Aluminum Cowling
A metalworking student of Kent's, Ron Englund, made this beautiful polished aluminum cowling.

The first step in building is to construct the "buck," which provides a 3-D shape for holding and test-fitting the cowling pieces...Click here for the full story.

Ferrari Dino hood
Dear Kent,
Just wanted to let you know how pleased I am with my new power hammer. I made my first large panel, a hood for a Ferrari Dino, on it and used stretching only to form it. I'm still learning to use all the dies. I sent a picture to show you the hood. Thanks again. –A.C.

Fantasy of Flight
Kermit Weeks (Weeks Aircraft, Fantasy of Flight ) really likes his TM Air Hammer, and after trying it out for some time, so does his wife.

Kent used this Hammer to make the top cowl for the Spirit of St Louis at Fantasy of Flight , October 2002.

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Bow Plates
Hi Kent,
I have attached 2 pictures of bow plates that we made using your Power Hammer we purchased a while back. 3mm - 316 stainless.

The hammer doesn't do it all but it helps a lot in certain areas. A third bow plate is just starting production. Thanks for your help. Regards, –Steve Rawlins, Fluid Fabrications Ltd. England

Armor
Steve Belden of Hammered Wombat , makes this armor by hand out of 12, 14, and 16 ga. CRS. Now he is using the Little Powerhouse Air Hammer and says:

I thought I ought to catch you up on what's been going on with me and my air hammer. I've been pretty productive lately, and have gotten very used to having t - he hammer. It is incredible for planishing and finishing. I've never seen anything like it. I can rough (very rough) out shapes by hand, and finish them in no time at all on the air hammer. I don't care that it doesn't do heavy work, since it has cut my workload by a huge margin just by being a good finishing tool. Besides, if it did everything, my arms and hands would wither away to nothing! –Steve

More Letters
I do metal art. I got an air hammer from you about a year ago. Last night I finished the DVD on the airhammer and was very impressed with how many other things I could be doing. I'll be ordering additional dies and air units soon. I want to thank you for making affordable machines, providing metalworking knowledge to us average folks and putting up with all of our questions. In addition, your website is excellent!! –Phil L.

I just finished building the "little power air hammer" from your plans and received the small reverse set of dies just in time for me to start the fairings on my Waco project. I have been building airplanes for over 20 years and I am blown away by the capabilities of this power air hammer. It is the best addition to my metal working tools I have ever made. I will be buying more die sets as I become more accustomed to it. Thanks for everything. –Dave Allen of Allen Antique Aero

I got those new shrinking dies for steel and fooled with them for a minute, and suddenly realized how easy they were to work! They shrink so easily. I cannot miss. Boy is this fun. Thank you very much. –B.D. (metalman of 35 years)

The wheel pant halves came out great. I used the rubber head in the Air Hammer to raise the two rounded corners and to blend into the curved straight section. I then used the plastic head over plastic (Aluminum Shrinking Set) to shrink the outside and put the right shape in the part and then to planish it out. Finally, I used the Wheel to blend the stretch out into the flat section and to relieve the tension in the piece. It really is magic. There wasn't even one mark on the second pant. –H.B. (good student of the metal and fine musician)

We built the little power hammer from plans. While we are novice metalshapers, for what it's worth, we really like the hammer. We use it for "shaping" rather than planishing. I have a way to go, (practice, practice!) but even now the shrinking dies work for me. although I'm still putting the tuck in by hand and then running them in the hammer. I think everyone is looking for "too much" mechanically - simplicity works too! Rather than elaborately shaped dies, its the material that these dies are made of that does most of the "magic", giving the right amount of grip and absorption. combine this with proper placement of blows, and you compress the tuck in on itself without stretching. Tom Hanna has one of these hammers (which he modified!!) maybe he can comment on how he uses it. Its great to get concrete answers to every question, but I think its also important to leave the "door open" and not be affraid to experiment and experience. Kent White seems to teach this way–mixing what you need to know while leading to areas you have to go to on your own. –Don and Lisa in CT

Air Hammer Links
For a look at the traditional CHICAGO PNEUMATIC PLANISHING HAMMERS, both 16" and 36" stationary models, go to Chicago Pneumatic Planishing Hammers.

Also see Kent's Vintage Handheld Planishing Hammers and Vintage Stationary Planishing Hammers.