Charles McDonald

Thanks! The hole does go all the way through yes. I wasnt completely sure of the best way to do this given the length, but I ended up drilling all the way through with a 23/64 bit if i recall right. Im sure I didn't use 3/8... Anyway since I already forged the shank to fit in my anvils hardy I didnt want to drift a taper from the back side because it would swell the shank, so I drilled the shank with a 1/2" bit up to the mass and drifted that to 3/8 square. Given all I have is me myself and the bare bones basics, drilling first was the easiest solution I could think of instead of punching given the odd shape.

Well honestly I didn't do much planning at all when I made this. Often times I go in the shed to forge something and end up making a few things I hadn't planned. My intention was to just copy the tool I saw on that website Angele-shop to see if I would like it. I just added a small handle to make it easier to use... I like trying various things and picking the one I like best, so the next couple Ill make differently, but quite similar in function no doubt.

Ha ha! Well good point, now I feel just a bit silly ha ha! I made this from a breaker bit and it was the easier solution to forge it to fit the hardy hole, but I like your idea and for a 1/4 nail header I think Ill use different material and forge it to fit the pritchel. Thanks for the complement Alec! Thank you very much Vaughn T and Mudman! If only people saw the horror and clumsy mistakes I make before taking the finished photos :D I got a drift good and stuck in this one...

Just thought id share a couple photos of a nail header I made recently. This is my third nail header and I decided to make it the style I had seen on Angele-shop's website since it looked awesome to use not needing to hold onto it while heading a nail. I love this style and I aim to replace my others with ones like these when I get the time. My only issue with this type of nail header is that now I either need to make a hot cut hardy that fits my anvils pritchel or simply throw my current one in the vise...

Thanks fellas! Private Entrance: Yeah I try to keep things a little meaty around the bosses, bits and the start of the reins. I like the reins springy, but not too much so I keep them about 3/8 most of the time. :)

Wow thank you all! And here I was fussing over them not being as nice as I had hoped... Jim Coke & Frosty: Im sorry to say I am not really planning on making any tongs to sell. Eventually when I get a lot better hand hammering and or I get a power hammer Ill be happy to sell things like this, but right now Im anything but efficient making these. Thats the grand complement though and I appreciate it! Joshua: The starting stock I used was 5/8 round 4140.

Thank you, they were fun to make, a little time consuming given I had to fiddle-fart around for a century trying to get them adjusted how I want, but they work nice and I learned a lot!

The first bolt tongs ive made! So far I have made several different kinds of tongs but ive neglected bolt tongs and so I figure I better change that!. These are to hold 5/8 square and round, but given the bits are short and the positioning of the reins they hold 3/4 quite nicely. These also work really well on flat bar and they have just enough clearance for RR spike heads. Let me know what you think :unsure: 4140

I generally make all my handles from Hickory, but sometimes I use Ash. I make sure to always use the Hickory for my hammer handles though... I make all my handles "Matchstick" style with flat sides, but I taper them like a wedge that way the thicker end gets sucked into my hand allowing for a nice grip always ( sort of like the handles on Hofi-style hammers ). Id say generally all my hammers have about a 10" handle. For me this length works nicely when working along side the anvil; on a down swing it prevents the butt end of the handle hitting the anvil surface. The nice thing about this style handle also is that it takes a lot less work to make as opposed to an oval handle. I just buy nice chunks of hickory at the wood store and rip them on the table saw, then I taper them close with the bandsaw and rasp to fit.

Yep I agree! Real nice looking hammer!

Wow thats really impressive! Very nice looking sledge!