[TheForge] Steam hammers

[Bob Cook]

Ralph, We used to do a lot of rough forgings that were than machined down to size. We would turn 8'' square stock into 6" round and then have it sawn to length. We would then punch that stock and ring out on a mandrel to make blanks for gears. Finished size might be 24" O.D. and an inside dia. of 20" and maybe 6" high.

      We also used to forge 10" and 12" sq. stock down to various shapes ie: 8"x 4" that were than machined for shear blades in one of the finishing mills. They could have machined these right from the start but they wanted the material forged to add some toughness and strength.
     One of my favourites was forging a 20 ton hook. We started with 6" sq. cut 24" long (approx. 240 lbs) and took about 7 or 8 heats to forge to shape. We then bent it on a jig that was set on a big platen table, using hydraulic rams and gears. The hook was than stamped under the hammer to create the final dimensions.
     All of the work was done, in house, for a steel plant. (Stelco Steel). Unfortunately, they shut us down and tore down the building in Mar. 2002 .I am still employed with them, 28 yrs service, and hope to take my pension after completing 30 yrs. In the meantime, I now do demos and do smithing in my garage, albeit, on a much smaller scale.
     I must add that I really enjoy the banter and the info found on this list and hope to post more often in the future.
Bob Cook anvilhead58@hotmail.com





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