Speaker A
Welcome back to part three of restoring my dream power hammer, a 500 weight Massie Clear Space from 1958.
Alec Steele continues restoring a 1958 Massie Clear Space power hammer, focusing on cleaning, inspecting, and disassembling key components.
Ask about this video. Answers come from its transcript only — with the timestamp, so you can check them.
Generated from the transcript and can be wrong — check the timestamp.
Key Takeaways
- Thorough cleaning and cataloging of parts is essential for an organized restoration.
- Rust and wear on critical components like crankshaft bearings can significantly impact machine performance.
- Proper disassembly allows better inspection but must be balanced against project timeline.
- Community support and teamwork play important roles in complex restoration projects.
- Professional services like regrinding may be necessary for worn or rusted parts.
What the video covers
- Alec Steele resumes restoration of his 500 weight Massie Clear Space power hammer from 1958.
- The video covers cleaning the oil reservoir and cataloging nuts and bolts for proper restoration.
- Inspection reveals rust on the crankshaft bearing, indicating potential need for regrinding.
- Alec carefully removes split pins and castle nuts to access and assess the crankshaft condition.
- He discusses challenges with rust and wear patterns caused by long periods of inactivity.
- The video shows use of tools like forklifts, lifting slings, and angle grinders for disassembly and cleaning.
- Alec debates how much to disassemble to balance restoration quality and speed to forge use.
- He highlights the importance of neighborly help and teamwork during the restoration.
- The crankshaft is fully removed for inspection, revealing wear that may require professional regrinding.
- Plans are made to clean and paint components with help from a friend named Paul.
Chapters
- 00:00Introduction and Oil Reservoir Cleaning
- 01:10Cataloging Nuts and Bolts
- 02:18Removing Split Pins and Castle Nuts
- 04:15Assessing Rust and Wear on Crankshaft
- 05:52Disassembly Challenges and Safety Measures
- 07:13Crankshaft Removal and Inspection
- 08:13Planning for Regrinding and Painting
- 10:27Final Thoughts and Next Steps
Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown
Speaker A
Yesterday, we were busy. Now, that is my oil reservoir. And I don't think we want that. Spot a lunch perhaps. Yummy. I'm
Speaker A
looking for my tapered pins though. Oh yes. Good eye. One and two. There's the screwdriver. I don't want that sludge there because if that manages to pass through the filters and then end up pumped into the front and rear cylinder
Speaker A
of the hammer, it's just going to be awful for it. It's going to mess up the hammer. So, we want it to be as clean as possible. Oh, seen better days.
Speaker A
We then gave the whole lot a bubble bath. And dare I say, after that little clean, it looks beautiful. And how good is that logo with the white highlights on Massie? Yes, please. I think we're going to do the same on Clear Space. And we're
Speaker A
definitely going to paint in white highlights on the Made in England text. Then this morning, Mrs. Steel cataloged all of the nuts and bolts that we've pulled off of the hammer so we can then start getting those things cleaned up.
Speaker A
Thank goodness we did start cataloging them because we forgot what about half of them were, but we figured it out. So, now we can get stuck into the actual work of seeing what we got to do to this
Speaker A
hammer. Now, our first task today is to begin properly inspecting this crankshaft. What you will see here is not what you want to see. That is a whole lot of rust on the bearing that the bottom of our connecting rod rides
Speaker A
upon. This rust is going to be eating away those bronze bearing shells. I'm like 80% certain that this needs to be reground. We got to figure out whether we've also got to regrind the journals here. So, we can take these castle nuts
Speaker A
off and have a little inspection. I think this is going to be a lot easier than the other split pins we were dealing with because we can actually access the thing. What are the odds you come out nicely, eh?
Speaker A
Oh, yeah. Thank goodness. Come on. That is what a split pin is meant to be like, boys and girls.
Speaker A
Come on. Yes. One down. Yes. Two. No, that one's bending. Can only have so much luck on a cotin.
Speaker A
He's moving and grooving and getting mushroomed. Just committing sacrilege on the third hammer I ever made.
Speaker A
God, luck is on our side today. We should play the lottery. Not this again.
Speaker A
I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm great. Come on, you. And the fourth. Make sure to remind me who's really boss. Now, as soon as I remove these front nuts, especially all of the probably half ton that that flywheel weighs, going to start lifting
Speaker A
it up. So, I'm going to make sure that we get a little lift on it. And you'll notice something when I turn the forklift on. And then when I turn the wheels, they move effortlessly and they no longer squeal. Would you believe it? A
Speaker A
forklift requires hydraulic oil. Our lovely neighbor Steve helped me tighten up the steering pump belt and helped me figure out that it probably needed a little bit more oil. Thank you, Steve.
