[TheForge] Power hammer Vs air hammer

[Ries Niemi]

All air hammers ARE power hammers.
So I assume you are asking about the difference between a mechanical 
hammer and an air hammer

If they both hit with the same force then the hot iron cant tell the 
difference.

The commonly available mechanical hammers in the USA are mostly 
smaller- there are occasional 250lb and even 500lb Little Giants, but 
the vast majority are 25 and 50lbers, which were designed as cheap, 
relatively portable machines for light duty work.
They had various compromises made in their design to keep em cheap.
There were better quality mechanical hammers made as well- Bradleys in 
particular are well respected- but most of them were pretty small as 
well.

They were simple to maintain, and at the time, say 1900 to 1930, there 
were parts available.
They used em a lot to sharpen ag tools, in mines and quarries, and 
similar relatively light duty applications- up to 1" or so.

But as far back as 1900, the big boys, in real industry, have been 
using Steam, and later Air, powered hammers for serious forging.
All the really big hammers I have ever seen have been Air or Steam. 
Never seen a 2500lb mechanical- but maybe there was one, once.

The big air hammers were simpler, with fewer moving parts, and easier 
to adapt to bigger designs.
They pretty much dominated the market both here and in europe for 
anything over 200lbs.

Now Nazel and Chambersburg, the two big american manufacturers, are out 
of business, but there are several new self contained air hammers on 
the market- the chinese make what are basically chambersburg copies, 
out of 4 or 5 different factories. A lot of smiths up here in the 
Northwest have them, and mostly like them- cheap, for the weight of the 
casting, self contained so there is no need for an additional 
compressor, and reliable- mine has run without fail for almost 5 years 
now, sturdy and simple. No worries about springs breaking and sending 
shrapnel flying thru your shop.

In the 70's, with the availability of cheap air cylinders, there 
evolved the homemade "utility" air hammers- a "utility" hammer is one 
that requires a separate compressed air source- the old, giant steam 
hammers were utility hammers, while most Nazel's, with an electric 
motor, had their own built in master cylinder compressing the air, with 
a second cylinder doing the work.

Anyway, many homebuilts are utility hammers, needing an air compressor 
to supply them. Simpler to build than a self contained.
And now there are companies selling very nice factory built utility 
hammers, like Big Blue.

So really, you have 6 choices-

an old, often VERY old mechanical hammer- with the exception of Little 
Giant, there are no parts available for these, and most are pre world 
war 2.
They look great, have lots of character, and work fine, if a bit fussy.

A Used Self contained- usually large, heavy, expensive, hard to move, 
and requiring a massive foundation and huge electrical service- I saw 
one last week with a 40hp motor- but the ultimate hammers- smooth, 
controllable, and tons of power.

A new self contained- either from China (cheapest), Germany (pricey but 
high quality) Turkey (cheaper) or an IRON KISS, made in america by John 
Larson.

A used utility hammer- old Erie's and Chambersburgs show up from time 
to time, usually 500lb or larger- you would need about a 50hp 
compressor to run one. But they weigh a lot less than an equivalent 
self contained.

A new utility hammer- like a Big Blu or a Phoenix

A homemade utility hammer- plans from Abana, or various places on the 
web.

RIES


On May 18, 2006, at 12:43 PM, mpaietta wrote:

>       Is there an advantage one has over the other on the
> work  they do?
>  Thanks
>  Martin
>
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Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist

http://www.RiesNiemi.com