macbruce

Wonder if that one was welded up on a Monday---or on a Friday right before quitting time...

I say the blacksmith ''lost his temper'' and smacked it with a sledge on a very cold day..... :angry: ....What he did after that is scary to ponder......

Roll-In, had it for 15 years and I still love it. It's the most versatile saw I've ever used. I can cut a 8''x12'' I beam or cut out a grape leaf if I like. I've even made my own 1''half round stock in long lengths with the help of an special vice I made...I could go on and on....They are a bit spendy but I see them on ebay for pretty reasonable prices fairly often.

Trying to repair this anvil would be a mistake imo. It still looks quite useable......It looks like a bird's head to me..... B)

I think when Ferguson named this thread he meant to say 'bolt on dies' rather than ''flat dies'' and the term ''versus'' maybe should have been 'or' because he his on his own fence trying to make a decision on his upcoming hammer project not trying to answer the question once and for all.

I had to come up with a method whereby I didn't have to hold up the upper die in my 200lb hammer (the smaller one no problem) to bolt it on because some of them weigh 35 lbs and lining up the bolts by hand while holding the die in the other to start a bolt is difficult to say the least. I had to rig a stop so the ram dropped within 1/8'' to say 1/2'' to provide a space so I had wiggle room while the upper die sat on the lower to easily line up the bolts. This is no problem with DT's cause you simply drop the ram onto the die give it a couple of licks with a hammer or do some prying and you can get a wedge started no problem. I don't think using bolts ever even crossed the old boy's minds.....If the system ain't broke then don't fix it.
In the last 10 years using bolt on's I've never had a bolt shear.

I'd forge it square and anneal it right off the bat, then cut it on a band or chopsaw into what I needed....When it's square even using a hot cut is much easier.

This little jewel followed me home today and I wish my 12''x36'' Logan were in such good shape. I reckon it's been sitting in a dry garage for 40-50 years and aside from superficial rust and grunge it's in near excellent condition. After I get it fully cleaned up and running I'm gonna flip it.....It's 6''x12''

Hi Collin, Seems to me teaching High School Industrial Arts is more of a 'dying' breed than Blacksmithing these days I'm sad to say......Many young people still need and want to work with their hands and analog skills such as welding/metalwork, the arts, music, wood working, etc,etc are being dropped by so many curriculums. I for one can remember in the early 60's my parents were aghast when I told them I wanted a career in the trades......Welcome aboard, MB

I reckon the larger industrial hammers that are produced even today never use anything but flat dies. Small fabricated utility hammers have been around a very short time and hammers like the Iron Kiss and the Blu hammers still use DT"S....to each his own.

On my very first thread here a few years ago I made the statement that ''dovetails suck'' and ruffled some feathers and wouldn't dream of doing that again...hehe. One of the rufflees said that he could change his dies way faster than me. Now I that race if it were run might be pretty close cause I cheat. Truth be known I don't care what system anyone else uses, It's more about being able to make the dies quickly than speed of changing them and that's a race DT's would loose for sure.

There's nothing wrong with jigs, scroll forms and the like especially if ''multiples'' are what the job calls for....you'll still find that no two are exactly alike.

How are solenoid valves for feathering, or are they full on/off? I'm accustomed to spool levers, or flow control valves, being able to adjust flow or give something a lighter nudge.

Since the pump is only 1.3 gpm driving a 4'' cylinder ''feathering'' is almost imperceptable. Mr Tech said rapid joging is Aok and that's pretty much what I always did with the lever on the old machine.....we'll see.... :)

I talked to the tech dude and he said the pressure hole is always smaller than the return. I haven't bothered to look yet...... He informed me that I can operate my bender with an electric solenoid valve which will eliminate lots of hoses and make the whole thing alot less cluttered.... B)

The Champions are a little different because the dovetails are 90 deg. to the long axis of the dies, so Sid's LG system is a good inspirational starting point but won't work in the Champion configuration. But Bruce and everyone's basic concept i.e. dovetail base with bolt on tops is the way to go.

I reckon any dovetail hammer can be converted, as long as the particulars of any given hammer are addressed correctly.

That's one homely anvil alright....Looks like there is some useable areas on the face and the horn is just a horn. I wouldn't get all strung out on fixing it up, just use it as is till you can get a better one..... ;)

anyone care to speculate as to how I could apply Bruce M's system on a Champion 65

Thanks




carry on

It's pretty simple, Sid Sudimeyer makes some upper and lower dovetail dies that are for recieving bolt on's for LG's. For mechanical hammers head space can be tricky and the dies like on the top shelf shown on my rack need to be shortened alot. A good example of that type of die(s) at work is on Rory May's thread; out the video on April 20.
The dies I use are the old standard Bullhammer 4 1/2'' OC. I mix it all up with spacer plates, adaptor plates and whatever my twisted mind can come up with as long as I can get the power to the hot metal.
I did dovetail/bolt on adaptors on two Beaudry's a #8 & a #2, I can still get pics of the #2 conversion.

Will it become Omniversable?

Good question, I guess.... :huh: .....If you mean will it be able to bend on the backstroke or do some usefull function I don't know, never even considered that. There could be posibilities I never even thought of...... The nut welded to the ram pin reciever that the rod screws into was only meant to return it, not go under much load.......
HEY, time out.........whadaya mean, Omniverable with a capital O Danger??? I just Googled that word and it came up zip point XXXX.....Are you pullin my leg or what? :lol:

Thanks Guys, I got to looking at the thing and reasoned the pressure side would be where the pressure relief valve is, at around 5 Oclock below the rh valve......I'm still gonna talk to the tech guy tomorrow cause I'm thinking I'll fit it with an electric solenoid valve instead of a spool unit if possible.

Pat is right, that would be one or two pretty difficult jigs. Try doing one freehand in say 13 mm round just to see how it goes. I remember doing a pair once (kinda the same only different)and thought ''matching pair'' was to do a 'mirror' image of the first and that made it twice as hard, but they looked cool together.

I'm building a hydraulic bender as some of you may have noticed. No directions came with it and it's not stamped acordingly the self contained unit has two ports on the pump and I have no clue which is in or out. One port looks like it may be fitted with a check valve?? Anyway if anybody knows for sure which is which please respond otherwise I'll give the supplier a call in the morning and talk to their tech person. thanks....mb

Enough for one day.........

Love the stencil on the welding hood!!! That made my day.

I found the helmet, never could figure out what that was........... :huh:

All ready to zip up. I took longer than I thought to fit the pins so they would all 'drop' into place top and bottom but it must be done.

Looks to me as if the forge you just posted is made of steel with possibly a cast iron for a fire pot.....Hope I'm wrong but aluminum just seems like a poor choice of material to contain a fire at least double the heat it was intended for....good luck

Paul, I think this design is fankly a waste of time. The aluminum bbq grill just not a suitable foundation to build into a coal forge. There's been a number of nice forges made from old brake drums and such posted here, I'd go that rout for building a ''junkyard'' forge.....my .02 worth.... :)