[TheForge] Tongs and power hammers

Mon Jan 12 19:36:00 2004

I've been a 'lurker' for some time now, and feel I must reply regarding safety at the power hammer. I worked for 27 yrs in  an industrial shop that included two 2000 lb steam hammers and a smaller 500 lb Massey air hammer. One of the first things I learned in my apprenticeship was to never get behind the tongs and never place your hands/fingers between the reins. This advice was heeded on a daily basis and I can honestly say that I never saw anyone break that rule. A good piece of advice that I have seen posted here before (I think it was on here) is that hand hammers can injure you,but power hammers can kill you. 
P.S. Nobody ever lost a finger by getting the bits caught under the hammer blocks,but we did ruin more than a few pair of tongs;)

                                                  Bob Cook   [email protected]

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