Steam hammer acquired...

This is the sequel to my 2016 thread, Steam hammer wanted.

It took me four years, in which time I acquired and overhauled a nice big 300 lb Beaudry mechanical power hammer... but I finally got one.

I actually nearly bought this hammer in 2013 but the deal fell through at the time. Well, it came back available a few months ago so I sold my small hammer, a Little Giant 50 lb, to fund an upgrade.
I finally got all my ducks in a row and went to haul it home, three days ago.

I drove 250 miles across the Cascades from Tonasket, WA to Tacoma, in my 1988 diesel F350 pulling a trailer I converted to flatbed from a travel trailer... two mountain passes and some mounting apprehension later I rolled up to the welding shop it was at.

An hour and some creative forklifting later, the hammer frame, anvil, and sow block, as well as a 120 gallon air storage tank, a 25 hp rotary screw compressor, and some foundation timbers had been loaded onto my truck and trailer amid looks of misgiving from all concerned, and exclamations about the weight...

The shop crew vanished and I was left to bind the load. Chains, straps and cleats ensued until I rolled slowly out. I had a daunting journey ahead and it was increasingly clear that my worn auto transmission would perhaps fail entirely on the way back.

After spending the night at my brother's place not far away, I headed up the pass yesterday morning... lucked out on a parts store along the route and bought some Lucas Trasmission Fix, heavy thick transmission fluid to help me limp along. It helped a lot.
I spent a couple of hours pulling in first gear up snoqualmie pass on I-90 to the top of the Cascades... the sun rose on a beautiful day as I crested the top, and I knew at that moment that I could indeed make it home with a little more luck.
Another steep mountain pass and seven more hours of driving later, and I pulled into my driveway and up to the shop, parked, and looked in my truck mirror... my hair had gone snow white during the drive.
OK, that's an exaggeration but you get the idea- blessed relief to have succeeded. And, today it snowed over a foot on the passes, and quite a lot here as well...

So now, I have a steam hammer that will actually run on the large compressor that was part of the deal! It's a 250 lb. Niles Bement Pond, on the small side as far as steamies go, but just right for my shop. I'll be working on it over the winter and hopefully pouring it a foundation block right after the spring thaw.

Check it out!

there was a Nazel that came up for sale see attached.
It was quite a while ago here are the pictures, any big hammer seems to be rare.

Congradulations! I look forward to videos of it running and working! Have you got the Beaudry all finished?

A fine-looking piece of machinery, and good crispy photographs of it.

-Marty-

A great find! Keep us informed.I'm familiar with that route and can appreciate your concerns.

Tom B.

What a brilliant start to what promises to be a great story. Looking forward to the next instalment!!

gbent said:

Congradulations! I look forward to videos of it running and working! Have you got the Beaudry all finished?

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Yes, I got the Beaudry operational in February of 2018. It's an incredible machine. Here's a video... please disregard the annoying music. Couldn't edit it to be more quiet, after publishing the video... live and learn.

Street said:

there was a Nazel that came up for sale see attached.
It was quite a while ago here are the pictures, any big hammer seems to be rare.

View attachment 302743View attachment 302744View attachment 302745View attachment 302746

Click to expand...

I was watching that at the time... salivated a bit over it myself, but it was too big to really consider hauling from that far away. A Nazel 5B has to be over 20,000 lbs if it's an ounce. Love to have one someday though.

Congrats on a sweet hammer. Hope to see it running soon.

I think the 5B sold. I have been meaning to ask them about that. I bought both of the smaller hammers they had and have the little reiter kb 1 ready to do its first job next week.

Here is thread on the nazel 5B:
Reiter kb1 power hammer

Rob F. said:

Congrats on a sweet hammer. Hope to see it running soon.

I think the 5B sold. I have been meaning to ask them about that. I bought both of the smaller hammers they had and have the little reiter kb 1 ready to do its first job next week.

Here is thread on the nazel 5B:
Reiter kb1 power hammer

Click to expand...

Oh man, did you get that Beche that they had? Like a 100 Kilo hammer, was it? That was a sweet deal...

So does a hammer like this run as well on air as it would have on actual steam? (Was it ever really run on steam or do we just call it a steam hammer?) Double acting, right? (Air presses down in addition to the weight of the ram, and well as pulling it up again?)

Salem Straub said:

Oh man, did you get that Beche that they had? Like a 100 Kilo hammer, was it? That was a sweet deal...

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Yes I bought the beche 50kg and the reiter (kuhn) kb1.
I mainly wanted the beche since it is the little brother to my nazel 2b and 3b. When I asked about a package deal on both they made an offer I could nor refuse. Shit ton of differend dies with both hammers.
Beche has a 460 volt only mmotor (could change motor) But I have a lathe that also is 460v only that has a very specific motor so I needed to get a transformer set up to do that. Now I can do anything that is reasonable 460v. Like the beche hammer, a monster drill press I have, the nebel lathe, and the reiter hammer. The reiter hammer and the drill press can easily be re wired to 460 but why if I have to have it for other machines?
It took a little time to figure out what NEDED to be 460 and what could stay 460, get a transformer and correct plugs etc...
I would think, but have not confirmed yet, that the little beche 50kg is similar to a nazel 1b.

bryan_machine said:

So does a hammer like this run as well on air as it would have on actual steam? (Was it ever really run on steam or do we just call it a steam hammer?) Double acting, right? (Air presses down in addition to the weight of the ram, and well as pulling it up again?)

