[TheForge] air hammer

[ries]

I know a bunch of guys with big self contained Nazels and Chambersburgs.
They are wonderful hammers. Amazing control, combined with lots of  
power and mass.
But they are not cheap. In fact, even if you got one for free, it  
wouldnt be cheap.
First, just moving em is a major job.
My chinese chambersburg copy is just an 88lb hammer. The anvil weighs  
about 1300lbs, and the hammer itself is similar. So combined, almost  
3000lbs. Forklifts, flatbeds, cranes, and so on are needed. Mine is  
heavy enough that I can barely lift it with my 4200lb capacity  
forklift- It has to be very close in, as the fork lifting capacity  
drops rapidly as you go farther out- its often rated at 24" from the  
boom. Center of gravity on a big Nazel is commonly 4 or 6 feet out  
from the boom- so to lift a 2 piece (the anvils are usually separate)  
3B, which is a 10,000 to 12,000lb hammer, you really want at the  
minimum a 15,000lb rated forklift. 20,000lb would be safer.
So it can easily cost a few thousand dollars to get a "free" nazel home.
Then, of course, they are all 3 phase. And usually pretty thirsty at  
that. A small hammer, 100lbs or under, is often 5hp. The bigger ones  
quickly get up to 10 and 15hp. Russell Jaque's 750lb Chambersburg,  
which his widow sold recently for $15,000, used a 25hp motor.
So you need big power drops, big panels, big breakers, big wire. All  
of which costs a lot. If you dont have 3 phase, some guys run em on  
diesel generators- but BIG ones. Figure another few grand there.
Then, there are footings.  The factory blueprints for the footings are  
pretty complicated. They recommend huge pits, six or 8 feet deep, with  
gravels, timber, and then lots of concrete. If you build to the  
prints, and pay a concrete guy, its easy to spend $5000 or more on  
footings. Russell was meticulous about this, even using the proper  
white oak 8x8 timbers, and his cost a fortune.
Mike Bondi, who owns two or three big Nazels, and has, over his life,  
probably owned a couple dozen, says the factory prints are overkill,  
as they were designed for two or three shift a day, 5 day a week  
constant industrial production. But even if you scale down, you still  
need to figure another few thousand in footings.

So, assuming you paid NOTHING for your big hammer, figure ten grand to  
get it up and running. Less, of course, depending on your skill as a  
scrounger, your free time, and your current electrical situation. But  
any way you slice it, not cheap.

As for price- well, the smaller they are, as in Nazel 1B's and 2B's,  
the MORE they cost. Because many more guys want a nice little 150lb  
capacity, 5000lb or so 1B, than a 25,000lb 5B. The big ones are  
practically given away, as all of the above costs are much higher. You  
simply cannot rent a trailer, and pull it with your pickup, when you  
are transporting an anvil that weighs 15,000lbs.

So the "little" ones usually get decent money. In the 5 grand range,  
and up.
And the most common, and probably most useful, size, the 3B, is often  
the same- 5 to 10 grand, depending on condition and location. Location  
is very important. They cost more on the west coast, and in oddball  
places. In the rust belt, they are cheaper, and a lot have been  
scrapped.

The last two hammers I know of that sold around here were Russell's,  
which Willene sold after he died- and the 3B and the 750 Chambersburg  
both had the same asking price- $15K. And they both sold, although I  
dont know how much she got for the 3B.

All of this is why a lot of guys around here own the chambersburg  
Chinese copies. There are 3 factories in China making em- the one  
Striker sells, Anyang, and a third one which has minimal US  
representation. A group of guys, close to ten years ago now, up here  
in the northwest, bought an entire container load of the third brand,  
badged as Wolf. 20 or so of em. And the ones I know of really like em.  
Same with the Strikers- I have run one a tiny bit, and it was sweet. A  
lot of em out there. I have an Anyang, 8 years or so on no, no  
problems, runs great.
All of these chinese hammers are available BIG, but most people have  
been buying either the 40Kg (88lb, like mine) or the 75Kg (165lb)  
hammers. The great advantage to both of these sizes is that they are  
relatively small, light, and dont require a huge amount of electricity  
or giant footings.
Mine is 5hp, 3 phase, and it just sits on my 6" slab- NO FOOTING. And  
it works fine.
New chinese hammers cost similar to used, bigger, better made american  
ones- $5 to $10 grand. But the advantage to the chinese hammers,  
besides being available in smaller sizes that you can barely, if ever,  
find in old american, is that they are NEW. Many of the Nazels I know  
of are 50, or even 75 years old, run hard in very tough industrial  
environments. Yes, they are well made- but they are also big and  
expensive to fix. They are, after all, INDUSTRIAL. I know Steve Howell  
spent something like 2 years, and many thousands of dollars,  
rebuilding his Nazel- maybe he will chime in- but it wasnt cheap, and  
it wasnt easy.

If you have the work to pay for it, a big hammer is really great.
But it is like marrying a second wife, in terms of expense,  
committment, and time you need to invest.

Ries

Ries Niemi
Industrial Artist
http://www.riesniemi.com/