What do you use an air hammer for?

[Cobra4B]

House was built in '88... no asbestos. I'm scraping up lino too, but I never thought to use an air chissel to do it... I'm peeling mine up then using water and a 5" putty knife to scrape up the left over backing.

 

[Major Ramifications]

They make floor scrapers that use an air hammer as the mechanism.

 

[Old Donn]

Removing/installing U-joints from driveshafts. Much easier/faster than the old large socket in the vise method.

 

[jamesemery728]

I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel and have some floor tile to take up... anyone use one for that? I think it'd make quick work of it and my compressor/hose plenty long that I can get it into my foyer area w/o having to move anything.

Here's a floor scraper.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=37073

 

[Cobra4B]

^ Neat tool... don't care to buy a $100 tool for this one-time job though.

 

[User_Name]

I used it on my 2.3L Ranger to get out a stuck O2 sensor. Had to remove the starter to get the gun and a chisel bit in place, but caught one of the corners of the hex and went to town on it, and it came out. Nothing else would budge it.

Charles

Go figure, Lisle now makes an attachment just for that (43900). The $40+ price tag seems way too high though. I'd try your way first.

 

[UhOh_Gecko]

Okay we know what we use it for. Now...

I work in a shop. And am on the market for an air hammer. I don't need a top of the line air hammer because I won't use it several times a day or even every day, but I need one of solid quality that I can rely on (so long as I keep it oiled).

And I have no freaking clue what to look for exactly. Short barrel. Long barrel? What sort of specs are needed in a professional shop environment?

 

[freezerburn]

Technically you said air hammer but a rivet hammer (size 3x) is fairly similar and can be used for, you guessed it, rivets. Not the pop rivets at the store but the kind that you can countersink front, back or neither... with no ugly pucker sticking out on the back side. Hold a bucking bar on the back side to make the heads. I drive a fuel truck and fuel aircraft and know a bunch of aircraft mechanics and I gotta say working thin (ish) aluminum has gotten a whole lot prettier in my home shop. The old Chicago hammers are the best- keep an eye out for the "4444" on the left side handle area, these have the sweetest triggers ever and are from the 40's on up. Be cool, freezerburn

 

[brass89]

if you're like my old boss, you use it for everything. including valve cover seals (plug seals) on plastic import valve covers. then scratch your head and look surprised when **** breaks.

 

[not-required]

removing fans mostly with the lisle fan kit.

 

[azhatchback]

I'm in the middle of a kitchen remodel and have some floor tile to take up... anyone use one for that? I think it'd make quick work of it and my compressor/hose plenty long that I can get it into my foyer area w/o having to move anything.

I have. I removed about 10 tiles in my entry way when I upgraded the flooring in our study. Worked ok but wear long sleeves, pants, and some serious safety goggles. I had some super strength thin-set holding them in and a couple of the tiles shattered and stuck fragments into the sheet rock.

If it 's a lot of tile they make a hand tool for this that works good. It's not too expensive:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Bully-Tools-Big-Bully-12-in-Floor-Scraper-91340/100678308

Oh and as mentioned before I bought a planishing bit and it worked a dent in a shock tower out with very little hammer and dolly metal bumping to finish it off.

 

[azhatchback]

Here are the pics of that dent I popped out with planish bit while smoothing the engine bay in this ratty fox mustang. Make sure you use something soft to back it like a shot bag vs. a dolly so you don't strech the metal to bad:

View media item 44736
I did not make the smaller holes that is factory
View media item 44737
After some light hammer/dolly work and removing paint with a 120 grit flap disk. I welded up some of them factory holes and strut tower to frame seam too. Big hole was bad metal I cut out before patching:
View media item 44738

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Ball joints. The rivets on some ball joints. Cooling fans on forward facing engines,

 

[DodgeMech]

fans with my big *** chisel attachment, and then install with the lisle(matco) kit, removing carrier bearings from drive shafts, and removing hubs from knuckles with the same chisel

 

[torqueman2002]

I've found that pickle forks like to booger up the rubber boots on my balljoints on my Corvette. Maybe they make slimmer ones than what I've had access to.

Yes to that.

One of the best and most creative mechanics I know showed me a way to remove ball joints, and tie rod ends without damage to rubber boots.

He uses 2 ball peen hammers.

1 is held on the side of the knuckle where the ball joint is seated. The 2nd hammer is used to hit the knuckle on the side opposite of the 1st hammer, in a rhythmic manner.

Only slight force is needed, the vibration set up in the knuckle/ball joint, forces the tapered joint apart, popping the ball joint loose.

An air hammer can be used in place of the 2nd hammer.

 

[GuyllFyre]

Take a chisel bit. Make a good indention on the edge of the bolt. You can then bite that at an angle and use the hammering action to turn the bolt.

