How expensive is a powerhammer and what does it take it build one?

S

Sephigi

Joined
Mar 4, 2013
Messages
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I'd like to own a powerhammer someday for forging katanas or other cutlery, but I have a lot to learn before building one.
 
4000$ give or take if you buy one. There are tons of plans and pics for building your own on the web.
 
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I found my Little Giant 25 for 2,500.
Do some research, you can find them, it's getting harder but they are out there.
 
Contact Matt Lamey...... For some reason he knows where every power hammer in the world is. A power hammer is an investment, if you buy a little giant you have a little giant you can resell.... Build a tire hammer and you'll wind up trying to sell a homemade tire hammer. Check with your local ABNA groups... In Alabama we normally do 1 tire hammer class/build a year, costs around $1600 last time I looked. There's an eBay vendor, matchless antiques or something (i'll look em up, they're on my fb.) That rebuild LG's.
 
I got my 25# Little Giant for $1700, ready to rock and roll. Since then I rebuilt the clutch and die key, but they are out there.
 
My Little Giant 50 came out of a barn way up here in the highlands, for $500 and in need of nearly a complete rebuild. I have less than $300 and six months into the rebuild and it runs great. Luckily the clutch babbit did not need to be replaced, although the main bearings had to be poured.

They are out there. Networking to the extent possible will help. Finding out who does or used to do ironwork within 100 miles of you may yield results.

Go to the power hammers page at anvilfire.com. You can learn a lot there- there are design plans for building hammers, as well as many pics of "junkyard hammers" built out of whatever by smiths.

If you live near a significant junkyard, one with auto parts and old machinery, and if you also have at least a 230 amp stick welder, drill press, chopsaw and a few other things, you could probably build one for cheap.
 
I built a 50 pound guided helve hammer for about $600 in addition to what i scrounged out of my scrap piles.

Do a yahoo search for james helm's gunnhilda and that is what i built mostly.

His videos of gunnhilda were a big help in figuring out how everything worked, while mine doesnt look exactly like his, it is very similar.
 
Thank you all for the info. Will Leavitt, I just saw a tire hammer on youtube and it and looks simply powerful. Gotta remember to sell a car so I may buy all the parts needed to buy one.
 
Oh, yeah! I also can't miss out on the economical hammers suggested by Joe and Salem. This forum is just so chock-full of information as always :). But, yeah. I'll remember to get another look on anvilfire's powerhammer plans.
 
I was going to build an Anvilfire, but got a Big Blu instead. A brand new 110lb air hammer for about $6K seemed like a good deal to me.

I'm perfectly thrilled with it. I've used spring hammers and several little giants. I don't think they can compete with the simplicity of an air hammer.
 
About 25 years ago I bought a 100lb. little giant for $450.00. It came out of an old blacksmith shop. It was originally purchesed by the Air Force in 1946, but I think all they did was put a new coat of paint on it every year. It had a three phase motor and the blacksmith shop never used it. Other than all the paint, it seemed almost brand new. A friend built a three phase converter for me, and I have made lots of damascus on it.
A few years later I bought a 25lb little giant that had been re-worked and was in great shape. I paid $1000.00 for it.
If you let people know what you are looking for, you might find a bargin.
 

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I almost bought a 33lb Anyang off a guy here. Didn't work out for me at the time, but I used it, and I'd say for forging blades, it's probably the best hammer you could get. It hits hard enough to move metal well, hits fast, and has insane control. Not enough power for doing heavy damascus work, but perfect for forging blades IMHO.
 
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