Speaker A
We are so ridiculously blessed with some great neighbors around here. And at last, I get to try out my amazing storage. Oh, need a lifting sling, Alec.
Speaker A
Oh. Oh. Well, hooks are only so good. Don't want to take out somebody's eye. This edge here is quite sharp and narrow. I'm going to just provide a little bit of padding for her. Even though we have an
Speaker A
enormous safety factor, feels pretty decent. Wonder how long ago this saw the light of day. Oh. Oh. Oh.
Speaker A
Oh, they are tight. Oh, you've got the tool. I do indeed have the tool. I might not have the tool. I don't have a socket that'll accept that big boy.
Speaker A
Oh, wow. Hello. God, you are very stubborn. Okay, let's try any of the others. Oh yeah. Okay, good. We got one, Liz. Maybe now that I'll let this one go. Yeah, baby.
Speaker A
That's fabulously precise. Delightful. Moment of truth. How much money is this going to cost me? Inside of the cast iron looks good. Thank goodness it's a really simple bearing shell without any weird castings in it.
Speaker A
Oh, yummy. Bronze looks good. Uh, the steel looks pretty good on this surface. I mean, there's a little bit of pitting, but that could be a lot worse. See that wear pattern in there? That corresponds with this rust spot. What I think we can
Speaker A
deduce from that is obviously for 20 years this thing sat without the flywheel ever turning. It got rusted and then that flywheel has turned a couple of times in the last few months. When Norm bought it, you know, he would have
Speaker A
tried turning the flywheel. I've messed around with the flywheel a good few times and that's where this shiny patch has kind of been created as this proud rust is touching. Maybe we'll just give it a little lick with some Scotch-Brite.
Speaker A
Imagine how beautiful that was. Brand spanking new. Right, let's put it all back together. Have a look at the backside. Then flip it all upside down and do the same again.
Speaker A
Oh, hello. She's tight. Oh, yeah. That was scary. Ow. How did that hurt my hand?
Speaker A
Definitely bending this bar. Oh, yes. Who's Doug? Uh, Dugger. Dugger. Might need a little heat. Too lazy to bring the oxy-propane torch out. Oh. Oh, that was the most movement we've had all day on this particular part.
Speaker A
And then gently a little Oh yes. Oh, a little wiggle wiggle. Teamwork makes the dream work. Thank you, my love.
Speaker A
Delightful. Moment of truth. Oh, better than the other side perhaps. More isolated and spread out rust. Less of like a singular patch. Quite scored there. Ooh.
Speaker A
Yeah, that tells a story, doesn't it? That is a rusted bearing journal. This thing is going to spin 140 times a minute. I don't think with hand tools in situ. I'm going to deal with that. I say we completely pull it out. Am I going to
Speaker A
stand by the forge in a year's time while this is idling 140 times a minute and think to myself, "Oh yeah, I'm really happy about the bearings that are in there." No, I'm going to be like, I better not idle it
Speaker A
for too long. I'm just eating away my bronzes for no reason. Right. Let's get it all out of the machine there. Oh, it's a perfect pick. Come see another perfectly horizontal pick so far. If I just jinxed it.
Speaker A
Okay, quite happy with that. The lesson for picking this is that I need to have that hooked directly in line with that edge. Then I think it would have been plumb bob level. Have a look at those journals. Dear diary, today I took the
Speaker A
crankshaft out of my Massie power hammer. Oh, wrong journal. How's she looking? Clean. Really? Oh yeah. Oh my goodness. Much better than the other side. Hello. Maybe they took it out for nothing. Oh, but hey, let me tell you what. We're going
Speaker A
to be able to get all that gunk off. Paul's going to be very happy. Paul is going to be helping us paint this and he's going to do a fabulous job. Sorry.
Speaker A
No pressure, Paul. It's kind of been the running joke as we've been working on this. My preference this whole time has been to disassemble as little as possible if it was possible. Because by disassembling as little as possible, it
Speaker A
hopefully means I can forge sooner. But obviously Paul, who's going to be painting it, is going to be much happier with it being more disassembled because he'll be able to do a better job painting it easier. We can all be happy
Speaker A
for Paul. For me, though, to be determined. That wasn't so difficult getting that thing out of there. I don't feel like I'm going to regret that decision because I think I can safely put it back. We wedge it so it doesn't roll.