This has been one of the handiest uses for the air hammer/chisel so far. MUCH more effective than attempting it by hand. Less noise and less pain when you miss hitting the chisel. Also, the impact action tends to loosen the nut or bolt better than just hitting it.

I have also used it to chip some various concrete bits as well.

 

[Tech89]

Remove the lids from my beer bottles after a hard day of work in the shop.





Just kidding. I used mine for a lot of steering and suspension work. To break bolts loose and to remove drums and rotors that are stuck. I have a newer Matco long barrel hammer that I bought slightly used from my last shop forman. Then I also have a Ingersoll Rand short barrel that I use when I can't fit the long barrel into a tight area or it's just not right for the job.

-Pat

 

[devoncoolman]

I hate when people use an air hammer with a chisel to remove fan clutches. Don't do this. It puts gauges in the nut. There are tools for this. Air hammer type and manual type clutch tools.

I use my air hammer for tons of stuff. Comes in handy for breaking rusted nuts and rusty suspension parts.

 

[rob0781]

Removing the shim on upper balljoint to adjust caster/camber on 1 tons

 

[DodgeMech]

I hate when people use an air hammer with a chisel to remove fan clutches. Don't do this. It puts gauges in the nut. There are tools for this. Air hammer type and manual type clutch tools.

I use my air hammer for tons of stuff. Comes in handy for breaking rusted nuts and rusty suspension parts.

i only use mine to remove ones i replace now...after one ******* got mad that i dented his nut and damn near made us pay for a new fan clutch because of it

 

[devoncoolman]

i only use mine to remove ones i replace now...after one ******* got mad that i dented his nut and damn near made us pay for a new fan clutch because of it

It doesnt effect the perfprmance of the fan but it gauges the **** out of it. If had ones people did this to that were destroyed. Couldnt put wrenches on it anymore. Honestly lisle makes a real nice fan clutch tool set for the air hammer that workes really well and isn't that expensive. My opinion on this matter and similar situations is if you can't afford to or to cheap to buy the correct tools to do a job you shouldnt do that job. I own thousands of dollars in just specialty tools alone to do specific tasks and some of these tools i will only use a handfull of times through out my career but i still own them. In order to do my job properly and efficiently.

 

[DodgeMech]

It doesnt effect the perfprmance of the fan but it gauges the **** out of it. If had ones people did this to that were destroyed. Couldnt put wrenches on it anymore. Honestly lisle makes a real nice fan clutch tool set for the air hammer that workes really well and isn't that expensive. My opinion on this matter and similar situations is if you can't afford to or to cheap to buy the correct tools to do a job you shouldnt do that job. I own thousands of dollars in just specialty tools alone to do specific tasks and some of these tools i will only use a handfull of times through out my career but i still own them. In order to do my job properly and efficiently.

i own that set too, but when you're dealing with a 18 year old truck, that has an 18 year old tensioner on it, and a 10 year old really stretched belt, the fan hub tends to spin when using the wrench thing...even if you have someone else hold tension on the belt...so out comes the chisel attachment

 

[NFH2740]

I've only used one to remove bushings from the brake assemblies of Class 8 trucks.

The other posts have been enlightening.

 

[jmm]

I actually don't use mine much anymore. But I used to use them to loosen pinion nuts on semis (torqued to upward of 800 ft/lbs), cut exhaust pipes, remove axle shafts, removing seized hinge pins (garbage truck cab shields mostly), bust loose stuck hydraulic, and all kinds of steering and suspension applications. Lots of uses working on big trucks.

 

[Formula]

Mine sees lots of suspension work and others odd duties freeing rusted, seized objects. My trusty snap on is about 20 years old and still going strong. The quick connect coupler is a must have.

 

[merbie]

If your to buy one should it be a truck brand one or can you skimp on one x


Sent from the sticks

 

[Vvmvbb]

I once chopped up a brake rotor hat that had fused itself to the hub on a 944. That was fun and was a pivotal bail out. Earned its keep that day.

 

[devoncoolman]

If your to buy one should it be a truck brand one or can you skimp on one x


Sent from the sticks

The snap-on is one of the best. The new ir's are pretty good. What ever you get. Buy a long barrel and if its cheap its junk. Good air hammers arnt cheap.

 

[bcradio]

The snap-on is one of the best. The new ir's are pretty good. What ever you get. Buy a long barrel and if its cheap its junk. Good air hammers arnt cheap.

I prefer the IR 122 short barrel myself

 

[K-Dog]

For some reason not a lot of body guys use them for body work.

I have two or three different hammer heads ( I would love more ) and it really works wonders as long as you are easy on the trigger finger.