C.Anderson

LOL subscribing...'crap-agane', gotta love it =D.

Ditto, well said Sam =D. I know this is an older post, but if my minimal experience can be helpful, I'd like to give it. Take the advice of the others...make a couple knives from rail spikes first. See if you naturally have the skills and hammer control necessary. If you don't, practice...and don't get discouraged. A LOT of flubs in forging can be fixed in finishing, just be sure to forge with room for error at first. I've made four blades I count as successful in my life, of five attempts, over the course of about six months or so. The last being a 25" nagasa (blade length) Japanese style katana. I had no previous bladesmithing experience, nor blacksmithing experience. All I had was the internet, a serious amount of determination...a willingness to learn, with an understanding that LEARNING meant BEING CORRECTED...sometimes very abruptly..and the advice of some VERY skilled craftsmen, including Sam from above, and many, many others. Here is my entire body of work for you to browse through: My First Knife Knife #2 Osoraku Tanto (same tanto as below) Shobu Tanto First Full Length Katana First Japanese Sword (Cont. from above) The common theme in all the above threads is that I made mistakes, kept on going...and took criticism with gratitude and respect. If you can do the same there's no reason you can't forge anything you like, given enough time and effort =D. By the way, I'm just now getting back to the forge after a year or so break, so I get to start the learning process all over again lol! Good luck to you! Cris

Wow, thanks Brian...great thread. I have a feeling I may ruin one or two before I get the whole 'drift/punch' thing down. Might be worth buying that steel just to practice drifting 1 3/4" steel lol. Thank you also for giving me another avenue of research =D. Cris

Thanks Matt, I figured I'd probably drill/cut out the beginnings of the slot, then drift the remainder. I'll keep the rotating thing in mind...as well as lube. I also figure 1045 will be the ticket, as my heat treat setup is pretty primitive lol. Cris

That's good to know. I can get 24" of 1 3/4" round from Speedymetals for less than $20. That's 16.3lbs as shipped. Less forging losses maybe 15lbs. That's enough for a good 5lb, 3lb, and 2lb hammer...and then some. Guess we'll see how I do slotting the eye lol. http://www.speedymetals.com/ps-3886-100-1-34-rd-hot-rolled-1045.aspx =D Cris

Thanks for the quick answers guys. I was thinking about it this morning and it would probably be better to order a couple short rounds of even 1045 (or one of the alloys) from Speedymetals. Appreciate the help! Cris

Hello everyone! I've been a member here for a couple years, but I believe this is my first post. I have a question for you guys regarding hammer steel. I was at my local surplus shop today, and they had a 1 3/4" round piece of steel about 30" long. The owner wasn't sure what it was, but said it was most likely mild structural of some sort, with 1018 or 1045 likely. Here's a picture: Anyhow, my question is...would 1018 (worst case) be worthwhile at all to use for a hammer? I know some prefer hardened hammers, and some normalized. I don't have enough experience to know for myself to be honest. I'm something of a beginner bladesmith. My anvil is a 4' long or so 4"x7" faced post, approximately 250lbs, and unhardened (cut off forklift tine). I've noticed with use, it has work hardened...and assume that even a mild steel hammer would do the same. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Probably going to pick the chunk of steel up tomorrow...just want to know if it's going to be a waste of my time in advance lol. Cris