Blacksmith Blower Rebuild: Part 1 - Disassembly and Making Pinion Gear Blanks 

Isn’t it ironic that a metal worker was once one of the most relied upon members of the town. Now we are “historical eccentrics”. That era is ending, and the worth of the mechanically education is starting to be a valuable vocation (of course to the few forward thinking). You are a very valuable resource!😊😊

World made by hand. I truly think in the future there will be much more hand made things. Along with, Recycle. Repair. Reuse. Goes to show you what "quality" meant to the older, past generations of craftsmen. Good job Keith. Cheers.

Keith, Thanks for the trip down memory lane! (My grandfather was a blacksmith.) About 60 or so years ago, I would love to turn the crank for the forge blower. If he was doing some forging on Saturday, he's call the house. (We were about 1/4 mile apart.) I'd drop what I was doing, jump on my bike and ride down to the workshop. Those days are fond memories for me. I was helping my grandpa make something from steel! I thought it was fun! Some folks out there no doubt feel I should be committed! But times were different in the mid to late 1950s. We never locked the house at night. Folks were honest. Kids didn't need a ton of stuff to be happy. My cousins and I made our own fun, and I have fond memories of that time as well. The only things I hated was shoveling out the chicken house or moving the manure pile by the cow barn! (My grandpa used it to fertilize the orchard and vineyard.) Enough of me rambling! Thanks for the video and allowing me some time travel back to my childhood. Have a good one! Dave

Just seeing the pictures and title that's monumental making gears. I suffered in a shop making just a few gears. Its so slow and the patience required is painful. That's what make Keith a "MACHINEIST"

A job that, when finished, gives a great deal of satisfaction. I always get a kick out of fixing things that others think only fit for the recycle bin. This job is true recycling. Keep 'em coming. ATB c

I always loved hearing that train steam whistle while you worked; and added feature of watching your show!

Boy oh boy! I jump too when the press makes that popping sound when the press fit lets go!

Great stuff! So much fun watching somebody who knows how to do stuff just do stuff.

This to me is worth watching. Thanks Keith for taking the time to do it right like I knew you would.

I watch you and Adam and Tom and mrpete222 and I'm always amazed at the skills you all have. I I don't currently do any machining work but I watch and learn and eventually I will add machining to my metal working skills. currently I am a welder and fabricator and ocasional restoration projects find a home in my shop. this RU-vid community of machinists is a great educational and inspirational tool and I appreciate the efforts you all put into sharing your knowlage with the interested people. thank you and all the other guys that take the time to share with us.

Thanks Keith. Great project, and special thanks for crediting the music. You always have good music.

Very cool! I can't wait to see you cut some more gears. What a nifty project and you're doing a great job, thanks so much for sharing it with us! Aloha...Chuck

Forget the audio, This whole post was worth it just to hear the music. I would bet $$ to donuts that the phenolic gear was a latter day substitute.

Keith, another great video! Like the way you are going about fixing all the problems the gear box has. looking forward to seeing the gears being made/cut. Thanks!!

Keith, I think the "no metal" gear is made from impregnated cloth. It's used to make the system more quite and is tough when oriented well before machining (mesh should be perpendicular to the teeth shape. It's also used as a "safety valve" in gear trains. (E.g. they're in the train of gears for feeding in my lathe for noise and safety) When an overload occurs these ones get ripped apart and the expensive hardened steel ones will survive for future use. The company "Tufnol" sells it in several varieties so maybe you can give them a call. Thank you for sharing your adventures ones again. Greatly appreciated here. Stay safe and be happy. All the best, Job

Oh , What an enjoyment to see this restoration Kieth ! I really am going to enjoy this project .. I have seen them in that striped shape , Nice to see one put to better that new shape !! ENJOYED ..

Great project Keith! When finished I'm sure the blower will run better than new. Thanks for sharing.

Wow that's the kind of stuff. Great work, real nice to see how it's done.

