Looking for Fairbanks hammer operating manual...

M

Mike Krall

Joined
Feb 4, 2005
Messages
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"birdog4" and I both have 50# Fairbanks power hammers and have looked around for operating manuals (we have copies of the mid 30's catalog). Bruce thought maybe the military, Navy especially 'cause they had these hammers on ships, might have them in their archives but neither of us has been able to wade through the archives and find it (the military never throws away any paperwork!).

Anyone out there know the military archive system well enough to find the data? Besides Fairbanks it could be under United Hammer, Co., as they bought the hammer business in the early 1900's.

Thanks for any help...

Mike
 
Well I'm of no help but if you find the operating manuals send one my way please. If they have different manuals for different sizes I run a model E 150#.

Also couldn't it be under DuPont; since DuPont bought out Fairbanks.
 
Mike and I have googled about everything there is to google.
That link is not very helpful.
 
12345678910 said:
a bit of googling...

I would start by contacting these people

http://www.fairbanks.forginghammers.com/
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That's Bruce Wallace's outfit. He bought Fairbanks, Nazel, Beaudry, and maybe some others when Sid Suedmeier sold them to concentrate on Little Giant. Bruce has all the manufacturing drawings and some spare parts (maybe) along with the rights to the machines he bought. I found I had to call to get any kind of help...

Another link to non-Little Giant Hammers is Doug Freund... the guy who wrote a couple of power hammer books. I've gotten good help from Doug. He lives in Arizona and maybe a person could contact him through Sid and Keri at LG.

Mike
 
birdog4 said:
Mike and I have googled about everything there is to google.
That link is not very helpful.
Click to expand...

Everything there is to google on fairbanks is about two pages with a sentence of information on each. :p They are truly incredible hammers but there is so little information on them. :(:(
 
You know Dan, I think you, me and Bruce might be the only three Fairbanks owners on the whole of the BF forums... and how many LG's are there? I know of three other Fairbanks. Two in one shop used to make architectural iron work on a daily basis (along with 4 or 5 other hammers of various sizes and types), and one 100# as a yard ornament that the owner intends to put into running order one of these days... =] Not many...

Mike
 
I recently purchased a Fairbanks Model B 75# hammer. I am fixing some problems with it now and painting it, etc. I have seen only a couple of other Fairbanks owners online. I have tried to contact Wallace by email twice and telephone twice, and only once could I get them on the telephone. They just don't answer email at all and don't return phone messages.

The only real information about the hammers I have found is in Freund's book, "A Blacksmith's and Hammerman's Emporium." There are 18 pages of drawings and parts lists in the back of the book.
 
farmer12888 said:
I recently purchased a Fairbanks Model B 75# hammer. I am fixing some problems with it now and painting it, etc. I have seen only a couple of other Fairbanks owners online. I have tried to contact Wallace by email twice and telephone twice, and only once could I get them on the telephone. They just don't answer email at all and don't return phone messages.

The only real information about the hammers I have found is in Freund's book, "A Blacksmith's and Hammerman's Emporium." There are 18 pages of drawings and parts lists in the back of the book.
Click to expand...

18 pages on Fairbanks alone? Are there any specs on belting other than width/length?

What problems do you have?

Mike
 
I forgot all about getting back to you on patent numbers... there aren't any on our machine and none shown in the Barbour Stockwell Co. catalog on Dupont/Fairbanks hammers that I have.

Mike
 
I will check my 75# for patent numbers, but I don't remember any on there, just two patent dates. Apparently, United Hammer Company of 141 Milk Street, Boston, Mass., manufactured the Fairbanks hammers, according to a notation in Freund's book, but is also indicates that was apparently under a Dupont patent.

I just looked again and Freund's book has about 23 pages on just Fairbanks (pages 265-288). The pages are copies of advertising and company material about Fairbanks hammers. I bought the book from Centaur Forge, I believe, for about $17.00 on sale. Amazon wanted a fortune for it. The book is 288 pages on various manufacturers' hammers. The Fairbanks hammers are shown in exploded drawings with the correct name for each part. Dimensions are also included for everything from height and weight to belt width size and pulley size. There is also a suggested foundation drawing.

I hope some of this helps. If anyone needs info for a specific model, just ask.
 
