[TheForge] Forge hand blower

[Central Office]

Not all blowers were built the same. Some coast when you stop turning the crank and some have crude bearings and may suffer from internal rust and excessive wear. The only way to find out what you're dealing with is to open up the case and see what's inside. If it has ball bearings a thorough cleaning and lubricating may be all it needs. If the ball bearings are toast, they may be replaceable. If there are bronze bushings, they can be replaced though you may need a machinist friend to help with odd custom bushings. Some blowers that were part of inexpensive smithing kits sold by Sears and others just had steel shafts running in cast iron holes. It might be possible to drill out the hole and fit a bronze bearing in its place. The shaft may need to be replaced too since it may be too rough from wear and rust to ever turn freely in the bushing. 
So, the question is whether your blower is worth taking apart and attempting to clean or upgrade its bearings. It might be a good next step to show it to some experienced smiths at a regional gathering to get feedback on what you have and how to proceed. If there are no nearby smith gatherings there are smithing tool sites on facebook where you could post a photo of the blower and seek advice. 

Unless the blower was built with good ball bearings it may never coast. One blower I disassembled decades ago had adjustable ball bearings like a bicycle crank. I cleaned and painted it. Adjusted the play in the bearings, lubed it, and put it back together. It ran great in spite of decades of neglect.

I know of no magic elixir that will cure your problem.

Jack Brubaker
ABANA Board Member

-----Original Message-----
From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net <theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net> On Behalf Of blcksmth via TheForge
Sent: Wednesday, February 28, 2024 1:58 PM
To: theforge <theforge at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: [TheForge] Forge hand blower


I have a typical forge blower that is working fine except that it is harder to crank than I think it should be.
The crank is on one side of the gearbox and the fan on the other side. I suspect the oil has partially solidified.
The fan is free and it does coast for a bit when you stop cranking. 
Adding oil to the gearbox has no effect.
What would be a recommended liquid that I could pour into the gearbox to allow the gunk to be drained out and then add new oil? Gasoline comes to mind, with the usual precautions including a cold forge.

-- 


Bob Willman
The Eagle's Anvil
Bowling Green, Ohio
WB8NQW


A primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of
government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally
important? And what duty more pressing than communicating it to those
who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?


George Washington

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