Adapting tools old for new purposes

**cbsos** · Sep 18, 2015, 04:24 AM

Hi every body I have been reading many of the previous posts and have learnt more in the last few years about some of the machine tools I have managed to acquire, I have worked for 35 years in the panel and coach building trade and have been involved in repairing and replicating car panels. Most of the apprenticeship training involved hammer and dolly work and folders, my boss used to say " learn how to do it the hard way with no tools, and then it is easier to do the same job with machine tools" and that has come to pass, machine tools just make it faster to arrive at the finished end. OOPS sometimes faster to get it wrong, the other thing he said was " slow down CB and think about it" and the best lesson learnt was to fix the problem.
I have acquired a Garu MB4 power hammer 18mm square die base stems, I have not seen much information on this machine but have followed the forums on pullmax and have made many dies for the jobs I have done, I have found it a great backup to the Wheeling machine. I have adapted an old plumbers swage, fitted a 36v electric motor and made a series of different dies, it has worked so well, I have almost finished a 900mm throat electric bead roller for floor pan swages and door frames.
I have made the dies and patterns so I can make the water trough for the 1934 Ford cowl vents, my replica panel has been made with an extra lip so that it can be offered up to the original cowl panel from underneath and plug welded through the top panel. I am planning to make a universal water trough so that any vent shape can be adapted to suit hopefully use commercially produce hinges, and vent lids.