Tyler Murch

Well now, THIS is hotwork. I have a customer who wanted a lifesize version of Thor's hammer from the comic books. It is forged from 4"x4"x8" steel. My forge isn't quite big enough for this size steel so I (the tall skinny one, swinging the hammer in the pictures) asked my friend Eddie if I could come to his shop and if he could give me a hand. We got the eye slit and partially drifted today. We are going to try to finish it up on Friday. All the slitting and drifting has been done with sledge hammer. I'm tired....:p

Here's a new cross peen hammer I forged, heat treated, and finished. It is just shy of 2.5 pounds. It is 4140 steel. It was fullered around the eye. These are for sale if you are interested. Check the "Tailgating" section. Ty

That shouldn't happen normally. Is it A-36? Every now and then, that stuff can be pretty junky.

On what type of steel?

Got this platen/swage today. 184 pounds. The square holes are 4", the round holes are 7/8". It's steel.

Very nice hatchet. I have done a lot of this work, but not with a power hammer. It would help if you keep the drift cool (this will cool the work faster, but since you are working with a power hammer, it does not matter as much), have the hatchet very hot (just below or at welding heat), and as always, strike the piece as few times as possible to get the job done.

Nimba anvils are in the group of the best anvils being made. Russel Jaqua started having them produced. He was a talented smith and passed away last year. The anvils are still being produced. The castings are very good and they are finished very nicely.

Welcome back Mike. Good score. I love the mouse hole. I guess you like turtles! :)

I know a smith in Monticello with 3 ~100 pound anvils. Good condition, I think two are Hay Budden, and one is a Kohlswa. He said $300 a while ago, but perhaps he would come down some.

Jake, there is a Harbour Freight store on Eisenhower Parkway. I didn't know it till a few days ago.

Sam, 4150 is a deep hardening steel, and I had the first roughly 1" of the face to temperature. So at the most, the face is hardened back an inch. I'm not sure exactly how deep this particular steel hardens, but it is deep hardening. Andy, actually it's four, some of those are rejects though. Thanks

Oh yeah! It's 4150 steel. Hardened and tempered. Wieghs about 2-1/2, 2-3/4 pounds. Today I order enough 1-1/2" square 4140 to make a mess of hammers. That size will yeild a hammer of approximately 2-1/4 pounds. Will be offering those for sale!

This hammer I made to order for a bladesmith. It's got my five-dot-T touchmark, and has NABS stamped into it, an acronym for a society of lanky smiths. Being that this is a family forum, I shouldn't tell you the name. I just so happened to recieve the order, finish the hammer, and ship it out in five days. And I've still got cabinet knobs to do from six months ago:confused::mad:

Yeah, I like the blocky-ness and the long and narrow eye. And yes, those flat, wide handles are the ticket if you ask me.

I like the hammer, Frosty. What dimensions are the eye? How much does it weigh?

water from air will move into the oil eventually, you can weld a pipe with a ball valve on the bottom to let out water.

The rule of thumb with oil is 1 gallon per 1 pound of parts. For a punch, a coffee can will satisfy.

A piece is either straight or it is not straight. When slitting a hammer, spin the hammer stock around opposite after every 3 strikes in order to keep a straight slit. When drawing a point, set the end off the edge to conserve heat as that is the part that cools down first. Neck it down in steps, then forge the very end. It will have conserved its heat and you can better create heat. When forge welding, always make the weld hammering from the inside and working out. Forge welded sections at high heat. ......

The humble Murch's Smithy anvil and Murch's Smithy forged hammer. 185 pounds of 4340 steel. Face is hardened.

I have a feeling you still may need to dress the hammer face. Crown it back further and see if it makes a difference. For moving metal quickly, it is good to hit the steel with the face of the hammer at an angle. Striking with a certain edge of the face depending on where you are moving the metal moves the metal in the desired direction much much faster than hitting squarely with the face. As for getting better control, I can suggest a few things: Swing the hammer more- Cut up some stock. Something like eight or more pieces 1/2" square, and draw a taper on each end of each piece as an exercise. Try forging in the dark. In the dark, you must be able to align the face of the hammer and your swing with the steel you are forging without using your eyes. Being able to do this will give you better hammer control at all hours. Look at Uri Hofi's blue prints on his hammer technique. I will tell you now. It is very difficult to get used to. It took me almost a month to get the grip alone of that style correct. I don't expect many people at all who read this to even try it. I probably wouldn't have. It isn't easy to get used to. I had to see it in action to get motivated to pick up that style. Another thing I want to add concerning the way steel moves: The way steel moves can be illustrated with fresh cow pie, a basketball, and a baseball bat. Let the fresh cow pie represent the steel, the basket ball will represent the face of the hammer, and the baseball bat will represent the either the peen of the hammer or an edge of the face. If the basket ball is dropped into the fresh cow pie, the material will move equally in all directions. If the fresh cow pie is hit with the baseball bat, the material will move mostly only in to directions like this <<< l >>> Good luck. Here to help. t

All of the above as well.

Glenn, I don't think that matters, but I do know that it is best if the handle is made so that the lines from the rings that you can see on the ENDS of the handle is running front to back. This helps keep it from breaking.

Acier, both are a good way to go. Compromise a little of both. Perhaps start and finish the day with techniques, and in between, work on a project.

Making knives and or money? Knives and a little money.

And yes, there certainly are cliques and yes, if you are not a follower your are abruptly spurned. Just like anywhere else.