100# Murray Power Hammer finds a new home

1942 Murray 100# Power Hammer

A call to ABANA (Artist Blacksmith's Association of North America) and an enthusiastic conversation with JoAnn Bentley (ABANA Central Office Administrator) led us to Bernie Tappel, 2^nd Vice President for BAM (Blacksmith Association of Missouri) and to the eventual home for a 1942 Murray 100# Power Hammer. It was the goal of Kevin Wernet, Executive Director of Woldumar Nature Association in Lansing, Michigan, and Vern Mesler (VJM Metal Craftsman) to donate the power hammer to an organization where it would be used as an educational tool. The Blacksmith Association of Missouri, with their motto " Dedicated to the preservation and advancement of the blacksmithing art and craft " fit those objectives.

Moving Day for the Power Hammer

Jeff Seelye (left), blacksmith and member of MABA (Michigan Artist Blacksmith's Association), and Steve McCarthy, blacksmith and member of BAM (Blacksmith Association of Missouri), prepare to load the Murray power hammer. Woldumar groundskeeper Kevin Feldpausch had readied the storage site for the loading of the power hammer.

Dan Shroyer, from Shroyer Towing, and Jeff Seelye position the power hammer on the trailer. Shroyer's expertise and his equipment made the loading of the power hammer go without difficulty.

Power hammer tied down and ready for the trip from Michigan to Missouri.

Left to right: Steve McCarthy, Jeff Seelye, Vern Mesler, and Bernie Tappel.

John Logan, Artist Blacksmith

John Logan, an artist blacksmith in Michigan, was the last to use the 100# Murray power hammer. He worked with the hammer to create a wrought iron sculpture from a section of historic 1880's wrought iron. His description in creating the sculpture was as creative as the final piece of artwork and was the subject of a 2010 Craftsman's Newsletter, shown below.