What can I do with my Helve Hammer now that I have it?

[Wray Schelin]

Note : topic moved to the correct forum by Wray

Richard Ferguson wrote:

I have gotten my Helve Hammer working, but I have a long list of improvements that I need to make, starting with more weight on the base, more head faces, a foot pedal, and a guard. My Helve has an 18" arm and a 2 pound head, so a benchtop model, smaller than most.

I have a plastic flat hammer face on it right now, and it doesn't seem to stretch 18 ga steel much, when used with my sandbag. I hope that a harder face with a crown will make it more effective. I hope that a rubber anvil will work better than a sandbag.

But what can I use it for?

I know that I can make a rubber anvil and should be able to use it to stretch metal. I was thinking of 1" thick neoprene for an anvil to start out, but maybe there are other materials that would be better. McMaster Carr has a bewildering variety of neoprenes, in various types and softness.

I am hoping to use it as a kind of small blacksmith hammer, with different heads and anvils.

Even with the plastic head, it seems to hammer out tucks or beads pretty well against a flat plate of steel, so that is good.

Part of the reason I built it, besides the fact that I got a good deal on an air drill, was that I started getting carpel tunnel in my wrist after a blacksmithing class, so I know my body is not going to accept a great deal of hammering.

But I do feel a little silly that I have built a tool and now am not sure how to use it, or even what I can use it for! When I was in Robinson I was scared to death of Bob B's large helve, so I did not try to use it there.

So thanks in advance for any suggestions, especially from those who own Helve Hammers.

Richard
_________________
http://www.fergusonsculpture.com

[Wray Schelin]

Hi Richard,

I built my helve hammer in 1994 and it has a 57" long arm on it. When I designed it I reasoned that the arm is where the power will come from. I can shape metal effortlessly and safely, shrinking and stretching with only a 2" to 3" stroke. It also features plenty of stored power in the 24" long doubled up truck springs that drive the arm. The springs act as the muscle of the machine's arm.

I designed my helve hammer after looking at a picture of a sheet metal shaping ,European made helve hammer. It had a long arm on it( see enclosed picture) . I could not see any of the drive mechanism.

I can only say that when you change the length of the arm you also change greatly the potential of the power of the machine.

I plan to help Randy make a copy of my machine so that it will be available for MM04 . I'll also publish the plans for free here on the site. I'll also update the design to include improvements. I just hope Randy has enough time to build it.

Here is a picture of the European helve hammer that inspired me to build mine.




Here is a picture of my helve hammer.



Here are three one minute videos of my helve hammer shaping a side of a motorcycle fuel tank.

helve hammer videos

Wray

[Bob Baisden]

Hi Richard,

To increase the stretching power, try going to a smaller diameter contact point on your hammer head with a shaper radius.

Bob Baisden

[Wray Schelin]

Hi Bob,

Good point, but , I think Richard wants to use heavier metals for sculptural work. With a sharper pointed , heavier tool head ( steel) ,and a shot or sand bag on bottom the small helve he has made might have a chance. I'm very skeptical though that a small air drill for a power source and a short 18" arm will be up to his expectations.

I think a smaller helve hammer like he has made is more suited for light aluminum work.

Another factor to consider is the spring arrangement , without a over stroke hit capability a helve hammer is going to be a tool of limited power. I don't think a air drill for power will stand up in the long run.

Wray

[Bob Baisden]

Hi Wray,

I think as Richard gains experience/confidence with his helve hammer, it will increase in size and power. I was initially very scared by G.K's hammer.

The nice thing about a steel upper arm is that heavier bits of steel can be gradually added. My hammer next year will be a lot heavier and hit harder.

Bob

[raferguson]

Thanks for the comments so far. A lot of good comments on hammer design, but not much on actual hammer use.

I plan to mostly use it for 18 ga or so, probably for steel, copper, and aluminum.

I did build it with a spring coupling the arm to the drill, so I do get quite a bit of overtravel. The static travel is 7 inches, with travel at full throttle over 12 inches, the difference being the overtravel from the spring. I am not too concerned about the life span of the drill, in that I don't plan to use it very many minutes per week. I have heard from other users that the air drill has held up in their application, but I agree that the number of hours that one could expect out of a drill in this application is limited.

I like Bob's suggestion that I will need a rounded head, maybe like a ball peen hammer head, to get much shaping out of a light hammer. I noticed last year, when I did not know as much as I do today, that I had a great deal of difficulty putting much of a crown in 18 ga steel.

I originally said that I wanted to build a hammer that hit as hard as I could, and that may be what I have built, which is both good and bad.

But anyway, what do you guys actually use your hammers for? Do you mostly stretch with them? Do you hammer down tucks with them? Do you use thumbnail dies to shrink with them?

Richard

[Wray Schelin]

Hi Richard ,

Richard Ferguson wrote:

But anyway, what do you guys actually use your hammers for? Do you mostly stretch with them? Do you hammer down tucks with them?

I guess you didn't look at the videos I made showing stretching and shrinking.

Click here to see the videos :

helve hammer videos

[awolff]

Ok, next question. Can the arm be too heavy? I have available some 2X2x1/4 Box tube and wanted to make the arm 55" - 60". using two pieces of tube side by each with a 5/8 gap between to act as an adjuster slide.
Will that work or do I need to go to something lighter?

[Bob Baisden]

Richard,

I use the helve and sandbag to rough out a shape then smooth it out on the e-wheel. I also smash tucks that naturally appear during stretching or tucks that are created with a tucking fork. When I smash tucks, I slip a piece of plywood or plate on top of the sandbag. Lately, I've been using the upper uhmw thumbnail shrinking die to shrink 20 gage.

Bob

[raferguson]

Wray:

I don't usually look at videos because I have only 28.8 K connect speed, and videos just take too long to download.

I did try, and despite downloading the latest version of Windows Media player, which took half an hour, it would not play. Maybe someday I will figure out how to get it to work. Love those computers.

Richard