Hi Keith, I subscribed to your channel just the other day; It AMAZES me at your knowledge. Without a doubt, you are TRULY a "Jack of all trades", and a MASTER at ALL of them. It's a pleasure watching you work!

Very nice start Keith. Love to see metal machined reminds me of my Dad who was a Machinist years ago. That looks easy the way you do it but I know its all in the set up. Very nice work indeed and very informative. The museum has the right man for the job that's for sure.

Interesting project. Those old hand cranked tools were really cool. My family's plumbing shop had a similar hand cranked grind stone. We used to spin it up as fast as we could get it going, then marvel at how long the inertia kept it spinning. No guards, of course. We were probably 6 or 8, old enough to try the "safer" machines. .

Keith, any shade tree mechanic would have just fixed the gear and threw it back together, but you, being a true machinist, chose to rebuild the whole assembly. I might have bored out the shaft holes and put bronze bearing material in, but, the way you did it is perfectly right. Thanks for sharing.

Nicely shafted Keith, looking forward to the gears.

This is exactly the kind of video of yours I like best, Keith. I'm great with all of the others (including Odds & Ends), but these are without a doubt my favorites.

hi Keith, just to throw in my two cents worth: i've used all types of inserts on the lathe and found they work best when running flood coolant. it's messy as all get out but the results are much better than using cutting oil. the finish is generally much better when running them in conjunction with the flood coolant.. thanks for letting us peek over your shoulder and the music was very enjoyable. applause to the pickers if you know them personally cheers mike

Great job shop work, great job. Hope to see the finished re-manufactured blower at work this fall, Dave

nice work keith

I watch you repair that diving head (or put it back together) and you said that one day you would show how it is used, and what a beautiful job it dose. The person that takes the time out of their day to TEACH so many a skill that one day they will become as good as the teacher. You my friend are a great teacher and I hope one day someone will use your videos as a teaching tool for shop class. We all are not collage material. I know I was not one because I could not finish the 9 grade but god gave me a great teacher he taught me how to repair air conditioning & refrigeration equipment the only job that requires you to be a jack of all trades able to do it all you have to be an electrician, carpenter, plumber you have to do it all. By the time I turn 17 I had my own service truck and my helpers were older than me which made for some funny times when they thought the older guy was the technician. I started out as a helper making the big money $1.75 per in 1973 to 2006 when I bought the company I am 56 now and I make over a hundred dollars an hour now but I still don't make as much as a plumber not ever doctors don't do that. It sad to see so much money and time wasted by people that will one day just drop out after the first year or 2 of collage because their mind is not built that way. Me I had to become some kind of mechanic or my dad was going to kill me because I always had his tools taking something apart and little boys forget to put them back where they belong lol. We need to bring back shop classes for high school students so we as nation can teach them a trade so we can become the great manufacturing nation we use to be. Here in south east Louisiana we had the best ship yards that built ships, oil field drilling rigs, production platforms, (and yes drilling rigs are different than production platform) to pipe lines. Welders wore starch welding shirts and all they did was laid beads all day, a grinder never touch their hands. There are few left but they are getting to old to the point that the ship yards have to go overseas to find people to fill the jobs that the young people here won't do. It’s too hot or dirty the 12 hours days are too long, what do you mean I have to go to work for 14 days offshore and all I get is 7 days off. Cry babies are all we have today if it doesn't have a mouse or a joystick and a/c, count them out. Another great video Keith and I mean it when I say you are a great Teacher and teacher never retire the just fad away.

Great video and look forward to you cutting gears. Best Regards, Joe

Hi mate. It's all going to look very good. You have got a good fit for all those axels. And while I know that most of those gears were pretty worn, I can't help feeling that the gearbox has lost its old time feel. If it all becomes micrometre precise, it's lost it's nostalgic beauty. I don't know how to express that feeling. In New Zealand we had a expression, She'll be right, It sort of says, It's not perfect, but it will go for long time. And I have the feeling that will be lost if it's all polished and smick. Catch my drift? Marcel.

