After forging by hand for 24 years, I decided that it was time to build my own air-powered hammer. Besides the reduced physical effort (less drain on my health and endurance), it was also a better way to deal with my mid-life crisis than buying a Harley Davidson or looking for a 25-year-old girlfriend (please don’t mention the 25 y/o girlfriend). ;) So, just before my 50th birthday I finished the hammer and installed it in my studio.
I started with some blueprints that I found on the Internet, analyzed them, applied some common sense, and made some design modifications that resulted in this version, which I call “Tumulus 3.0.” I’ve included some photos below that show details of the hammer.
Here are some specifications: The hammer can be broken down into separate components for transport, and the heaviest part weighs around 160 lbs (72.5 kg). All of the components will fit in the trunk of a Minivan. The weight of the ram is 50 lbs (22.7 kg), and the stroke length is 8 in (20 cm). The proportional release valve connected to the treadle makes the striking rate adjustable from 1 to 120 strokes per minute.
In my experience, you need a 50 lb (22 kg) ram to forge 1 in (25.4 mm) square iron/mild steel bar stock, so that’s the size limit of the hammer. Also important to keep in mind is that you will need a large air storage tank to supply air to the cylinder quickly and with adequate power. In my case, a 135-gallon tank at 145 psi (511 liters at 10 bar) will keep the hammer running for up to 6 minutes without starting the 5 hp, 3-cylinder compressor, depending on the number of strokes per minute.
I eventually want to place drawings and a parts list in the shop section of this website after I modify the drawings to reflect the design changes that I made.
Have fun and forge beautiful things.
