From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

On 8/16/2010 3:32 AM, Ignoramus7071 wrote:

I was at a construction site with my 4 year old son. It was like a
heaven for him, both heavy duty construction and railroad in one
place. But I digress.

What I saw there, very amazing to see up close, was a diesel
hammer. Type "diesel hammer" in youtube to see what it is like or see
this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IxOAndZnc

I actually took a video of it yesterday, up close, it was a much
closer look than what I saw on youtube. If anyone is interested, I can
post it.

Anyway, today I thought, what if I make a smaller version of a diesel
hammer, to be used for blacksmithing purposes. This may not be
neighbor friendly, but if it could be made to work (say 50 lbs
hammer), it would be awesome and would not require a heavy duty
compressor or electric supply.

i

Pardon if this has already been covered in the previous discussion, I
only spot checked and didn't see any mention of 19th century blacksmith-
ing books.

This is covered in some, or many 19th century and earlier blacksmithing
books. The only one I've personally read is somewhere on archive.org,
and I'm not inclined to look it up right now.

Those books cover steam powered blacksmithing tools, but the principle
remains the same. No, they don't cover how to make the steam engine,
but how to use them, and show pictures enough that a recreationist can
follow. They do demonstrate hand or gravity powered tools made from
scratch.

Anyway, I recall a diagram and directions on creating a piston hammer
like above, using counter weights and pulleys. Should be easy to adj-
ust with a diesel powered wheel. Or steam, or electric, if you prefer.
It's your wheel after all.


Best wishes, and happy blacksmithing!
--
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;
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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

On 9/14/2026 9:54 AM, Johann "Myrkraverk" Oskarsson wrote:

On 8/16/2010 3:32 AM, Ignoramus7071 wrote:

I was at a construction site with my 4 year old son. It was like a
heaven for him, both heavy duty construction and railroad in one
place. But I digress.

What I saw there, very amazing to see up close, was a diesel
hammer. Type "diesel hammer" in youtube to see what it is like or see
this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IxOAndZnc

I actually took a video of it yesterday, up close, it was a much
closer look than what I saw on youtube. If anyone is interested, I can
post it.

Anyway, today I thought, what if I make a smaller version of a diesel
hammer, to be used for blacksmithing purposes. This may not be
neighbor friendly, but if it could be made to work (say 50 lbs
hammer), it would be awesome and would not require a heavy duty
compressor or electric supply.

i

Pardon if this has already been covered in the previous discussion, I
only spot checked and didn't see any mention of 19th century blacksmith-
ing books.

This is covered in some, or many 19th century and earlier blacksmithing books.-a The only one I've personally read is somewhere on archive.org,
and I'm not inclined to look it up right now.

Those books cover steam powered blacksmithing tools, but the principle remains the same.-a No, they don't cover how to make the steam engine,
but how to use them, and show pictures enough that a recreationist can follow.-a They do demonstrate hand or gravity powered tools made from scratch.

Anyway, I recall a diagram and directions on creating a piston hammer
like above, using counter weights and pulleys.-a Should be easy to adj-
ust with a diesel powered wheel.-a Or steam, or electric, if you prefer.
It's your wheel after all.

Best wishes, and happy blacksmithing!

You do realize you're responding to a post that is 16 years old ?
Iggy's son is probably in college by now , and knowing him (Iggy) he's probably built one and upgraded it several times since 2010 .
--
Snag
I appreciated foreign cultures more
when they stayed foreign ...
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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking


"Johann \"Myrkraverk\" Oskarsson" <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> writes:

On 8/16/2010 3:32 AM, Ignoramus7071 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IxOAndZnc

Pardon if this has already been covered in the previous discussion, I
only spot checked and didn't see any mention of 19th century blacksmith-
ing books.

As Snag pointed out, discussion, if any, occurred 15 years ago.

This is covered in some, or many 19th century and earlier blacksmithing books. The only one I've personally read is somewhere on archive.org,
and I'm not inclined to look it up right now.

Those books cover steam powered blacksmithing tools, but the principle remains the same.

