The Electric Hammer

The power hammer has been in use for a long time and there are now on the market many types of power-operated hammers which may be roughly classed according to the nature of the power as follows: Pneumatic, steam, motor and pulley; cam or crank, and electropneumatic drives. The pneumatic drive includes all riveting hammers; the steam drive includes practically all forge hammers, some drop hammers, pile drivers and steam drills; the motor and pulley drive class, includes the greater part of drop hammers; the electro-pnuematic drive includes only small forge hammers. The pneumatic hammer, due to its lightness, holds the field of hand-operated riveting hammers and it is hardly possible that any other means will ever surpass air for driving hand-operated riveting hammers; the steam hammer holds its own in very large forging and drop hammers and it is doubtful whether any other kind of hammer can remove it from that place. The field for very large forging or drop hammers is however rather limited; they are used only in very large plants in which all sorts of power prevail. There is an immense field, however, for medium and small forging and drop hammers which are used to produce all the small automobile and other similar parts as well as name plates, jewelry apparel, etc. It is this field which the electric hammer is supposed to cover. The present methods of driving these hammers are cumbersome, complicated, costly and very unsafe for the workman.