Looking for Fairbanks hammer operating manual...

Hey Guys. Finally got a chance to return to working on the hammer. I ended up cutting about 3/4" off the new spring I bought from Sid, just to be able to get it in the hammer. He said I may need to cut it, after I told him it just wouldn't fit. I still had to compress it with a pipe clamp while I held the spring between the side arms. I hope it stays in there when I start it up.

I am wondering about the adjustments on the stroke. There is the wrist pin adjustment on the crank/flywheel and the cross head bolt adjustment. Can someone explain the difference between the two and how they are adjusted to properly work together?
 
I also have B, 75 lb Fairbanks. The belt is 2.5 inches wide, 350 blows per minute, 7.75 inches stroke. I also have the counter shaft information. I am afraid that much else is going to be all but impossible to find as everything was printed on acidic paper so that the booklet would rot by the end of the year. That way the company could send new manuals with new prices. I am having fits with the spring. It is the same one a little giant 50 lb hammer but the spring is fully compressed when it is in the arms. We are going to cut a spring down to see what happens.
 
Does Sid at Little Giant have specs on Fairbanks springs... wire size, turns, min/max length?... or know where to get them?

Probably too late for Robert... I built a clamping jig out of all-thread and two pieces of 1 1/2" square (what I had). Didn't know it at the time of drilling holes but the jig working depended on the holes being just barely big enough to take the all-thread... and I mean just barely. The effect is the squares cannot get much out of parallel and that keeps the spring from being able to shoot out. A simple matter of bolting down each side a little at a time (greased both nuts and all-thread) until the spring fits the space, holding in position, with two people tapping it into position. We were cautious about putting body parts in potential spring trajectory areas. As the spring moves out from under the clamp, it expands on the free edge. That edge contacts the spring seat and can't expand any more. Continued tapping, little by little, puts the spring exactly where it wants to be.

There are reproductions of a 1936 Fairbanks catalog out there. Holler at Sid.

Mike
 
An old thread, I know, but fascinating. I wonder how the hammer runs? I read most of this thread expecting some forging pix at the end, to no avail. Anyone know?

I'd like to see the machine finished, rebuilt. Robert? Mike?
 
Salem,

Last I knew... not finished, but that was a while ago.

I didn't mention in my nearest post the all-thread I had was 5/8". I'd guess 1/2" would work too... as long as the holes through the bars are very slightly over the max. all-thread diameter.

A little story about springs... Our 50lb. Fairbanks, an "A", has a small spring 'cause it's a small hammer. One of our efforts to compress the spring was with two 3/4" pipe clamps. Neither the thread-type on the adjusting end or the length of the turning handle are highly conducive to moving high resistance... still, person would have thought they should work... person was wrong. Bent both 3/4" pipes. The spring used the short lever arm from the jaw pads to the pipe centerline and turned both into very-curved... =]

So, what's a person going to do with the spring out of a 250lb. hammer, or 500 pounder?

Mike
 
My guess would be, figure out another way entirely to get the spring in there. The spring on a 500 has to be insane! I've seen a 250 LG up close, and that had a monster spring.
 
Mike Krall said:
Salem,

Last I knew... not finished, but that was a while ago.

I didn't mention in my nearest post the all-thread I had was 5/8". I'd guess 1/2" would work too... as long as the holes through the bars are very slightly over the max. all-thread diameter.

A little story about springs... Our 50lb. Fairbanks, an "A", has a small spring 'cause it's a small hammer. One of our efforts to compress the spring was with two 3/4" pipe clamps. Neither the thread-type on the adjusting end or the length of the turning handle are highly conducive to moving high resistance... still, person would have thought they should work... person was wrong. Bent both 3/4" pipes. The spring used the short lever arm from the jaw pads to the pipe centerline and turned both into very-curved... =]

So, what's a person going to do with the spring out of a 250lb. hammer, or 500 pounder?

Mike
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any info here ?
http://www.newenglandblacksmiths.org/power_hammer_info.htm


I think it's important to keep the force inline instead of off to the side.

I'd first make up something like a 2 arm bearing puller with an acme thread



There are all kinds of attachments you can get or make to fit a hydraulic power pack jack
For example, but you can go bigger and make it so you keep the force inline instead of off to the side.

spring_compressor.jpg

Portable_hydraulic_jack.jpg
 
Mike Krall said:
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...

I have just picked up a model A that I have started to rebuild. I am a Artist Blacksmith, and do a lot of architectural stuff. Found this through a google search looking for rebuild info.
Click to expand...
 
Have fun... =]

We finally got ours done and I keep meaning to put up a picture of "Ol' Black Betty" (as in Bam-a-lam) and keep forgetting... one of these days i won't... unless I do... =]

Mike
 
Don't feel too 'good' about bumping this again from October to now... but another fairbanks model B has joined the herd.

