chandlerdickinson

I have wanted to make my first forged rose.  But I wanted to make it a One Piece Forged Rose... And why not try to throw it on the end of a Spike right?

I will not win any prizes with this one except for stubbornness but learn from my mistakes and give this a try!

My latest Railroad Spike Knife...

An Elephant's head spike knife

I am practically speechless!

You really have to see this happen... I can't believe it was possible!

Yup I am proud...lol

Ok... Here's the highlight video... I will post the full step by step but it will take a while, till then!... Enjoy!

Thanks to the help from some of you here and other elsewhere I made up some "Blacksmith Juice/Goop" for a finishing coating on my forged items. I like it alot and it is a good coating having left some coated items outside in the rain for a few days I can see that it protects well. Here's how I made it.

Thanks for the comments guys... The box hanging on the end of the anvil is what I call my Neighbor Pacifier...lol... It is just a box that I keep my angle grinder and accessories in.  It is somewhat heavy and by hanging that on a rubber glove on the horn I significantly cut down on the noise and ringing of the anvil.   Works well for now but am considering other options... just have to choose one.

Thanks for the comments guys...  i was considering hollowing out the foam first and in hindsight I think it most definitely would improve my results.

That is my neighbor pacifier...  It is just a box I keep my grinder in.  I hang it on the tip of the horn with a rubber glove under the rope to significantly reduce the ring/sound.  

I NEED A SHOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol

This can be as simple or as complicated as you like.  Here is an example of an easier project to try...

Thanks for all the comments and suggetions!!!

Thanks for the comments... I was not really working toward a specific shape as much as I was trying to get a wider face. I call it a swinging flatter because all I have seen as real flatters were a receiving tool hit by a sledge. I intent to swing this one mostly as I work alone and intent to make a brass hammer soon for those time I might be able to strike this one. Thanks again for the comments and suggestions

i was able to get the fuller okish... i tried a spring fuller but it was not very effective...  guillotine might have worked but have not built one yet... but to flatten and spread the head out just didn't work too well...  the swage block in the video above would be useful but how much do you think it would cost to by the steel just to make that?  I am sure I am not the only guy out there going to flea markets and buying hammer heads and wanting to turn them into specific hammer styles because we don't have money to buy stock..lol...

thanks for the pointers!

I have posed this in a couple other sites and was met with mixed response....  Some were constructive and some were critical but when posting I asked a question and nobody seemed to answer that...  

The Question was

Have you ever tried to do this no striker, simple tools, hammer and anvil only?  If so what can I do to reduce the 5 hours of hammering and/or to get a wider face on the finished hammer?  

I would like to do this again but don't want to find myself spending 5 hours at it again....

So please, especially if you have done this or something like it... give me some tricks...  

Thanks

This ia my method of putting a Ram's head on a spike for knives or pokers or such... Enjoy and comment!

This was a fun project and a good way to meld the milder RR spike with the cutting edge of O1

Check it out and tell me what you think...

Thanks. She's been on a stand for about a month now. You can find that video and others on my channel

https://www.youtube.com/user/chandlerdickinson

Did not put a holder on the far side. And I don't expect to refinish her beyond maybe a good wire brush cleaning... Didn't think about blow back so will have to consider that... As for the kids. Someday maybe they will grab the hammer from my cold dead hands... Lol

Thanks... will update the profile... alot has changed... i am working with a Peter Wright now...132#  still haven't made those xxxx tongs yet!

lol... alot has changed... the forge was just an ash bucket and a brake drum...  served me well for a long time...just recently built a different one...  I am yet short on tongs...  i have tried every improvised thing but it really is time to buy some stock and make some tongs...  as for gloves... oddly i do just the opposite and i like it.. where a heaver insulated on my tong hand and an thinner work glove on my hammer hand... works for me..

here's a video of the bucket forge...  very cheap very easy and very hot but the drum/pot was too wide and my heat was just being wasted... my second version uses a smaller rotor and is much more efficient...

bucket forge

Been playing with blacksmithing for a little less than a year now.... This was one of my first projects (only about a month in)... Alot has changed since then but still, given what I had at the time... pretty proud of this one...