edge9001 Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I am trying to make a hammer to flatten a blade and to help take out hammer marks. the hammer with what looks like a plate on its face. I have a pallpeen hammer, how would I go about making it into one of these hammers. I'm thinking heat the peen and then strike flat as if trying to upset the face. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Kinda like this?: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Or these alternative styles They are not technically hammers, they are a swage, struck by a hammer when in contact with the workpiece to be flattened, they can be rodded, handled or hand held A little water on the face will help produce a good finish on the work. Just make sure there is no scale on the piece between the tool and workpiece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edge9001 Posted October 11, 2010 Author Share Posted October 11, 2010 Kinda like this?: yes exactly, how do you make one of those? would it work if I just welded a plate to a round bar, or how would you forge one. As I said I was thinking take a ballpeen hammer and heat and flatten the peen end bu setting it on my anvil as if I had struck the anvil with it, and then flatten out the peen from that position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Turley Posted October 26, 2010 Share Posted October 26, 2010 I think the easy way would be to arc weld a square plate (1/2" ?) onto a vertical shank, and arc weld a haft onto it. It could even be mild steel. The working face is not dead flat. Around the bottom, you can fall it off about 3 or 4 degrees, maybe 3/8" in, so when you use it, you don't get edge marks. The largest U.S manufactured faces appear to be 3" square, at least the ones I've seen. I have a 3 1/2" square one marked AT&SF. They were made as small as 1 1/2" square. Using blacksmith techniques, I am currently not set up to make a large one. A smith could start with 3" square stock and fuller four sides, drawing it up to a head. Then punch for an eye. For one that size, it would certainly be advantageous to have a large power hammer and maybe one good striker to help fine tune it. I presently have some 2" round 18-wheeler axle steel, probably 1045. I could upset the heck out of one end, probably obtaining a circular working face. Nothing wrong with that. http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaughnT Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 When I was first learning about smithing, I made a flatter accidentally. I was wanting to make a hot cutter from a section of axle, so I drew out a short taper and dropped it into the hardy hole on my anvil. When I screwed up a hammer stroke or two, I decided to "fix" the situation by peening the remaining axle to spread it out over the top of the anvil. Worked amazingly well, but I ate up a lot of coal to get that steel hot enough to flow under my 4lb hammer. After getting the head to about 3" in diameter, it was small work to weld a rod on the side of the stem and true up the face with sandpaper and files. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddog Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 I'm inclined to say that a ball pein doesnt have enough mass to make a decent flatter. I made a flatter by butt welding a square piece of leaf spring onto the end of a block of 1 1/4" mild steel. I tack welded the face in position with my arc welder, heated it up in the forge and hammered the weld. It went easy and has seen a fair amount of use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timothy Miller Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 I'm inclined to say that a ball pein doesnt have enough mass to make a decent flatter. I made a flatter by butt welding a square piece of leaf spring onto the end of a block of 1 1/4" mild steel. I tack welded the face in position with my arc welder, heated it up in the forge and hammered the weld. It went easy and has seen a fair amount of use. I would agree this is the shortest path to a flatter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted November 28, 2010 Share Posted November 28, 2010 I'm inclined to say that a ball pein doesnt have enough mass to make a decent flatter. I made a flatter by butt welding a square piece of leaf spring onto the end of a block of 1 1/4" mild steel. I tack welded the face in position with my arc welder, heated it up in the forge and hammered the weld. It went easy and has seen a fair amount of use. I'm with you all the way, but why did you heat and hammer the weld? edit: Oh, you actually forge welded it! Cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fciron Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 I would also be concerned that the eye of a relatively modern ball pein hammer is not strong enough to be hammered on. A flatter has a large surface area in contact with the work and requires heavy blows to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 If you have access to a lathe, you can turn square stock round for the body and have a square face. Or use flap disks and grind off what is not needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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