Probably not. I've never used a steam hammer but I've used a modern
air hammer and restored a ca. 100 y.o. 300# air hammer.

http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/shop/alldays.html

What's in the video is a pile driver, appears to be a drop hammer,
viz. you get a blow controlled only by the height of the
drop. There's a lovely video of using this kind of hammer at Wilop
Forge in China:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAFAgcwv3tY

But hammers for forging pieces that a single person or even two or
three people can handle offers more control over the force of the
blows. This involves a bunch of alternate borings, reed valves and
probably engineering details I don't know about inside the hammer
mechanism.
--
Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada
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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

On Mon, 14 Sep 2026 16:35:45 -0500, Snag <Snag_one@msn.com> wrote:

On 9/14/2026 9:54 AM, Johann "Myrkraverk" Oskarsson wrote:

On 8/16/2010 3:32 AM, Ignoramus7071 wrote:

I was at a construction site with my 4 year old son. It was like a
heaven for him, both heavy duty construction and railroad in one
place. But I digress.

What I saw there, very amazing to see up close, was a diesel
hammer. Type "diesel hammer" in youtube to see what it is like or see
this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IxOAndZnc

I actually took a video of it yesterday, up close, it was a much
closer look than what I saw on youtube. If anyone is interested, I can
post it.

Anyway, today I thought, what if I make a smaller version of a diesel
hammer, to be used for blacksmithing purposes. This may not be
neighbor friendly, but if it could be made to work (say 50 lbs
hammer), it would be awesome and would not require a heavy duty
compressor or electric supply.

i

Pardon if this has already been covered in the previous discussion, I
only spot checked and didn't see any mention of 19th century blacksmith-
ing books.

This is covered in some, or many 19th century and earlier blacksmithing
books.a The only one I've personally read is somewhere on archive.org,
and I'm not inclined to look it up right now.

Those books cover steam powered blacksmithing tools, but the principle
remains the same.a No, they don't cover how to make the steam engine,
but how to use them, and show pictures enough that a recreationist can
follow.a They do demonstrate hand or gravity powered tools made from
scratch.

Anyway, I recall a diagram and directions on creating a piston hammer
like above, using counter weights and pulleys.a Should be easy to adj-
ust with a diesel powered wheel.a Or steam, or electric, if you prefer.
It's your wheel after all.


Best wishes, and happy blacksmithing!

You do realize you're responding to a post that is 16 years old ?
Iggy's son is probably in college by now , and knowing him (Iggy) he's >probably built one and upgraded it several times since 2010 .

Check out "Delmag" this is a diesel powered pile driver.
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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

On 9/15/2026 7:57 AM, Mike Spencer wrote:

"Johann \"Myrkraverk\" Oskarsson" <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> writes:

On 8/16/2010 3:32 AM, Ignoramus7071 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IxOAndZnc

Pardon if this has already been covered in the previous discussion, I
only spot checked and didn't see any mention of 19th century blacksmith-
ing books.

As Snag pointed out, discussion, if any, occurred 15 years ago.

Yes, that was a mistake in sort order. I had neglected to set the
defaults sort order of new posts to ascending, subscribed to the group
because someone cross posted, and started reading at the bottom of my
screen, so to speak.

I'm fairly certain Iggy doesn't mind.

As a way of self introduction, consider myself an armchair blacksmith.
I've read a few books, but it'll be a few years before I start on my own smithy.

This is covered in some, or many 19th century and earlier blacksmithing
books. The only one I've personally read is somewhere on archive.org,
and I'm not inclined to look it up right now.

Those books cover steam powered blacksmithing tools, but the principle
remains the same.

Probably not. I've never used a steam hammer but I've used a modern
air hammer and restored a ca. 100 y.o. 300# air hammer.

http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/shop/alldays.html

What's in the video is a pile driver, appears to be a drop hammer,
viz. you get a blow controlled only by the height of the
drop. There's a lovely video of using this kind of hammer at Wilop
Forge in China:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAFAgcwv3tY

But hammers for forging pieces that a single person or even two or
three people can handle offers more control over the force of the
blows. This involves a bunch of alternate borings, reed valves and
probably engineering details I don't know about inside the hammer
mechanism.

