rthibeau

I heat treat the pins same as 4340...seems like they're similar. Regarding the O1 for hammers, yes it is more difficult to work with and I've cracked a few pieces, but when careful it's a nice steel for a hard hammer.

the type of steel used for a blacksmith hammer may depend on exactly how you plan to use it, but I have used 1045, 1060, O1, 4140, 4340, CAT track pins and sucker rod all to good results. Properly heat treated any of them is good. I've even made hammers out of H13 and S7.

4130 should be quenched in oil. A bucket of used motor oil could be used...outside....but peanut oil is a good inside choice, about 2 gallons in a container for what you are making should suffice. I have used bars of steel with this apparent seam on one side without any cracking or other problem......not to say that wasn't your problem, just that I haven't seen that result. Still might be that you weren't letting it get hot enough before hammering. Keep at it and things will get better.

"head bobbers" you say....must be a Brit thing.......

Figures the Grant would come up with something seamy...... :huh:

you should leave the steel inside the forge at least 5 minutes to start with...after the forge has heated up...don't take it out until it gets the temperature color you want to play with. If it takes longer than 15 minutes to get 3/4" sq bar hot enough, then the forge is underheating. Oh, and I use 1.5" sq 1045 to make hammers. Never had one crack like yours.

I agree that all that should be painted can be done without disassembly. Sand blast or use a knotted wire cup on an angle grinder to clean it up, then spray paint. I can recommend a color scheme if you like.... As far as the ram vs screw, sorry, I've never had the urge to take mine apart to see how it worked.

I use Dreamweaver CS3, part of the Adobe CS3 Suite of products. I can change anything whenever I want although my own website doesn't need much attention. One site I manage takes only half an hour a month and I change whole pages at a time. you can get the CS3 suite by download for less than $90

I used to use Microsoft Front Page, but my web hosting no longer supported it so I changed to Adobe Dreamweaver. Hated to change, but now I'm used to it. For any of the available software to work right, you need to learn how to use it. I use Dreamweaver to maintain half a dozen different sites. Like anything else, it all depends on how much you're willing to put into it to get good results out of it. If you're willing to use Dreamweaver, I can help you.

Nice hammers, Stumptown...almost makes me want one to sit next to my own..... B)

My link I solved the problem of what hammer to have in the shop...I have them all !!! :P

You should learn to make your own hammers...that way you can have any kind of pein you want and don't worry about the poverty of other smiths who can't have more than a few hammers. If you were near me, I could fix you up real quick.

Use it to make gold leaf....just get a pound or two of gold and hammer it out...... :)

PICS !!! we need photos of the hammer.....

Bad heat treat is most likely the cause of a broken hammer head. You could always spend a bit more money and buy a hand made hammer from any of the many smiths who make them...some visit this site regularly. The only "cheap" way of getting a better hammer is to buy one from a store and reheat treat it and clean it up with a flap disk. I do that with some I get from Menard's that come out of Mexico.....good steel, but bad heat treat and handling as they come from the store.

De St Uby.....I'm not sure, but it seems from your photos that whichever way you hold your hammer, you have a right hand diagonal pein.....not both left and right???

I call them "Double Diagonals".....one end is a left hand diagonal, the other is a right hand diagonal. Both ends angle in the same plane, but work different when used and turned. Hammer link

huh ???

Why don't you drive it here to Michigan ??? :)

weight, speed, mass, velocity, this , that and the other.....just use a power hammer and get to work. ;)

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.

Yup Scott...IE worked but Firefox didn't...thanks.