brianbrazealblacksmith

I have private classes here in Brandon, Mississippi where I live. We also travel and do group and private classes. Lyle, LDW, and I had two day classes then two days of demos at the LAMA conference in Lafayette, Louisiana the last two years in a row.

Very nice, Tubbe! I am happy to see you used my punch design. How did the punching go? These fire baskets were common in Eastern Europe when I was there, but they were rarely truly forged. Nice to see a forged design!

Roger Lorance makes the best I've seen. His number is 309-475-9012.

Cavala, we use a ball fuller, and it is not a half sphere or a certain radius. It is like the rounding hammers where it is more like a squashed ball. You could use a swage block like I used to that has a swage for making ladles, just don't bottom the hammer out when you're forging the faces. The main thing about what makes a rounding hammer the best choice for forging with is the number of different radi or fullers you have to choose from by the degree in witch you tilt your hammer. If you only have one certain radius, you only have one radius to choose. This hardy can be made in 15-30 minutes. It is the first thing that we will have each team make in the class. Start by heating up an appropriate piece of metal. Hold the hot end on the anvil at an appropriate angle and have the striker strike at the appropriate angle with half hammer faced blows. Turn 1/4 turns after each hit until the end of the taper is about 3/4" square. Now change .the angle of your hold to an appropriate angle and have your striker strike half hammer face blows starting where your forging stopped and started and move down the taper after every 2 quarter turns until the end of the taper is reached. Now use the flatter to straighten and planish by having your striker strike once on all four sides and all four diagonals. Now take another heat and cut off an appropriate sized piece depending on how large of a cupping tool you are wanting to make. Take another heat and seat the stem of the hardy and upset the hardy with both people striking. Take another heat and hold the hardy shank parallel and perpindicular while holding a set or flatter for your striker to strike. You can forge square, octagon, to round, or you can forge hex. We've done them round, octagon, and hex. This will hollow out the upset part of the hardy. Take another heat and finish the cup with the ball fuller and your striker. Forge to finish by keeping the scale brushed out and planish at the lower heats. 5 heats is all it takes, but if you miss a heat, take another.

Here are the tools to make hammers, https://picasaweb.google.com/106506050631612810521/HammerMakingTools#5646783176958364338

Evfreek, Do you have a tapered shank hot cut hardy, and is your anvil and stand mounted to the Earth? Tools that do not move or vibrate will make a big difference.

http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/70-tools-general-discussion/ I'm sorry that last link was a joke.

Mine are the "Ultimate Tongs", not the "Universile Tong".

That is the set we make for the classes, but we do bring our other top and bottom fiullers for smoothing and finishing. The ones in the picture are 1 1/2" fullers, but they are just a piece of that 1 1/2" diameter.

That hammer was made from 2" round 1045 , 4 1/2" long and it made a 3 3/4 pound hammer.

I've made many hardy tools in many different anvils, and I have never broken an anvil that was not already broke. I also believe that you should not use a hardy tool that was not made to fit your hardy hole, and the most efficient way to fit the shank is to forge it close then forge it into the hole.

Not too much, John, just a couple of extra steps than I would normally do. We did it like the books say where you wrap it around a mandrel then take it off and open it up then put it around the piece. We just used our Clifton Ralph pick up tongs made by Steve Parker to squeeze the collar on.

Phil, I'd like to hear some arguments on why and when to heat treat. I used to heat treat most all my tools a long time ago, but now I only heat treat the tools I use for cold work like hammers, anvil like tools, and punches and chisels that I use to layout cold and do small work with. I am usually only doing hand work or working with a striker, so I use forgeable steels like 4140, 5160, and 10 series to make tools with. I make, use, and maintain my tools, and I do not want nor need the high alloy steels for any of the work I do, and I work larger stock by hand than anyone in the world that I have seen. Now, if I had power hammers and presses to work with, I would definitely employ some of the high alloys especially for punching, but correct me if I am wrong, wouldn't these also lose their temper while being driven deep into the material and heating up to red?

Alright, Alec! Glad to hear you had a good show!

There are no tricks to it, but your anvil and stand must be mounted well and you need to employ the tapered shank hot cut hardy. I don't think most people realize how much energy is lost to vibrations.

I do not heat treat either one. The drift and punch would both loose their temper performing their functions.

Thanks, Alec. This is for Phil Krankowski-pkrankow's thread, "Taper calculation/ hammer eye drift". Phil, the above picture is in response to you're inquiry on making a combination hammer eye punch/drift. Starting out, before having a handled punch for punching handled tools, a combination punch/drift is a good solution. The long vertical piece in the picture is an example of that. But, the first tool I would make with that would be a handled punch like the two shown beside the combo drift/punch. Then make drifts. All the above started out as one inch round 5160, because that Is what I have on hand at the moment. 5160 happens to be what I prefer for this application, also, but I have and will use 1045 and 4140 if that is what I have at the moment. I usually use 1 1/8" and 1 1/4" round for larger hammers. Since I'm mostly making top tools and the occasional farriers hammer, one inch is all I need. The diameter of stock you choose will determine the maximum size of your hammer eye. I don't use standard measurements unless someone were to order these things from me in quantity, and that does not happen. So I use what I have. I get drops, so I devide them up into pieces. For the drifts, I need ten to twelve inches, for the handled punches, I need three to three and a half inches. I use the heat from my coal forge to determine how much material I will start with. I take a full heat, witch is about six inches, and I will start my forging about an inch into that heat. So I'm only grabbing about 4 1/2 to 5 inches to draw the taper. I do not own a power hammer, so I rely on a hand hammer. These drifts are the time that I'll use the full thow of my hammer for an extended period of time. If you cannot relax, free up your shoulder, and let your hammer do the work, you may not want to attempt these with a hand hammer. The best technique for drawing these by hand is half-hammer faced blows over the far edge of the anvil. Drawing out hexagonal tapers is also much more efficient when you want to end up round than square, octagon to round. The size that you finish with is dependent upon the size of eyes you want to make. For larger holes I start with the larger stock and finish the round taper proud of 1/2 inch, for smaller holes 3/8 inch.

I'll get Karen right on that.

Yes, Grasshopper. I like those videos. Keep them coming. I need to get some way of doing videos.

You know I can't teach anyone anything. You taught yourself by trying, doing, and understanding.

I know, that's why I said it.

I am unable to post pictures on my computer right now, but Slitter Geometry shows the slot punches in detail. I usually use a small V punch for the tongs, but the other grind for thin stock works well also.

You know I was kidding. I don't consider you a child. Even at just thirteen years of age and under a hundred pounds, you still out swing most grown men. You are going to pass us all up, if you stay with it.

Yeah, Alec. Two inch stock is not for women and children!