Jesse17

For the record it never said what it was in the ebay listing either, just said something like "rare hammer tool". So I still had no way of knowing what to search for.

Oh, I see. Thank you. I wonder if a mod should delete this thread since it has nothing to do with a hammer/tool. The thread is educational as the hame is part of a horse/mule harness. By itself it may not be recognized as a hame. Some use the hame as a handle on a walking stick, decorations in a home or barn etc.

What is this tool on the hammer handle called? What does it do, extend the handle or just give you a better grip or something? Are they something that used to be common? Do people still use them? I have one in a box of junk but had no idea what it was or that it had anything to do with a hammer, until I ran into this picture on ebay.

That's beautiful! I'm in awe of your work!

TW90 belt grinder

I thought about doing the twists after the bends, but my forge was built for blade work, so most projects won't fit in it once any long bends have been made. I have to do all the spirals, twists, etc. then bend the long pieces in one heat each.

OK, I made a second attempt. I think this one came out a little better, but there's still some rough areas. I REALLY need to find something to build decent anvil horn with. Sticking different size pipes in my vise isn't as great of a solution as I had hoped.

I wasn't sure how how much bar was going to be used in making the corners, or exactly how I was going to form the corners. So I kind of expected my twists to be in the wrong spot, and oh look at that, they are... But I did manage to make a ball like shape at the end of the piece you hit it with. So that's a 1st that worked out ok-ish.

People use motor oil, but you won't want to temper it in your kitchen oven after you've quenched it in motor oil. I use vegetable oil myself. I recommend you install, shape, and finish your scales before sharpening the knife. Otherwise you will have to tape the blade while working on the scales, and that can sometimes discolor non-stainless blades.

A thing of beauty, for sure!

PID Controller $46.50 http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1&zenid=90b32ac5f8da355dc0ed454b403f29f8 Thermocouple $27.75 http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=39 Solid State Relay $15.00 http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=9 Heat Sink for SSR $9.95 http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=45 Grand total: $99.20 Run the power to the oven through the SSR, the PID controller can use the relay to turn the oven on and off. They can be used to control a propane forge within a few degrees, so they shouldn't have a problem turning an electric element on and off fast enough to control an electric oven at any temp you want.

I read on here, IIRC, that brass should be heated to red, then quenched to anneal it, then worked cold. I couldn't find any brass bar stock locally, but picked up a piece of scrap that looked to be a bearing race of some sort. It was a ring about 6" dia. and 1/2"+ thick. I cut a 1/4 of it off, heated until red (or a touch better) and quenched. Then tried to straighten it out with a 2.25lb hammer. Nothing. I repeated this process several times and the brass never budged. So I tried hitting it while it was red and it worked just like steel. That is until I turned it on edge, and hit it. Then it just crumbled. I moved back on the piece and flattened it again, with lighter blows this time. I managed to get it down to the 1/4"+ that I was shooting for. Then I laid out the area to remove for my knife tang (I'm making a finger guard, btw) and tried drilling it. My drill press would just sit and spin on the brass. I ended up having to start with nearly my smallest drill bit and work up in size with every bit size I had. Skipping one size the drill bit would just sit and spin. What the heck? I thought brass was softer than steel. Why is it so hard to drill, and why was the work it cold thing not working AT ALL?

Thanks! So, the handle is mostly for looks, and one operates it by grabbing both sides of the tongs to squeeze them together?

Forgive me for the off topic question, but could someone explain to me what I'm looking at. The OP said they were fireplace tongs, but I'm having trouble comprehending how they work. Is that short piece with the rounded end a handle, and you hold a piece of firewood with the other end? If so, what provides the leverage to hold closed the tongs? Or is that piece a poker and you hold the firewood in the curved area below the hinge? That would seem pretty awkward to place the log where you want it. Like I said, I'm totally missing what these tongs are designed for and how they work. Thanks to anyone who want to explain it to me!

Thanks guys. I'll throw on a fresh blade and see if it won't cut the lower parts. If not, I'll try annealing it in the forge like njanvvilman described, and try again.