Hi Keith, got a good chuckle at 12:45 seeing your reaction. I used to rebuild two piece motorcycle crankshafts, you know that pop is coming, but it's always a suprise.

great episode, thanks!

I saw this new post and gladly, happily and overwhelmingly grateful for something other than politics to watch for today. I love your posts Keith. You do a great job and it's something I can watch and play Walter Mitty with you in my mind. Thank you very much Keith. You have a true talent at teaching and machining!

very cool, Mr Rucker, really enjoyed the work, thanks!.

Keith, As you know by now, I'm new to your channel. That being said, I'm totally impressed with you. You're a super nice guy, and a great old school machinist. What else can I say. I watched all 6 episodes in a row today and I smiled the whole time. Thanks my friend. Keep up the GREAT videos. I'm sure all your other subscribers agree with me. Other than that, I wish you and your family all the best :)

I really appreciate this type of project. Restoring something that was so well built that it lasted 100 years, and doing a great job so it will last at least another 100 years. Can't wait to see the rest of the project as it progresses!

Truly a pleasure to watch, as all your videos are.

Good job so far. I will come back for the gear cutting. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Keith, looking forward to part 2, need to do a gear tooth repair on a tool, don't have the resources to cut a new gear but will see what I can come up with.

looking good Keith this is going to be an interesting exercise can't wait for the next video cheers Allan from NZ

I had a WWII era 9" South Bend lathe that had the spindle running in the cast iron bores without the usual bronze bushings. With the WWII metals in shop supply, South Bend added extra nickel to the head stocks and eliminated the hard to find bronze bearings.

Awesome work so far! Can't wait for the next video

The shafts are actually called pivots. You would need to replace them with new ones I do suggest use bronze and oil them.

nice machining Keith looking forward to the gear cutting

Excellent start to that project Keith. Some nice machining there. Looking forward to the next segment. regards from the UK

i really like these Friday videos

Great job, Keith ... I look forward to the rest of this series. It would be great to see the restored blower in action at the forge as well.

Keith, I love this project. I'm looking forward to seeing the process and the finished product. You are a lucky man to be able to do work that you love!

Still fascinates me how you can just fabricate any part you need. Can't wait to see how gears are cut.

The phenolic gear was most likely for noise reduction and would reduce the wear on the steel gear teeth and is easily replaceable. If you didn't want to make one out of phenolic then bronze would have been a suitable choice.

Nice productive job you have done there sir.

The purpose of the undercut is to ensure a good shoulder with a good tool radius to minimize stress risers while eliminating the need for a large chamfer in the mating part. Has nothing to do with oil.

Good afternoon Keith, I have recently found your site and have watches almost all of your videos. They have all been very informative and instructional! Keep up the great work and I look forward to following your episodes.

Can't wait to see the gears being cut. Great work as usual.

Keith, Thanks for the response and info. Tony

Wonderful work! Thanks for sharing this interesting video! ;)

Hello Keith, Great that you started an serie out of this repair/rebuild and I am looking forward to part 2. I'm curious about how you cut the gears and never have seen making them by hand/machine. Many greetings from Roel !

Hi Keith. At my windmill we have a number of gear trains with what are called in England sacrificial gears, in our case made of wood. The idea is that as the gear train on your machine is moving very fast, if something gets caught in the fan, and jams, then the effect on the fan and gears would be disastrous. So with the sacrificial gear only the weak and "soft" gear would be stripped leaving the others intact. I expect that in the old days these parts were "off the shelf". As they are not available now cast iron gears would do, but you may like to think of using nylon or some plastic for that gear to keep the sacrificial character available, it may save having to cut all those shafts again. The material used looks like what is in England called paxolin, it was used in early electrical appliances as an insulator, but I have found it in an early vacuum cleaner used as a sacrificial gear on that machines extractor. After I wrote this I saw ZIGgossDUP has the same idea. Kind regards John

Nice project...