In fact... Mine is a Dupont model B by E & T Fairbanks & Co. a very early model, pre-hole through the back design.

I just got it delivered to the garage this morning and standing upright. I need to finish moving it over to where it's going to "live" still, and re-attach the jackshaft that it was previously set up with.

DSCN2175.JPG


It was up and running and usable at Martell Metalworks where I purchased it from them as they are downsizing the shop and keeping just the air hammer. here's a photo of it as it was at their shop. I'll probably set it back up with the side hanging motor for now to get it up and running in my shop, but I'd like to put the motor down lower and behind. The motor is a 3 phase 2HP motor which has been used for many years to run it. I do not have 3phase power in my shop but I've got a KBAC 27D 2hp VFD so I'll run it off of that. The one 'broken" thing on it currently is, the brake is broken. George wasnt able to find the broken part of the brake so i've got about 2/3rds of the brake , where it's broken off. I'll have to fabricate something for the brake I guess, since I dont think I'll ever find a replacement brake ring =)

DSCN2140.JPG
 
Justin.Mercier said:
Don't feel too 'good' about bumping this again from October to now... but another fairbanks model B has joined the herd.

In fact... Mine is a Dupont model B by E & T Fairbanks & Co. a very early model, pre-hole through the back design.

I just got it delivered to the garage this morning and standing upright. I need to finish moving it over to where it's going to "live" still, and re-attach the jackshaft that it was previously set up with.

It was up and running and usable at Martell Metalworks where I purchased it from them as they are downsizing the shop and keeping just the air hammer. here's a photo of it as it was at their shop. I'll probably set it back up with the side hanging motor for now to get it up and running in my shop, but I'd like to put the motor down lower and behind. The motor is a 3 phase 2HP motor which has been used for many years to run it. I do not have 3phase power in my shop but I've got a KBAC 27D 2hp VFD so I'll run it off of that. The one 'broken" thing on it currently is, the brake is broken. George wasnt able to find the broken part of the brake so i've got about 2/3rds of the brake , where it's broken off. I'll have to fabricate something for the brake I guess, since I dont think I'll ever find a replacement brake ring =)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't feel bad about bumping this thread if it was 50 years old... =] It's probably the only Fairbanks thread in existence.

That's a nice looking machine, Justin. A 75# is supposed to run a 3hp motor (900rpm), if your are looking to replace the current one some time.

And I've just got to say... nice power transfer package arrangement there... =]

Mike
 
Mike Krall said:
I wouldn't feel bad about bumping this thread if it was 50 years old... =] It's probably the only Fairbanks thread in existence.

That's a nice looking machine, Justin. A 75# is supposed to run a 3hp motor (900rpm), if your are looking to replace the current one some time.

And I've just got to say... nice power transfer package arrangement there... =]

Mike
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It's actually a little confusing. The early documentation says to use a 3hp motor, but the late documentation says to use a 1.5 to 2hp motor. It's been running on this 2hp motor for 2 decades, so i'm going to leave well enough alone and keep using it myself, assuming that it runs off my VFD alright since I have no 3phase power in the shop.

cfairbanks.jpg
 
Justin.Mercier said:
It's actually a little confusing. The early documentation says to use a 3hp motor, but the late documentation says to use a 1.5 to 2hp motor. It's been running on this 2hp motor for 2 decades, so i'm going to leave well enough alone and keep using it myself, assuming that it runs off my VFD alright since I have no 3phase power in the shop.
Click to expand...

Where did you come up with "later documentation", Justin? I've got the Barbour Stockwell Company documentation. I'm not remembering the time frame Fairbanks hammers were made by them. If you can, will you tell me what time frame the "later documentation" is? And is it still Barbour Stockwell or another maker?

Mike
 
The original Drive pulley size might explain the differences between HP that people are tossing around. If you look at the catalog I posted up, the original countershaft pulley sizes are there. the pulley sizes shown on the last page of this thread would explain the extra bump in horsepower needed.
 
Well, I guess I'm a little confused. Read on p.282 about countershafts and running them off of the line shaft. That was close to the chart showing 1 1/2hp for a "B". So, if the machine is line shaft driven, aren't they talking about 1 1/2hp at the line shaft?

At the back end of the Google book Ron linked is a copyright date... 1907. That's relatively early in Fairbanks power hammer years. The 3hp 900rpm motor spec. of the Barbour Stockwell is late 20's to mid 30's if I've got it figured. I don't know when Fairbanks started having self-motored models. Everything prior to that are line shaft types... overhead or below floor (ship models, I believe), and unless re engineering was done post 1907, there were likely run off of a line shaft driven counter shaft.

Another difference I picked up in a quick view is pulley sizes... linked book being 5 3/4" / 13 3/4"... Barbour Stockwell being 5" / 13"

Mike
 
That catalog also stated that the above posted hammer was being replaced by the open back model at the time they printed. So it seemed more applicable to justin's power hammer.
 
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