Click to expand...

As far as I can tell in my hammer research the companies that made both types of hammers, the same hammers were made to be run on either stream OR air. If it was initially made to run on steam the seals were very loose so that steam and condensate and oil would be able to blow by the seals and not get water logged, lubing the cyl as it does so. If it was an air machine the seals were tight as would be expected of air use. Otherwise the same machine.
Huge waste of air to run a hammer made for steam on air, most have had the seals changed to air use by now.

bryan_machine said:

So does a hammer like this run as well on air as it would have on actual steam? (Was it ever really run on steam or do we just call it a steam hammer?) Double acting, right? (Air presses down in addition to the weight of the ram, and well as pulling it up again?)

Click to expand...

Rob’s right... steam valving is set up with loose tolerances, air valving with tighter seals. Otherwise they’ll be functionally the same. This hammer was built for steam, but has been retrofit with air seals. So, it’s a steam hammer but pneumatic henceforth.
Old timers have often said a hammer hits harder with steam than air, as the hot steam carries more energy and expands in the cylinder. They run just fine on air, too though once refit.
Yes, it’s a double acting hammer. Single acting was older tech...

Congratulations on the new hammer. I considered buying a similar hammer about 20 years ago but I was far too big for my single car garage in the city shop at the time. A few years later it would have been perfect. But then I probably wouldn't have bought my current hammer. It's a 5cwt Massey.

Your new hammer looks to be in good shape. Hopefully not too much to do? Big hammer repairs get expensive quickly.

Badass Salem. Cant wait to see that thing up and running! I know Ric Furrer is still trying to sell his 1000lb steam hammer last I heard, but transportation is the killer with one that size. It's the reason the really big hammers, like the nazel 4B and larger, and the big erie and niles bement pond and the like sometimes sell for way less money than you'd think, because the cost of the hammer itself is only a little fraction of the true installation and transportation cost once professional riggers need to get involved. Someday I'll have a 'forever' shop and get a big hammer. The 4B down at dragonbreath forge is so damn fun to watch in action, and the patterning you can get with a big hammer is very different than that with a press.

Pattnmaker said:

Congratulations on the new hammer. I considered buying a similar hammer about 20 years ago but I was far too big for my single car garage in the city shop at the time. A few years later it would have been perfect. But then I probably wouldn't have bought my current hammer. It's a 5cwt Massey.

Your new hammer looks to be in good shape. Hopefully not too much to do? Big hammer repairs get expensive quickly.

Click to expand...

A 5cwt Massey is pretty hard to beat. Too bad there are so few in the States... I'd still love to add a self contained hammer like a Nazel, Massey, or Chambersburg one day, just to have one each of the main types of hammer.
This machine should be fairly ready to go... of course that's all supposition until the rubber hits the road. We'll see if the seller failed to remember to mention any snags... I expect the foundation work and getting the air supply installed with enough power to run etc will be the hard parts.

Jusin, true enough... plus once you get much above 300 lbs ram weight, it's more hammer than necessary for almost all pattern welding... the slowness becomes an issue and the extra power will go largely unused. Bladesmiths being a large part of the used hammer market, this leaves hammers bigger than 4B to the large sculpture and industrial smithing crowd. I can't see needing anything bigger than that although I'm long term eyeing a 500 lb. Bement I know of about three hours away...

I got a 10cwt B&S Massey..air /electric hammer from the railways some years ago for $10.....they dug out the anvil and all the setting,as well as moving the hammer outside under the 50 ton overhead crane.......Should have been ideal,but before I could pick it up ,we had heavy rain for weeks ,and my yard turned in a bottomless bog,and I had to surrender the hammer for scrap......The Massey works by having a air cylinder driven by a motor that works the hammer cylinder/piston assy,keeping time ,but allowing variable stroke and blow.......It was the "clearspace model" too ,with the square piston rod to maintain alignment without guides for the head.......Easy come easy go in those days.

john.k said:

I got a 10cwt B&S Massey..air /electric hammer from the railways some years ago for $10.....they dug out the anvil and all the setting,as well as moving the hammer outside under the 50 ton overhead crane.......Should have been ideal,but before I could pick it up ,we had heavy rain for weeks ,and my yard turned in a bottomless bog,and I had to surrender the hammer for scrap......The Massey works by having a air cylinder driven by a motor that works the hammer cylinder/piston assy,keeping time ,but allowing variable stroke and blow.......It was the "clearspace model" too ,with the square piston rod to maintain alignment without guides for the head.......Easy come easy go in those days.

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Dont tell us such sad stories of woe.