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Navy Blacksmiths at Work

lathefan

Titanium
Joined
Nov 7, 2003
Location
Colorado
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Hello,
How would anybody else on that ship get anything done with that hammer rattling everybody's teeth out? Did they place that hammer in the very bottom of the ship with a big concrete pad serving as both ballast for the ship and a base for that hammer? Nice picture. I noticed there isn't any slag on the hammer or the floor. I wonder if thats not a staged picture. The man holding the tongs has his hand fairly close to the "hot" part he's working.

Thanks!
Richard
 
No doubt staged. That guys hand would be melting to the floor if that metal was at a working heat. Interesting hammer as it seems to have a huge ram diameter for its overall size.
 
http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p12/prometheus-ii.htm

Highlites are that she was launched 1909 as a collier (coal ship) and recommissioned 1914 as repair ship AR-3. In service until 1946, including earning a battle star (!)

This is a sister ship of the famous USS Vestal.

Large diameter ram might be needed to get the necessary "oomph" because the hammer stroke was limited by the low overhead. Long stroke gives more momentum for a given diameter.

If that's a gas bottle on the right side, I don't see any chain or other restraint around it !

And when did the USN issue hats like the one worn by the sailor on the left? Or has he wrapped his head in a bandanna? Out of uniform?

John
 
Must of cut the brim off a standard navy cap. Might of did it to prevent hot slag from being caught in the brim and burning his head. :eek:
 
I think thats a steam operated press and they're pressing out a pin from the end of that shaft!

I wonder what a hammer that size would sound like at sea, in the middle of no-where, on an old ship?

There's not enough base in the picture to support a hammer! A couple of whacks, and that old mic be lying on it's side!


Steve
 
No, its a power hammer for blacksmithing- you can tell by the dies, set at 45 degrees or so to the frame.

Base? theres 10,000 tons of steel base that thing is bolted to- the whole ship is the base.
And on a ship like that, with the main engine probably a coal fired steam engine, and massive, there is already so much noise and vibration they probably didnt even notice when the hammer was running.

Before World War 2, there were several navy ships with blacksmithing power hammers on them- I believe I have seen pictures of one on the Vestal as well.
It was a standard industrial tool, and for a fleet repair ship, it was considered essential.
 
I guess the shadow knows what it really is!
If it were a hammer though, imagine the sound in the ship as it went off? Wouldn't the bang transfer threw the hull?

Steve
 
It might be staged, but it wouldn't HAVE to be. I've had my hands that close to working heat steel using tongs. Typically, the end under the hammer is heated more anyway, so it's not quite as hot at the tongs as at the other end.

In support of the noise and vibration issues, I can vouch for the fact that none of the submarines I rode on were equipped with a power hammer.
 
Lathefan,
Are there any other photos of that hammer? I can't figure out what is going on with the mechanism on the top. There seem to be two cylinders, one at around the pivot point of the light weight lever....
And there seems to be a very heavy crosshead? up there, but pretty light looking lever arm. Anyone have other photos of this type of machine?
 
Thank's awfully for posting that great pic !

the workpeice is a real "heat"

cold-hearted orb that rules the night.
removes the colors from our sight.
red is grey ,,,yellow , white !

likely wrought-iron which would be at a "yellow" heat...out near the end.

and that press imparts a mashing force.
not so much a slamming force.
 
Looks like a hydraulic forging press. steam cyl. at back operating "intensifier"cylinder in middle via the grasshopper link. With a steamhammer proper the whole ship would be a huge sound box!
 
Ries,

Remember that USS Prometheus & USS Vestal are sister ships - their forge shops would be similar if not actually identical. Anything known about the equippage of the Vestal probably applies to the Prometheus.

DANFS gives this info about USS Prometheus:

AR–3: dp. 8,940; l. 466’4”; b. 60’2”; dr. 19’6”; s. 16 k.; cpl. 737; a. 2 5”, 4 3”, 4 40mm.)

dp 8,940 - In those days, displacement was often given in "Gross Registered Tons". which despite being called "tons" are actually a measure of enclosed volume of the ship.

Complement 737 - Think of what a repair shop with a staff of 737 could accomplish, even considering that some of them are officers and support staff.

Regarding vibration: I could find no mention of what kind of engines she might have had. Her build date straddles the reciprocating / turbine transition era. Whatever engines she had, they were powerful enough that she TOWED the disabled battleship USS Connecticut (BB-18) from Cuba to Philadelphia ! (Geez! Towing a battleship!)

In any case, a marine reciprocating steam engine should not "pound" unless there's something wrong. Admittedly they are not quite as smooth as a turbine.

The "grasshopper" linkage on this press or hammer is indeed very curious. This might be a one-of-a-kind machine made only for low-overhead-clearance use in USN repair ships!

FWIW: While researching the Prometheus, I found out that the USN has also had three different ships named USS PROCYON !!!!

John Ruth
 
My guess that it is a forging press not a forging hammer. Most likely hydraulic since there is no insulation on piping.
 
Forging press would also explain why no slag/scale scattered about assuming the pic is "live action".
There are pressure guages plumbed with fairly small lines. I do think it is hydraulic as well.

I still vote for staged though. They aren't wearing their safety glasses so how could they be engaged in active work.


Lenny
 
While that may be hydraulic--I think it is a small steam powered hammer(see all the large insulated steam lines going to the hammer).The sailor on the right is watching the 2 dials and controling the stroke.I was on the AS-12 Sperry (built-early 40's w/wooden decks) during the early 70's (submarine repair-supply ship) while we didn't have a power hammer,we did have a full machine shop and a foundry. I mention this because the foundry guys wore similar hats while at work.I seem to remember it had something to do with being able to wear helmets (like welders) while pouring molten metal--I would think that sailor would have the same need if he was working with hot metal.While that picture looks staged--I doubt OSHA was looking over their shoulders when that picture was made.
 
There's no way you'd use a steam hammer that size in a ship!

It's a hydraulic press with a steam intensifier. A large diameter steam piston uses moderate steam pressure to push a smaller hydraulic piston to give high pressure, which in turn operates the hydraulic press ram.

Here's another one, made by Greenwood & Batley of Leeds, in the forge of the repair ship 'HMS Cyclops' c.1907:-

Cycl01.jpg


Probably quite big, judging by the height of the handrails on the platform of the adjacent crane.
 
Here’s a similar press:-

Press01.jpg


Presumably the left pressure gauges is for water pressure, the right for steam. You can just make out the operating handle standing vertically.

Going back to the Prometheus press, an interesting feature is the brass displacement lubricator which delivers steam oil into the steam pipe to lubricate the cylinder. Condensing steam displaces oil into the steam pipe, and the coil in the small bore copper steam pipe will promote condensation. On the LHS of the lubricator is a sight glass, to show the operator whether he's got any oil left in it. Periodically he would open the drain cock at the bottom to drain off the water. Then he'd isolate the steam, remove a plug and top up the oil. The oil would be kept in a kettle on top of something hot, in order to thin it for pouring. Life is too short for decanting cold steam oil.

Press02.jpg


A 6000 ton steam-hydraulic press. The two large cylinders on the left will be the steam cylinders, lagged and then clad with blued steel sheet, with the hydraulic cylinders above.
 








 
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