New Hand Cranked Blowers

if I could find a local source for coal, I'd be in...I still might be.
 
I got 3 bags of coke in storage and 2 more on the porch all broke down and sealed in 5 gallon buckets. I could use a blower but, they were all gone by the time I saw this. I will keep an eye out for them!
 
I don't know a thing about the quality of these. It's just the first time I've seen new ones anywhere close to this price. They look like a great deal.
 
Thanks Tim, my "newest" one is over a hundred years old and sounds like a grain conveyer.......It would be nice to have a quiet one....

if I could find a local source for coal, I'd be in
Tracy, we have friends over in Kentucky that pick up tons of the stuff from the sides of RR tracks..
They made friends with the RR cleanup crew....
 
They have a stamped metal outside and cast iron gears. That sounds like a Champion model 50 or a Bufco blower. Ive seen both of those go for well over a hundred dollars for old beaters. I don't know what the gear ratio is for the old blowers but I don't think they were 1:35 like this one is. Does anyone know what a typical blower's gear ratios are? I would love to try one out but turkey day, rent, xmas, blah, blah, blah...
 
Tim I have a couple of old Buffalo's and the gearing is 47.5-1....

Here's Buffalo's entire catalog from 1929 including specs...About 14 meg so it's big but good reading....
The transition period from hand to electric, awesome......Candy store for old iron beaters..

Buffalo Forge catalog 1929
 
If anyone finds who makes these, let me know and I'll see if I can source them.
 
One more thing ,OK button counters, three more;

melting-war-scrap.jpg

Vietnam war relics, if I'm not mistaken, which is very possible, that is half of a turbocharger from a diesel engine...
Would make a great blower..

anvil-ho-Chi-Minh-trail.jpg

And a shell anvil...
All it takes is a need, everything else is laying around....

Some great pics of stuff we left on Ho Chi Minh trail and what these unique people have done with them...
http://www.laosgpsmap.com/ho-chi-minh-trail-laos/
 
Great stuff!

OK, I have one of these blowers from this auction on the way to me from Canada. I will give a full report asap. I'll hook it up to one my washtub forges and see what it's like.
 
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Just wondering if you received this Tim and if so what is your opinion. I have a Canedy Otto blower but have been considering one of these to make a more portable charcoal forge. Your input would be greatly appreciated.
 
I just got it. It is a lot like the Bufco blowers, Buffalo Forge Company made with the stamped out metal case. If you've ever used one of those then this is close to that kind of feel. It's shaped like a Champion 60a (the model blower I used in Knifemaking Unplugged) but is similar to the construction of a Bufco (the model Marian used for casting in the video). So a cross between the two sort of. But I would compare it to the Bufco mostly in overall quality. No one who has ever used a nice old blower is going to rave about this but I'm still glad to see it on the market. I haven't hook it up to a forge but just by cranking it I can pretty much tell what it will do. It's about as good as a Bufco but is a better shape for DIY forge designs. The auction I saw priced it at $100 counting shipping to my door. That seems a little high for the quality of this blower. I know it's cheaper than anything else out there but its built cheaper than anything else out there as well. Will it work? Barely but yes it will. Will it last? I'm not certain. I think if the price goes down a little we are going to see a lot more of these pop up on people's forges. It might be perfect for the weekend warrior but I wouldn't want to use it all day, all the time myself.
 
It is very light and I'm going to use it for portability. That's it's big appeal to me. You could carry this in a backpack easy. I can see the "Prepper Crowd" using it for all kinds of stuff. It is made in China btw. I was contacted by a wholesaler so I got the sales pitch. I stopped listening when they told me it was powerful enough to propel a small rubber boat. Bah! The things are cheap by the hundred so I think we are going to see them go down in price if the Knifemaking Supply houses get wind of them.
 
That was the appeal for me as well Tim. I am putting together a kit for when I go camping and was originally going to use a small propane forge. But it just makes more sense to use a charcoal forge in the mountains where I can make my own fuel. The light weight was the biggest appeal for me. Thanks again I ordered one last night and look forward to its arrival. It sounded like Tracy (Boss Dog) was possibly going to get one...perhaps if he does he can strike a deal with the wholesaler. Maybe good for everyone. I think it would make a nice package along with a copy of "Knifemaking Unplugged". Might get more people turned on to Bladesmithing.
 
Thanks Tim....The old ones are getting harder to find now, my last one came from a antiques fair and was listed as a"Corn Shucker"
 
We are working on designing/prototyping a geared hand crank blower to manufacture to go with our forges, similar design, but we had been thinking a cast aluminum housing. Do you think the light weight factor (stamped shell) would be more important than the sturdiness/longevity?

Tammy

Whitlox Homestead
Makers of the Wood-Fired Forge

www.whitloxhomestead.com
 
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