Ages ago when I was looking for a second hand power hammer in Tasmania. My add was answered by a guy with a little steam engine who reckoned I could convert it to a hammerđź‘€.. so I bought the great big lump and called a friend Matt Herne, a steam engine buff, an amateur engineer, professional artist, blacksmith and musician (teaches banjo now!) .
Matt was appalled at the thought of messing with what he ascertained was a small marine engine…He offered to swap and build me one with the couple of grand $ that I’d acquired as a grant for a power hammer… I’d ruined my elbow and wrist tendons by this stage and that was just-cause for the Arts grant, bless their socks! (TasArts).
He billeted me at his place up in the north of the state and over 15 days we built two mechanical “drop hammers” that he designed. Out of scrap machine parts … He did the thinking and the machining of the bearings etc .. I did all the “cut, shutt and weld monkey work and then we powered mine with an old 3phase motor that the 80 year old retired aircraft mechanic Matt was friends with gave us, after he converted it to a 1 horse power (from three).. with a, literal, box (wood)of tricks on top of it with a bloody great capacitor and a bunch of wires..
I later converted it to use 2 car shock absorbers attached to the drive and the slide hammer.. and then later still, I had a spring making company in Hobart, make me a spring and so it eventually became a pretty standard traditional blacksmith’s spring hammer !
I don’t know what happened to the little steam engine.. but I’ve no doubt it’s powering a little boat now.
.. I called it, the mechanical hammer, “JOHN HENERY” after Hoyt Axton’s version of the song…