I am a clockmaker. It's common to assume that the harder material wears less than softer material. I and other clockmakers have seen time and time again a hardened steel verge worn down by a soft brass escape wheel rubbing against it as the clock ticks over the years. Some have speculated that grit will imbed into the surface of the softer metal and cut or grind the harder metal. I don't know for sure. I believe the fiber gear was used to lessen the noise of the gear train being transmitted to the blower vanes.

I really liked hat guitar picking

Hi Keith, Thanks for the interesting video. I always find gear making interesting to watch, even the preparation of the shafts, etc. I thought you might do the small gears separately and then press them on like the larger ones, but this way is probably easier: you automatically have a centered, aligned arbor (or is it mandrel? I always get those two confused…just like gig and fixture-I never remember the difference). Anyway, I’m looking forward to the next installment. By the way, I like the Friday format you have adopted. Now there is something to look forward to (and learn from) on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday… Thanks again, Keith. Joe

wow a lot of work for such an item, you take on a lot!, what with the forge to redo- more casting coming, you have a lot to do and we have a lot to look forward too, thanks keith, OOh chrome moly, your making it better than it ever was! after new internals it will deserve a repaint and a bit of handle work too

What a great project. A couple of observations. I liked the way you used the calipers to measure the shaft. I had forgotten about that method. It looks like the unit was to have an oil bath at one time before it got too worn? I am thinking the gear that was not cast iron was made that way to perhaps reduce whirring noise. Super video editing and narration Keith. Really liked the music by Joe and Owen. I am going to add these fellas to my play list. THANK YOU! Fred

keith very good video

Maybe that phenolic gear was sacrificial in case something gets into the fan? It'll shear or strip instead of blowing the case apart. Or to quieten the final drive?

Nice project. Looking forward to the rest. Do you have all the different gear ratios? It would be fun to calculate the final ratio. Also, I would be interested in whether the original designer tried to balance out the wear by selecting gear tooth combinations with few or no common factors (so that any individual tooth would mesh with all the opposing teeth before re-meshing with the first tooth it opposed). Something like 16 (2*2*2*2) opposed to 81 (3*3*3*3) - roughly 1:5, but with no common factors, so every tooth will mesh with every opposing tooth before the cycle repeats. It would be nice to completely replace the zinc die-cast gears in the cheesy forge blower I have stashed away somewhere around here. I should probably replace the die-cast housing as well. (This sounds like the traditional grandfather's ax: only replaced the head twice and the handle three times. Still the same ax, though.)

Looking forward to the gear cutting. Does this thing use a grease inside for lube? I would throw some John Deere corn head grease in there when I was done to make it last and make it quiet. It is made to run in gearboxes with no seals. Pretty amazing stuff. I find I really have to watch on those small finish passes that cum up a bit rough like that as a little emory cloth will take you undersize in a hurry on those.

Keith, have you considered going really oversize on the shaft holes and installing bronze bushings? Sure would make the NEXT overhaul a lot easier.

I wonder if the odd gear with the pins was designed to shear in case of a foreign object gets into the fan.?..Love the vids.

The reason that final gear set had that "composite" gear was to reduce the friction and rotating mass. With the gearing increases with each set, the friction in the final set is going to be a huge factor in the efficiency. With the added mass, it will take longer and more force to spin it up, but in theory, could coast longer, if not for the added friction....I would use something lighter than cast iron...aluminum maybe.

Looks like another great series. Thank you. Looking forward to the next installment(s). Instead of replacing the phenolic/Bakelite gear with cast iron you should consider using Delrin. That gear may have purposely been there to act as noise deadner, sacrificial in case something jams fan, friction reducer, and/or reduction of moment mass. Why tempt fate on a design that's worked for over a hundred years?

Outstanding Vid! As always, thanks’ for taking the time to make this video! And I support this site. ~M~

If I estimated right the ratio should be about 80:1 if the small gears have 10 teeth... A good light grease will keep it running another 100 years.

I think that gear is made of some phenolic material very much like Tufnol: Similar gears are used in swedish gear transmission drill presses to reduce noise and wear (on the small metal gear). I think you are mistaken that this was cost-cutting. The use of the resin gear in the high speed stage only would lead me to believe you are looking at the cutting edge of technology at the time. And it has done rather well I might add, just think how many more times that output gear has spun around compared to the others.

