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My old power hammer clutch gave out mid-project last Thursday
I was working on a big leaf spring knife, about 3 hours into the draw, when the drive belt just started slipping. The clutch plates on my 50 pound Anyang were totally worn down. I mean, the thing is from the 90s, so maybe it's just me but I should have seen it coming. Had to stop everything, order new friction discs online for about 80 bucks, and wait 4 days for shipping. Ended up finishing the blade with a hand hammer, which was a serious workout. Anyone have a good source for older power hammer parts, or should I just start machining my own replacements?
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the_val2mo ago
Hold up, you finished a leaf spring draw by hand? That's wild. I get a sore shoulder just thinking about it. Three hours in and then having to switch to a hand hammer sounds like pure punishment. My arm would have just quit on me.
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skyler5161mo ago
Remember seeing a post from @jade271 a while back about repurposing old spring steel for knife making, and let me tell you, that stuff is brutal to work with. I tried drawing out a piece of coil spring once and gave up after an hour, switched to an angle grinder just to get anywhere with it. Three hours on a leaf spring draw and then having to finish with a hand hammer, thats the kind of thing that makes you question your life choices. I bet your shoulder was screaming at you the next morning. At least you know you've got some serious grit though, most folks would have tossed that steel in the scrap bin.
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