Speaker A
No way. That sits on its own like that. That's crazy. Oh yeah. The old double wrap.
Speaker A
The old triple wrap. I mean, that's not at all ideal still. It looks better than it looked, but that can't be ideal. Our 320 grit sandpaper did not magically get rid of all the rust. I think I'm going to need
Speaker A
to ask for some advice from people that know better than I. I imagine this is going to need to be sent off for regrinding. What I can do right now is I can get this surface rust off of there
Speaker A
with an angle grinder and a wire wheel. So, I'm going to do that. The old tow hook forklift needs must crunchy.
Speaker A
That's not going anywhere. I'd
Speaker A
There goes another day. See you in the morning. We're inside the belly of the beast.
Speaker A
All right, let's take some measurements. Let's see how round these things are. 3993 3993 3993 39925.
Speaker A
That's very minor difference. That's half a thousandth of an inch. 5/10 3925 39915 392 393 No saxophones yet.
Speaker A
That's not that awful. So, what that means, guys, between front and back, front and back, and the absolute worst measurement, top and bottom here in the middle, we have 1 and 1/2 thous0 of an inch of wear. That is the thickness of a
Speaker A
cigarette paper, which is half the thickness of a regular sheet of paper, which is promising cuz that's not awful.
Speaker A
I'm doing it on the 45 now, and it's perfect. We're not getting any crazy differences. Beautiful. 1 and 12 th000 out of round. How about down here? 39940 39940 39940 Okay, this rear journal is still super round. 39940 39940 39940 Oh,
Speaker A
39940 39930 through the wear patch. 39935 39930 Okay, the absolute worst on the whole thing is that cigarette paper out of round. I'm now going to consult with people much smarter than I and see what they think. But my gut tells me that's
Speaker A
probably going to be fine. Not to ascribe any blame to somebody that tells me otherwise. I come to you from the future inside a rectangular hole.
Speaker A
Unfortunately, it's not a square space, but they are today's episode sponsor and that is the place to go if you want to build yourself a phenomenal website.
Speaker A
Whether you're an artist, maker, engineer, or whether you're a groundworker, having a great website is utterly essential. And it's super easy to do yourself with Squarespace. They've got countless drag and drop themes. It's an all-in-one service, so you can buy
Speaker A
your domain there, too. And you can sell unlimited physical or digital products. You can sell your time with Squarespace scheduling. You can even invoice your clients for your groundwork from within your Squarespace websites. And you can run your email marketing campaigns
Speaker A
there, too. And I implore you to go and check it out by going to squarespace.com/forge where you get a free trial. And then code forge at checkout will get you 10% off your purchase. Thank you Squarespace for sponsoring the episode. Let's get
Speaker A
back to it. I've made some consultations with my neighbors, people that know lots more than I, and it's looking positive like this should be able to go back in the machine. And that is phenomenal news. One thing I want to draw your
Speaker A
attention to, check out that oil hole. How sick is that? Look at that deep drilling they did. They drilled like 14 in deep. So, that means that oil that is in this bearing here drips down towards the uh crankshaft journal and is how
Speaker A
that gets lubricated. Sick. We'll get back to a little bit more cleanup on this, but we've got another sticky situation that we have to solve before the hammer can be ready for paint. And so, let's at last unsease this credle.
Speaker A
It's still jammed shut in there. So is this handle. How about this handle? I will deal with that, too. I'm going to get some massive blocks of wood so we can lift the machine up and I can get
Speaker A
underneath it. I will be back. I don't want to be underneath that in that state. I'm going to leave the forklift in situ, of course. And I'm just going to reach the oxyropane torch into there. And maybe it just comes
Speaker A
loose with a little bit of heat and we don't have to disassemble that tapered pin. Fingers crossed.
Speaker A
Oh, yes. Movement. Maybe. Oh, is there anything? Shall I give this a little wiggle? Oh, did it? IT JUST MOVED. OH MY GOODNESS.
Speaker A
THAT WAS YOUR MAGIC TOUCH. HE'S DONE IT. YES. I THINK WE NEED TO MAKE A more heat t-shirt design cuz honestly, the recipe to machine restoration, guys. More heat.
Speaker A
I think the treddle needs to come out. I don't think I'm going to get it just working it. It's not going to end up so free that we're really happy about it.
Speaker A
I've got to get underneath there and get the tapered pin out. Wish me luck. Four things have to fail catastrophically for me to die. Two forkl with forks and two stacks of wood. I think I'm sweet. What was that noise?
