Buying a new "zip gun" for planishing hammer

[captainkirk]

Originally Posted by rustydog

yeah but if you could cut the sound by 20-30% with an air muffler it would still make it easier for the operator or the crowd

Rusty

The hood I made over the gun cuts it at least that much likely a bit more, but in the "Big scheme" of things it is a pretty small amount of the total noise they make.
Even if they were to be totally electric no air at all, beating the crap out of a piece of metal at 3000 blows a minute it going to make noise.

Besides the noise generated by the sheet of metal being struck internal to the hammers themselves there is a "hammer slug" about an inch long and .75" in diameter that is slamming onto the shaft of the top die.

What it works out to is that if you were to totally erase the sound that the air makes you would be left with a really clear loud sound of metal slamming metal. Yes it's annoying that's why you should always be wearing ear protection.

Besides there is a real benefit that a lifetime of all this noise will bring you.....all the really annoying people that you will be forced to be around will eventually become really really quiet almost not annoying at all.
You will be forced to learn to nod your head when they talk directly at you in a way that makes them think you understand even though you have no idea what they just said nor do you care.

Kirk

[rustydog]

Originally Posted by captainkirk

Besides there is a real benefit that a lifetime of all this noise will bring you.....all the really annoying people that you will be forced to be around will eventually become really really quiet almost not annoying at all.
You will be forced to learn to nod your head when they talk directly at you in a way that makes them think you understand even though you have no idea what they just said nor do you care.

Kirk

I do that anyway just to get rid of them

Rusty

[CARS]

I better give an update. I had my local parts store order a couple different guns. Neither the CP or IR guns fit the HF frame properly. I would have had to do some mods. I almost had them order different models to try but the salesman had a ATD "heavy duty, long stroke" air hammer in the truck for a different guy. It's a perfect fit. I guess cheap tools fit cheap frames.

100_6133.jpg

We'll see how long it lasts. It's diffidently a faster hitting hammer than the HF one. It came with a quick release tool holder but that didn't fit my frame so I had to put the retaining spring from the old gun on this one. Isn't like I change out the upper die anyway.

[SecaTim]

I said I would post pictures of the pedal I fabbed for my hammer.

I purchased a length of housing and cable from a bicycle shop and using an eye bolt I mounted one end to the bell crank I fabbed to activate the trigger



I ran it down the side of the frame and left a nice length to allow me to locate the pedal where it woulf be easily used depending on the panel I am working. The pedal is held in place with pressure from my foot in use



The pedal end of the cable is clamped to a stand-off and attached to the bell crank on the pedal.



I mounted a spring to assist with the pedal return



Here is the completed hammer. I still need to clean some welds and paint it. I also plan to make a holder for the dies......



The overall design was copied from Jim Bailie. The rivet gun, trigger assy, and pedal was my idea. The lower arm can be moved to allow off set if needed. It workd very nicely. The pressure regulator/moisture trap on board make quick work of adjusting the strength of the hit as I need it and the rivet gun trigger also allows for increasing and decreasing the hit rate by how much I move the foot pedal.......

[Overkill]

I have one of Kent Whites hammers built from a kit that uses a number of rivet guns. I have a 3x, 5x and 9x. I use the 5x the most and control the hit with the regulator (similar to a CP planishing hammer). Although the foot control can control the volume of air, I'm working on getting or building something with better control, similar to the slide setup in the CP machine.

Kent now sells his own air motors, which do have better control that a rivet gun based machine.

The 3x uses a die with a .401" shaft. The 5x uses one with a .498" (something you can build out of a grade 8 bolt) shaft.

Kent has a lot of dies and information on his website at www.tinmantech.com.

A lot of people question his shrinking dies - yes, they do work.

I use the hammer for both planishing and for forming. My shoulders can't take swinging a hammer for long, so this machine is for me.

The 9x will form 1/8" thick material - if your hands can stand the vibration and the neighborhood, the noise.

I've been very happy with his equipment - not finding anything it couldn't do. I'm always watchful for an upgrade to the equipment I have, and so far, just haven't found a reason to change.

John