[TheForge] ALT Treadle Hammer Springs

[paul]

Some years ago while bench forging, the blacksmith equivalent of bench 
racing in gearhead circles, I suggested that an air spring might be a 
good way to replace the springs in a treadle hammer. Steve White of UMBA 
had a treadle hammer that used a 6" or 8" steel pipe for the backbone of 
the hammer. Since the pipe was sealed at both ends it made a perfect air 
reservoir. The idea was to use an air cylinder in place of the spring, 
and connect that to reservoir with a volume about 100 times as large as 
the displacement of the air cylinder. When the system is inflated to a 
sufficient pressure to raise the hammer, the force to move the hammer 
would not change much on the down stroke, as the volume of the air 
reservoir is many times that of the cylinder. Steve reported that it 
worked. I don't know if he is still using this system, but it might be 
worth considering. By supplying the reservoir with a small air regulator 
you can adjust the force required to move the hammer head, and by 
diddling the ratio of the two, cylinder to reservoir, you can alter the 
increase of force that is required to move the hammer throughout its 
range to suit.

-- 
Paul
WB9HCO
All opinions are the personal beliefs of the author,
and are based on decades of experience...
so use your best judgement, I'm just a lowly crafstman.
My Grandfather WAS a blacksmith...
and it didn't do me one damn bit of good.