haven't taken one of the ball valves I have in the basement apart
and they're not large enough anyway but it should work. Double the size of
the valve and build a check valve slightly larger than your porting size and
affix it in the ball. Then remove the stop from the valve so it'll rotate
180* and you have the whole sheebang. UP at idle, full cycle and clamp/dead
blow. All it would take is a quick change of linkage connection.

Easy and cheap. My favorites. <grin>

Frosty
------------------------
If it ain't forged
it ain't real.
Wrought iron is.
The FrostWorks

Meadow Lakes, AK.