Speaker A
Wow, it's really tight in there. Have a look at that. The what I thought were studs to hold the bearing shells are actually square headed.
Speaker A
That's where the standard to base plate bolts live there and then here and then there. And that is the tapered pin that we need to get out. Conveniently, the access is blocked by that bit of the casting. That's really great, isn't it?
Speaker A
Can you lift the treddle up a little bit, my love? Upwards. Higher. That's it.
Speaker A
Okay. Where's my little pack of punches go? Is this it? Yeah. Have I just spilled them? Can you pass me that punch, please, love? Thank you.
Speaker A
It would be nice to properly clean the inside of this. Come on. Ow. Burning myself on the hot stuff. Wonder why it's hot. Can I have a small Ah, I have something in my eye. Can I have a
Speaker A
smaller punch, please? Let me tell you what, the incessant use of these tapered pins is just a sick joke by these designers.
Speaker A
Now we're going. Yeah. Yes. The tapered pins out. All right. Now, how about this fella? It's a bit tight. More heat.
Speaker A
Wow, that's hard to hit. Nothing. I think I've decided that I'm not going to be able to get that treddle off there uh until it's upside down. The added bonus is is that once I flip it upside down, we can then clean the underneath.
Speaker A
It'd be just a delight to get all that gunk cleaned out of there. And plus the mating surface where it'll eventually sit on some wood boards on the foundation that needs to be cleaned up.
Speaker A
So, unfortunately, scary task of getting it upside down without breaking it. That'll be fine.
Speaker A
I'm going to tilt back a little bit. That way, it's less likely to slip off the forks. Ah, good idea.
Speaker A
We got it. LOOK AT THAT. A LITTLE BIT EASIER to see what we're doing, isn't it? Although I am currently blocking the pathway for everybody.
Speaker A
There we go. Oh, I think it's moving. Hallelujah. Nope. It's just going to mushroom it over.
Speaker A
Not moving. It's hardly very exciting to just see me smash out stuck shafts over and over and over again.
Speaker A
See if we can use uh Steve's pusher. About 100 people have helped me. And that's in like one square mile.
Speaker A
We've had that much help. This is very much a village project. Not that anybody has had much choice in whether they participate in this project. Oh, you're joker. Look how close it is.
Speaker A
Not really. All right. Do you want me to lie? Fits perfectly. See if we break my frame. Oh, my sledgehammer.
Speaker A
I think that's a no. It is not moving. Nothing. That is a 4-tonon jack that is not doing anything. And uh I don't even think I want to get a bigger one on there. If I get much bigger, I think we
Speaker A
could crack a frame if we're not careful. More heat, more power. Nothing. It won't budge. And now I've hammered it back this way. It's exposed a little bit of movement, so that's good. Should we do some manifestation or
Speaker A
something? Do you reckon that might help? I'll take anything. I've got hope. I got the ring hot only.
Speaker A
Come on. Yeah, I think it's going. It's moving. COME ON. YES. THEY DONE IT.
Speaker A
Three more hits. Oh, not quite. That's definitely more than three. Oh, you're so stubborn.
Speaker A
YES, AT LAST. Heavens above. That was horrifyingly challenging. It's off. We're not out of the woods yet. Not by a long shot. These woods, they go on a little bit.
Speaker A
Yes. Oh my goodness. Look at it go. Well, of course it went easy there, didn't it?
Speaker A
Easy for a little bit, that's all. Need to tie again. All right, it's super tight again.
Speaker A
Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on. Just Ah, it slipped out. God, don't you hate when it slips out? Yes. Come on. Come on. Don't stop. Don't stop. Come on.
Speaker A
It's going. No, not moving this time around. All right, taking a break on the treddle.
Speaker A
It's frustrating me at the moment. So, we'll move on to something that's less likely to frustrate me, I hope. Treddle stop. Let's see if we can get that free at last.
Speaker A
Come on, we got movement. At last, I think that whole shaft is going to need replacing. She's pretty nasty. See if I can get a wrench on there.
Speaker A
It's going slowly. So tired. Thank you, dear. Why is it so stubborn? Now we've got movement. It knew I was at my wits end and it decided to just do me a solid right there and then. It knew I
Speaker A
was particularly grumpy. And then as soon as I had just get right on the limit of grumpiness, it then says, "All right, yeah, I'll free up now. I'll stop acting the fool." Like a toddler.