Thank you for the video. Rather than argue about what is, or isn't,
in a book from the 19th century, I'll just reply with pictures next
time I read it. It'll hopefully be less than fifteen years from now.


Happy blacksmithing!
--
Johann | email: invalid -> com | http://www.myrkraverk.com/blog/
I'm not from the Internet, I just work there. | via Easynews.com https://bsky.app/profile/myrkraverk.bsky.social | for ( ;; ) _:;
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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking

On 15/09/2026 08:05, Johann "Myrkraverk" Oskarsson wrote:

On 9/15/2026 7:57 AM, Mike Spencer wrote:

"Johann \"Myrkraverk\" Oskarsson" <johann@myrkraverk.invalid> writes:

On 8/16/2010 3:32 AM, Ignoramus7071 wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84IxOAndZnc

Pardon if this has already been covered in the previous discussion, I
only spot checked and didn't see any mention of 19th century
blacksmith-
ing books.

As Snag pointed out, discussion, if any, occurred 15 years ago.

Yes, that was a mistake in sort order.-a I had neglected to set the
defaults sort order of new posts to ascending, subscribed to the group because someone cross posted, and started reading at the bottom of my
screen, so to speak.

I'm fairly certain Iggy doesn't mind.

As a way of self introduction, consider myself an armchair blacksmith.
I've read a few books, but it'll be a few years before I start on my own smithy.

This is covered in some, or many 19th century and earlier blacksmithing
books.-a The only one I've personally read is somewhere on archive.org,
and I'm not inclined to look it up right now.

Those books cover steam powered blacksmithing tools, but the principle
remains the same.

Probably not.-a I've never used a steam hammer but I've used a modern
air hammer and restored a ca. 100 y.o. 300# air hammer.

http://home.tallships.ca/mspencer/shop/alldays.html

What's in the video is a pile driver, appears to be a drop hammer,
viz. you get a blow controlled only by the height of the
drop.-a There's a lovely video of using this kind of hammer at Wilop
Forge in China:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAFAgcwv3tY

But hammers for forging pieces that a single person or even two or
three people can handle offers more control over the force of the
blows. This involves a bunch of alternate borings, reed valves and
probably engineering details I don't know about inside the hammer
mechanism.

Thank you for the video.-a Rather than argue about what is, or isn't,
in a book from the 19th century, I'll just reply with pictures next
time I read it.-a It'll hopefully be less than fifteen years from now.

Happy blacksmithing!

If you're really going to investigate this you could also look at how a Paslode nail gun works, that's a spark ignited gas charge. The patents
aren't hard to find.

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From Newsgroup: rec.crafts.metalworking


David Billington <djb@invalid.com> writes:

If you're really going to investigate this you could also look at how a Paslode nail gun works, that's a spark ignited gas charge. The patents aren't hard to find.

I've had some fun with a hand-held air hammer. Bigger than the
pistol-sized ones you see in the muffler shop, smaller than
pavement-breaker jackhammers. About the size of a Thompson machine
gun, :-) With custom-made bits, you can move a lot of hot metal
around in a workpiece awkward to manage on the anvil.

BTW, I failed to mention that big steam hammers were typically
operated by the "hammer driver", not the smith manipulating the
workpiece. There's a yarn about the kind of control the hammer driver
could exhibit.

Some loudmouth bigwig comes into the railroad workshop, demands a
tour. They take him to the big 1000# steam hammer for a show and
tell. The shop foreman puts his pocket watch on the anvil, a drop of
oil on the tup. The driver begins to run the hammer, bringing each
stroke of the massive tup a little closer to the anvil and the watch
until he pulls it back completely. There's a drop of oil on the watch
crystal.

Then the foreman says to the VIP, "Try it yourself. Give me your
watch." With the VIP's watch on the anvil, the driver brings the tup
down with maximum force just once, converting the VIP's watch to the
size of a saucer, about 1/16" thick.

Doing that trick with a 75 KG Kuhn air hammer is one thing.
Accurately managing the momentum of a massive tup in a big steam
hammer boggles the imagination.
--
Mike Spencer Nova Scotia, Canada
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