Restoring a 125 Year Old Drop Hammer - 100lb Ram Weight - Part 3 | Iron Wolf Industrial 

Nothing has been overlooked in the restoration of this drop hammer. I appreciate it - stay tuned.

Part 4 is coming up, this Thursday!

For the whole process, it's been snowing or raining. Bundle up, and keep going. The thought of it running definitely keeps me going. Thanks

Jeff Smith I bet them that sold him it didn't even know what it was...

I am really excited - it should be running tomorrow. Part 4 most likely on Thursday.

OSHA came in and told the gold factory they couldn't use just about everything they were using. It was picked up from an alleyway, with the only request being that its origin be stated on a sign next to it.

Iron Wolf Industrial We've got the same kinds of health n safety bastids going round... They roll up in their hi-vis jackets 2 sizes too big for em to make them look all puffed up and "important"... Billboard welded to their right arm... Inspecting... Reporting... Interfering... Some of the guys I worked with back in't day would have thrown em into the canal of they'd have Started with their " you can't do this" and "we can't be having that"... Most of em talk utter shyte... But in this case their interference was your gain...

You've been catching some sneak peaks of part 4 on the Instagram there... It's really coming together. Spent 8 hours today framing up the timbers, drilling holes, and anchoring everything together. Finally got the bearing towers, bearings, and whole hoist mechanism up. Now - to figure where to either A. Mount a motor or B. Interface with a pre-existing lineshaft arrangement. The shop it is located in is a turn of the century metalworking shop, fully equipped with everything except a mill. Everything is powered off a lineshaft arrangement, but I still need to figure out what will work best for the drop hammer. Your thoughts?

Iron Wolf Industrial Wow, I’m not sure if I’m qualified to answer that, I’m out west and we don’t let anything last past 30 years, even if its not worn out, we tear it down....very sad. That said, I’m a ‘old school’ guy, I’m not that old, but appreciate everything from years past. We have a 1953 Ford 1 ton, barn find from North Dakota, everyone ask me what I’m going to do with it, I said nothing, get it running and keep the history of the truck alive. So, I would add to the existing line shaft arrangement (if possible), but I’m sure that is harder than me or you just talking about it.....LOL....Easy for me to say while sitting here behind a computer, but....I feel keeping the metal working shop true to its roots, stay on the same path. I always feel there is a story behind everything, you definitely have many stories, and now adding again to it with another great piece of history which helped build this great country. Don’t know if I helped, but keep to the original operation if possible and continue the history our ancestors built, they would be proud of you to continue what they started..............a motor would definitely make a very efficient hammer, but, I’ll leave to you...........What do others feel/think.....keep it up Iron, looking forward to completion, this one will hit the top of my list!:) and the top of your shop!!:)

I've got it all framed up and the ram set in the rails - it is a beast to try and pick up. I cannot wait until it is time to test its capabilities. Thanks for the comment, and for following.

Glenn - Greetings from South Dakota. You are correct - There was some scoring on the shaft from where the setscrews had dragged / turned. Upon putting this thing back together, I understand why the end of the shaft was banged up. It is very difficult to maneuver the shaft, with drum and clutch, atop the bearings while crammed into a pitched roof twelve feet up in the air. I did find witness marks on the shaft, and on the bearings. I will detail those in part 4, but those are irrelevant at this point due to the fact that I had to cut the shaft down, and the bearings have moved positions. I have painted it a dark machine grey, for several reasons. The shop itself is dark, and I really want this piece to stand out. In addition, the original color appeared to be a darker grey, with maybe a coat of red underneath. I suspect that it came from the factory with no paint at all, as was common with machines of that vintage. There is a Packard lathe in the shop, and it easily gets lost in the shadows due to its dark color. The hammer definitely stands out from all the other equipment, but still looks sharp, and industrial. I have yet to figure if we want to interface this to a pre-existing lineshaft currently powering the rest of the shop, or to have it motored for now. You have provided some great insight, and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Iron Wolf Industrial I did reply on another of the videos... I asked what colour you were painting it before I read this... The point I was making about witness marks for the bearing caps as being Babbitt they will be oriented... From what I can make out the clutch assembly looks like a pair of Lineshaft hangers...with the split pulley mounted on it... My thinking is that they just looked into a drive systems catalogue for that... The rest of it looks typical of smaller foundry work... Have a look and see if there's any history on it Here's a few useful websites for referencing: Tony Griffiths site: www.lathes.co.uk/ Keith Ruckers site: www.vintagemachinery.org/ A useful UK website with international machine info: gracesguide.co.uk/Main_Page

Uploading now!! Just got it running yesterday. Should be live in 20 minutes.

Iron Wolf Industrial I should think so...how dare you keep us waiting that long...😉 I want to see an antique drop hammer working...