Went and bought me an Air Hammer

[Lanse]

Morning everyone!!

So, a little while back I welded up an old cast iron vise with some 7018. I had a blast fixing it up, and now Im actually looking for more broken vises (I know, Im weird). I wouldn't mind making videos about fixing them with things like Nickel Rod, Normacast, etc, plus if the repairs work, I'll have an extra vise or two.

Anyway, getting off topic.

While I was peening the welds on that thing with my chipping hammer, I was like "I wonder what else you can use to do this" and found that a lot of people use something called an air hammer. I'd almost bought one a few times before, and decided to bite the bullet and do it.

Lowes sells two... An ingersol rand for $50 and their house brand Kobalt for $20. I thought about what I needed it to do, and read the reviews from both.

People say the Kobalt is weak in power but durable, and the IR is a beast. Both are made in China.

I decided on the $20 Kobalt special because it had a 3 year warranty (compared to the IR's 1 year), and cost $20 (vs 50) and for what I'm doing, it should work out great!!

My main uses for this thing will be peening the occasional weld, and removing slag from long plasma cuts, or a bunch of cuts, for example after straight-edge cutting probably 20 feet of cuts on my Firebox. Doesnt take a lot of power, and as recent projects have shown, Im pretty cheap.

I went and bought it, and came back home. Opened it up, and made the video seen in this post...

What are my thoughts? It has a very nice feel to it, polished aluminum and hard plastic, looks very well made. Its comfortable and has some weight to it, but its not heavy. I tried it out and it removes slag like no other, sure beats cleaning feet and feet of cut with a chipping hammer, but like they said, its not very powerful. Im sure it'll work great for cleaning cuts and the like, but some people use air hammers for cutting sheet metal and gnawing off rivets and things like that, which sure enough, this one won't really do. Maybe it'll do like auto-body thickness but I tried it on some 16 or 14 gauge sheet and it didnt work too well...

Anyway, just thought I'd share. Im sure it'll be in many a video to come.

Annnd, tomorrow is the last day of my blueprint reading class at Hobart, I'll be sure and post up an update when all is said and done there.

Hope everyone's having a nice week!!
video1
<object width="853" height="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3HEfM3hqNMY?version=3&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3HEfM3hqNMY?version=3&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="853" height="480" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>

 

[Butch(OH)]

They are usefull for sure, there is a bit for them that is the cat's meow for removing the tops from 55 gallon drums, hard to discribe, kind of like a fork? That and peening welds is the bulk of the work for ours. At $20 you didnt get hurt but I consider the warrenty on low priced items to be a nothing due to shipping and the assoiated fooling around. I bought mine on sale at HF for cheap, as you said all from China anyway. Actualy bought 2 so I would have a spare when #1 gernaded but #1 has been working good for 3-4 years now.

 

[Dick L]

I got one many years ago in a plastic case with all kinds of stuff. Had to be a cheap one or I wouldn't have bought it. Used it a lot over the years. Not much anymore. Aint much time after my nap and then chores after I get home from work.

 

[Anonymous-0]

First of all a chipping hammer isn't the best for peening unless it is really blunt on the end. If it puts center punch like marks would be a stress riser. A needle scaler might be better for peening as an air hammer would over peen it and add more stress. You can buy air chippers but they are pricey. An air hammer is a poors mans air chipper but not a substitute. I don't think I'd look into doing too many vise repairs, especially with expensive rods. What if the repair doesn't hold?

 

[Puddles]

Lanse sometimes I think you and I are not on the same page. :lol: That's not what I recommended on WW.

I'm sure they're out there, but personally I've never seen a pistol type air gun hit as hard as a commercial needle scaler.

 

[Anonymous-0]

You can buy a needle scaler head that will screw on that hammer. You take the spring off and it goes on there. I got mine about 10 or 12 years ago and it is still going strong.

 

[MisterT]

Believe it or not, those little tools are excellent for jack-hammering concrete such as in sidewalks. I wouldn't use a high priced air hammer for that purpose, but the $20 and under units will do just fine. I've used my Campbell-Hausfeld extensively for that purpose and so far it doesn't seem any worse for it.

 

[Puddles]

That's the first time I ever heard of any body using a chipping hammer to break out concrete.
On construction projects they use these.
http://www.ingersollrandproducts.com/am-en/products/tools/construction-tools/pavement-breakers


At home I always had my wife do it while I was at work. :lol:

 

[GlenIdaho]

Now there's a great wife. Working away with that jack hammer, flip-flops and all. Reminds me of my wife who thinks its okay to go on ATV rides and walk the trails of Idaho with her toes hanging out. Never been able to understand that. I know there will be a day I have to carry her out because she broke her toe. But, she's a good woman too!

 

[Puddles]

Glen she did it just long enough for me to take the picture! :lol: That was one of my biggest mistakes ever, renting that electric demo hammer. I should have brought home a 185 compressor, and rivet buster from the job. That electric hammer was a total waste of money. Didn't take but just a few minutes to realize I made a mistake! I ended up digging out from under the steps, and using a sledge hammer to break out the steps. What you see broken out, I did with a sledge hammer. :roll:

 

[Mike (WA)]

I think I'm in love. . .

 

[JF in MI]

I have 3 different size air hammers for different tasks. I learned long ago to look at the specs not brand. The piston diameter multiplied by the stroke determines power. My small one is for small rivets and the large one will rip apart just about anything but is too brutal for fine work. All best controlled with a pressure regulator.

Jim

 

[JRSutton]

If you like that you'll love a needle scaler.

I like the air hammer for cutting odd shapes in weird places - like old rounded nuts and exhaust pipes, etc.

Those chisels take some getting used to - you need to get the angle right, and apply a good amount of pressure.

You do need to be carefull with it - if you bounce off and hit something with it - it usually cuts a lot faster into the parts you don't want it to.

 

[Don-Wi]

We rented a Makita electric hammer similar to that this past summer when replacing a corner wheel in the barn cleaner. While it wasn't powerful, it did the job. Slowly, but it did it. Was much better than swinging a sledge hammer in the tight location- Found it was best to take teeny bites or else I got it stuck- then had to fight to get it out.

Donovan from Wisconsin

 

[Anonymous-0]

I never used a needle scaler but have used Fuji air
chippers. They make a heck of a racket when you've
got some stubborn slag in a groove or spatter to
remove. They look similar to a needle scaler but
shorter.

 

[MisterT]

Puddles, when the only other option is a hand held chisel and a 2 pound hammer, a guy tends to get creative. I kind of had doubts that it would even work, but I was quickly impressed with just how well it does work.

 

[W_B]

(quoted from post at 22:58:23 12/06/12) That was one of my biggest mistakes ever, renting that electric demo hammer.

I guess if you have access to the big air hammers that would be the way to go but I've used the electric ones with pretty good success. Just takes some patience while it works. To each his own!

(funny pic of the wife, I couldn't even get mine to even pose like yours did, let alone actually use it)

 

[Charles (in GA)]

You can get a needle scaler attachment for it also, and with a muffler splitter bit, you can de head 55 gal drums in about 90 seconds.

Charles