I know that this is a really old video but I question the age of the blower. Between the Amailite fitting and the phenolic gear, designed to strip to save the unit as a whole. I place the unit at 40's - 50's. What was found out found out about the age?

Hi Keith, thanks again for a great video. I am curious about the reaming of the out of round holes for the shafts. Does the reaming move the hole off center and does this affect the spacing of the shafts, and if so is it insignificant? Thank you, I find this very interesting and thank you for your time.

I guess it wouldn't be original...but where your reaming out the bearings in the cast iron I would be tempted to add a brash bushing...it seems to me a much better bearing.

Great video Keith! Looking forward to part 2. And the next oil forge installment. A question on your "oil grooves"...are you sure those aren't reliefs on those diameters having been ground on an OD grinder?

Hi Keith, Looks like a great project. I have a couple of questions, when you were turning the shafts on the lathe, you put a band of blue ink or dye on the shaft but I did not see you make the marks on the dye, did I miss something? Second, will you be showing how you will ream out the "blind" (no through) bearings holes in the blower housing/ Thanks Tony

Hi Keith! Getting a real kick out of seeing old stuff get restored like this. Great work! As a machinist wannabe I'm probably talking out of my rear so pardon me :) Noticed when you put it all together that it seemed to be a really tight fit. Isn't there a chance that there could be some tiny amount of friction between the output shaft and the housing when you put it all togehter? I mean, with that gear ratio from input to output, even the tiniest amount of friction at the output would be multiplied quite a bit to the input thus needing alot of unnecesary torque at the input. I'm thinking that perhaps if the shatfts were a bit looser in the housing then the friction would be less, thus less input torque would be needed.

Thats quite the undertaking to fab all those shafts and gears, I was wondering if the fiber gear was used for noise reduction because of the speed at which it drives the fan, I'd consider brass neoprene or delrin might be more suitable any thoughts?

Hey Keith, do you know where you can buy that style oil hole caps? I picked up a Champion Blower and Forge blower but the oil filler cap is missing. I can find the hinge style but can’t seem to find the pull up style.

Do you have to rebuild the crank handle "hole" that will go on the new shaft? The old shaft where the crank handle went on it looked pretty chewed up, would that mean that the crank handle hole was also chewed up?

Not a bad bearing surface ? i would say a great bearing surface to have lasted over 100 years. You don't get engineering like that these days, except in the minority of people who really know what they are doing, like Keith and Adam

Nice work on this so far. A cool project for sure. Are those the 14DP gears you were looking for cutters earlier?

Why did you not make like bronze or brass sleeves for it so it wont wear case or shafts

Two questions which may have been asked/answered below. 1) What is the total gear ratio? Has to be 100:1 or more? 2) Is the entire gear bay filled with oil during use? I thought I saw an oil cup and an outlet of some sort. Thanks.

I worked in an engine shop for 11 years and saw a lot of wear like that. I doubt that the oil in that blower was ever changed.

how much clearance did you leave for the oil film?

do you have any projects about cutting a helical gear in the future?

Keith, one question that I have is where do you go to find your research on the parts that you work to know the original dimensions?

Is it a Royal Western Chief H model?

Hi Keith, can you give us a status update on the matcher? Back in December it seemed like a trial run was imminent.

i'm 13 and i just got my first hand crank champion rivet forge for christmas i took the blower apart and cleaned it ,i just used it for the first time yesterday it works great but it leaks oil alot and i think the bronze bushings might need to be replaced i was wondering if you would know anyone who rebushes champion blowers?

Why would he not put brass bushings in the cast?

can anybody tell me whats the name of machine used in this process??

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rlylsmjIqBE.html Yeah, I know. you probably got the link yesterday, but anyhow of interest. How is your planer matcher coming along b.t.w.? Hope to see in running someday. Cheers from Holland.