brianbrazealblacksmith

Thanks Arkie, it may take me awhile to get used to this forum thing.

I have made some out of 3/8" coil spring, but I usually start with larger. This last picture started with 3/4", but the largest area left for the boss is about 9/16".

Good to hear Frosty. I really enjoyed that time in Alaska and I know Lyle did too. Daswulf, letter openers are definitely marketable. I used to make them regularly. Like Billy said, the holidays are coming up soon.

They were both made from 5/8" coil spring.

Yes, those are drawn out corners. They add strength and enable you to establish your inside and outside lines, angles, and corners. It helps immensely when matching up both halves.

Thanks Frosty, I just posted a picture on another thread, but I am not sure exactly how I did it. It was out of my photos. I will make something new and try it with a new photo.

I will make one today, and try and figure out how to post pictures on this sight again.

Pine tar really does work better than all of those for sore and dry hands.

Howdy neighbor, I just signed back in and saw this. Sounds like a good idea.

I could show you how to do that even thou I have not done that exact piece. I don't know how to post this on this site, but if you come by my shop at a time that I could show you , I'd welcome the opportunity to show you how I would approach it.

I know what you mean about the chicken or the egg! The shorter drift with the punch end is the egg. The complete set of tools is the chicken. I've only had to make the egg first when I fly somewhere and don't take my hammer making tools, so I'll make a hammer eye punch with the short drift with the punch on the end to punch a hole then grind the punch off then use it as a drift. The other drifts I have are longer, but they are not quite as you described. I don't usually take measurements so let's see of I can explain this. I like pill shaped eyes for my hammers and top tools because I like my handles shaped the same way. The handles I like parallel, but the eyes are tapered. The drift is tapered. It is a subtle taper. Say you make a drift out of 1 inch round stock. You will want to use some of the original 1" to make the largest eye you can get from that stock when you forge it oval, so you would taper from your original stock and then forge your desired pill shape from the base material to the end of your taper to have the same proportion of pill shape all the way down. If you were to slice it, every piece would look the same. They'd just be different sizes. On the very far end, though, you forge it thinner so that it will enter into the smallest cross section of the hole that you punched.

That's a lot of questions. The round swage should accommodate whatever size hammer you plan to forge. I have made different sizes for different size hammers, but my large one will do every hammer rounding hammer I would care to forge by hand and striker. I've done up to 2 1/2 inch stock, but don't recommend larger than 2 inch. My largest round swage has an inside diameter of about 2 3/4 inches. The top and bottom fullers for dividing the cheeks from the faces and drawing out the cheeks vary to whatever you like or choose, and the hump tools need to match. I usually suggest the 1 1/2 inch as a nice medium, not too big and not too small. I use thinner fullers now than the old one you have in the picture, because they move the metal easier. I still use the same radius though. They also need to fit in between the cheek area, not too long and not too short. I usually forge the top fuller out of 1 1/2 round 4140 3 1/2 inches long, and the bottom fuller out of an appropriate size to head in the 1 inch hardy hole of my striking anvil, so that would be at least 1 1/4 inch round stock. Nice sketch! For that drawing make your fullers and hump tools no wider than 16 mm and about 50 mm long. The humps can be longer because they are just for support as you drive your drift. The finished hammer length and width will depend on how much you upset as you forge the faces and then how much you forge the trough lines. It shortens and thickens when you forge the faces, and elongates when you forge the troughs. I prefer shorter hammers because I tilt my hammer a lot to forge, but some like longer hammers. You can make them how you choose. I've never measured the tongs, but the ones you have drawn will work. When done correctly, they will hold the smallest tool and the largest hammer comfortably as forged. I even use them to pick up the blocks of steel I use to make the striking anvils some times. The inside angle is 90 degrees by the way and I get that with my near and far edges of my anvil.

Thanks for posting this, Bruno C.!