[TheForge] Re: Purty power hammer

[robert hensarling]

Several hammers have holes in the back casting to allow the work to go 
through.  I think Kevin Cashens hammer is one of those.
I agree with you on the flat dies.  I'm building a lot of different swages 
for my Tom Clark hammer.  Like Ed Cafferdy told me (he has a Clark also) 
"Most of the tooling will not be used that much, but when he needs them, 
they're there".
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "ries" <ries at riesniemi.com>
To: <mspencer at tallships.ca>; "Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA" 
<theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2008 3:36 PM
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Re: Purty power hammer


>
> I cant see needing a hole thru the column, (not that its even  possible) 
> given your die orientation- instead, most work would be done  at right 
> angles to the column. At least, thats how I, and most smiths  I know, work 
> with power hammers- with the work piece going 90 degrees  to the long axis 
> of the die.
> The idea of a sow block that rotates the dies 45 degrees, with smaller 
> final dies, makes some sense to me- mostly just because of how awkward  it 
> would be to always be working the treadle from the side, rather  than from 
> the front.
> Personally, I like flat dies, with lots of add on tooling, but I know 
> that there are many people who prefer the kind of combo dies you 
> currently have.
> I have an outboard support that clamps onto my lower die, and is 
> removable in a minute or two, that my swage tooling in turn clamps to,  so 
> most of the time, I leave it in place and run swages and lower  tools, but 
> I can easily remove it if needed.
>
> As for value- well, if you had spent the bucks for a new, 3 phase, 
> appropriately sized motor, with new motor starter, I can imagine that 
> hammer easily selling for between $5000 and $10,000 down here where I 
> live. Several similar sized machines have recently traded in that  range, 
> to working smiths, who understand that a real, to spec footing  could 
> easily run them another 3 to 5 grand, with electrical hookup  costing a 
> bunch as well.
> Both of the late Russel Jacque's hammers, a Nazel 3B and a 600lb 
> Chambersburg, were priced at $15,000, and both sold, although I dont  know 
> what the final sales prices were.
> This is not "collector" pricing- this is current usable tool pricing  for 
> 300lb hammers, which are pretty rare.
> Its a great size, and many people run just one hammer, a 250lb to  300lb 
> hammer, and do everything with it.
> As far as I know, the only new option for a hammer that size is the 
> chinese hammers, which will run quite a bit more for a 300lb machine-  the 
> 165lb hammers are costing about $10,000  right now.
> I dont know what they get for a 300lb machine, but I am guessing its 
> north of  $15,000, landed in the USA.
>
> By the way, have you considered pinstriping?
> Adds value, character, and elan.
>
> Ries
>
>
>
> Ries Niemi
> Industrial Artist
> http://www.riesniemi.com/
>
>
>
>
>
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