Speaker A
Yeah. God, almost free. Yes. Success. Oh, it's the little things, guys. I don't know if I can have a paper.
Speaker A
It's got a key, actually. Have a look over here. If I knock that up, you see there's that key there. little woodruff key that locates its orientation relative to this handle here.
Speaker A
A yeah, mama. Yes, she's off. You were a real pig. Two more things to do. The two things that we have to do are at last get this treddle out of that hole. Get that handle off of there. One last push and
Speaker A
it'll be completely disassembled. Come on now. Nothing. Right. No. You want me to wiggle the lever?
Speaker A
Let's try it. OH, WE got movement. The magic touch OF PAUL. KEEP WIGGLING IT. HE'S DOING IT.
Speaker A
IT'S COMING. LOOK, he's got it. Here we go. Oh, yes. Oh yes. Thank you guys. Golly, real team effort.
Speaker A
I'd be nowhere without your help. Look at that. All that effort. Even that car didn't look too bad cuz the clean up.
Speaker A
No, I It just rusted itself in places all day. Okay, I'm going to have a quick nap and then I'm going to get the other seized thing after. I'm almost completely disassembled. Thank you again.
Speaker A
More heat. It's going. YES. COME ON. ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST. NOW I got to find the small side of the tapered pin and hold it upright like there or even back back there. You might want to pass me that gun and the
Speaker A
end of the airline, please. Thank you, my love. Teamwork makes the dream work. Now trying to get that tapered pin out that retains that collar.
Speaker A
I can't see anything. Oh, I'm riveting it over, aren't I? Oh, miss it. Oh, no. Got to go both arms in.
Speaker A
They literally built that for the size of my torso. Oh. Yeah. Ouch. God. Sure. I'm glad I put hearing protection on.
Speaker A
Oh my lord. Might be a case of having to try and drill it out.
Speaker A
It's got to be the last one that's the hardest. If I thought all the others were hard, that is such a cool picture.
Speaker A
If these wouldn't do it, nothing will. There's the hole I just drilled. If you look carefully, you can see the ring of the original pin. I just missed it, which is not good. Nice work, Alex. I'm now going to cut off the big end and
Speaker A
then drill it out from the big side. This is incredibly challenging. There we go. And then drop it. Perfect.
Speaker A
Here we go. Come on. Come on. You go. I think this is the worst thing I've ever had to do in my work.
Speaker A
Got that drilled. Hopefully that's all the way clear of the pin. So hopefully now we're past the pin and we can knock everything out. Absolute nightmare. Why did I not just leave this as it was?
Speaker A
Come on. I think I think I have movement. If I can hit the tool and not the Yes. Oh, I think I'VE DONE IT. YES.
Speaker A
COME ON. That's some of the tapered PIN COMING OUT. OH, AT LAST. The only trouble is that punch is now stuck. So, I've got some tapered pin out and we've replaced it with the pin punch.
Speaker A
Ah. Okay. 180. They're perfect. Yes. That was what all that fight was about. Okay.
Speaker A
I think I'm going to come out now. Oh god. Well, I still have to get the actual like big washer piece off. There's not a lot of space for that either.
Speaker A
Oh no, I should not have taken this shaft out. This is the biggest mistake of the project so far. That shaft should have stayed in really good condition, but I didn't know it was in that good a condition until now. So, here we are.
Speaker A
Come on. Here we go. Yes. The ring is off at last. Come on. Don't Don't you lock up on me now.
Speaker A
YES. That is how not to completely strip a Massie Clear Space forging hammer. Every single part that can come off of this machine is off. And with that, a special thank you is owed to today's sponsor, which was Squarespace. Go to
Speaker A
squarespace.com/forge. I thought it was hard disassembling the machine. I'm sure it's going to be twice as challenging fixing all the parts that need fixing and putting it back together. But before we do that, I have a concrete cutting floor saw coming in a
Speaker A
few days. So, I'm going to put a hole in the ground, get a start on the foundation. The work on the foundation is going to take a long time, so we're going to get a head start on it. See you
Speaker A
soon. Bye-bye. Jamie's going to try getting inside the hammer where I was. Go on. You got it.
Speaker A
You got it. YOU GOT IT. WHAT'S IT like in there, bro? This is absolutely miserable. And I've only been in here like 3
Topics:Alec Steelepower hammer restorationMassie Clear Spacecrankshaft inspectionmachine restorationblacksmith toolsrust removalbearing regrinding1958 power hammermetalworking equipment