Ron,

As I mentioned in our e-mails, I looked pretty hard on the U.S. patent side and though I did find patents by Philippe Denary DuPont, who i figure is the inventor, there wasn't anything pertaining to DuPont hammers anywhere but the Canadian patent office and their data isn't accessible prior 1920... short of a personal visit or hiring someone to do an on-site search... or so I believe.

I did try to back track through the Barbour Stockwell company an yapped with an area (Boston) historian I found through a specific search for the company. No operating manual or indication of one's existence.

I'm still looking for someone who knows how and dares to wade U.S. Naval Archives. If there is such a thing as an operating manual for these power hammers, the Navy would have it. From my prior experience in the Naval Archives, it's like looking for a specific grain of sand somewhere on one of the beaches in Hawaii... ya better have brought your lunch!

Mike
 
Does anyone know how to take the main shaft out of a 75# Fairbanks? I am taking the hammer all the way apart, and at this point, I see the end of the shaft on the front with a key in it at the flywheel. Do you bump the flywheel off from behind with a hammer, and then how do you remove everything else from the shaft?

I am thinking about having a longer main shaft made to mount the motor down behind the hammer on the floor. Anyone ever try this?

There are no patent numbers on my 75#.
 
farmer12888 said:
Does anyone know how to take the main shaft out of a 75# Fairbanks? I am taking the hammer all the way apart, and at this point, I see the end of the shaft on the front with a key in it at the flywheel. Do you bump the flywheel off from behind with a hammer, and then how do you remove everything else from the shaft?

I am thinking about having a longer main shaft made to mount the motor down behind the hammer on the floor. Anyone ever try this?

There are no patent numbers on my 75#.
Click to expand...

Have you checked the front and rear shaft bushing play? Sid and Keri (Little Giant) had me check first. Keri told me if the play was 0.025" (twenty five thousanths) or less, to leave it alone and run it on a good and frequent grease supply... heavy grease is good as it stays in better. Anyhow, a magnetic base with adjustable indicator holder and indicator will tell you if you need the following link. So you know, you need to check play both up-down and left right... the hammer end throws left-right and you may find more wear in that direction than up-down.

The key is a gib key. There is a tool to remove them... see index, right side, Gib Key Puller... spend some time putting WD-40 or equivalent on the gib key before hand. http://www.hitnmiss.com/index.html Our hammer is one of the self motored types... "L" shaped motor mount on back. You should see two 3/4" treaded holes low down on your machine (if it was made after the "self motored" concept came in). You may be able to move the drive pulley to the rear position. It would require a sleeve between the bearing yokes (ours has two threaded holes with bolts to position it). Would also need a gib key slot in the drive pulley... would fit on with recess for brake shoe facing towards the hammer end. Bruce "birdog4" has one configured like yours and will know how your hammer positions the drive pulley, comes apart, etc., if you can't figure it.

You may be doing this or may have thought of doing this... Sid and Keri (Little Giant) love hammers and they don't care if you own a Little Giant or a Fairbanks or ??? They are very willing to help with about anything you might come up with. They may also be able to put you in touch with Doug Freund and Doug has info. you may find helpful... I did. It helps to own or be willing to buy Doug's books... so you know.

There is another guy, architectural iron worker is his day job, in western Oregon. Name is "Bear". Ask Keri to put you in touch with him. He has two Fairbanks and he uses them every day. I will tell you up front, I like the shit out of "Bear", but he and I do not think the same. I'm fussy and "Bear" is distinctly "not fussy". He builds his own dies with a band saw and angle grinder. When I told him about our shaft play, seriously worn arm holes and pins, etc., "Bear" said, "Just run it... keep plenty of grease and oil in 'er, and run it... you can't wear one out". If you can't stand the idea of approaching things that way, "Bear" will drive you crazy... I love talking with him, though... =]

I don't know that I can be any help to you in this. If you think I may, holler.

Mike
 
Mike Krall said:
I'm still looking for someone who knows how and dares to wade U.S. Naval Archives. If there is such a thing as an operating manual for these power hammers, the Navy would have it.
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For certain your analogy is accurate, there is a ton of information there, but unless someone knew a class of ships with one at the time of commissioning, the NSTM is gonna be hard to find.

I already checked the hull-technician classification, and the Machinery repairmens classification for NAVEDTRA's and rate manuals that may have had info, and no results.

(that post was more for any benefit to the thread, than to you. i thought maybe someone else might have the patent tags, your emails were quite clear ;))
 
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