Alwin Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 When I make a hammer it is for myself and I usually make it out of truck axle but I've also just used large chunks of steel that had spark tested to a higher carbon content than mild steel. To harden I've found that heating the hammer to right above magnetic and then cooling the whole thing in water gets it deeply hardened. Then, to temper it I put it in the vice with a mild steel heat shield placed over the threads of the vice and use a torch to heat from the center of the eye until the face and pein reach the bronze to purple range. Finally, I'll cool it again if it seems that it will be passing the heat range indicated by the purple color. This has worked very well, but I'm curious to hear other peoples techniques. I do know that there is a little gamble in making it out of unknown steel; that better more consistent results are achieved by using a known steel; that it would be unwise to sell a tool from an unknown material; and that probably a lot of people on this site do exactly what I do for their own tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
element Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 Hi Alwin. I have not made hammers yet but plan on doing so when i actually get more coal, So in the mean time im gathering info. This post i made is not directly about hammers but Frosty and Tasmith both have valid techniques, check it out.http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/f7/care-comment-video-10670/ Ive also heard to just harden the 2 hammerhead faces and slightly temper the face if need be and not worry about the eye. Does it really matter if the eye is hardened ? Its not like you hit things with the eye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 the eye is the weakest point on the hammerhead and should therefore be tempered the softest. Some hammer makers temper thir hammers by using a hot piece in the eye so that the heat migrates toward the faces and the eye is thus tempered softer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwin Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 To make the eye the softest I heat the hammer with the torch. I focus the torch on the inside of the slit and drifted hammer eye alternately focusing the torch towards the face and pein sides on the inside of the eye of the hammer in the center of the mass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Leppo Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 I’ve been working with a stone mason, re-hardening his hammers. I heat the whole head to non-magnetic and quench in FLOWING water (coming rigorously out of the faucet into a bucket). Then I polish the sides of the hammer so I can see the color when tempering. I have my propane torch clamped to a table leg so the flame comes straight up, like a Bunsen burner. Just above the torch tip is a piece of flat bar with a 1” dia hole, where the flame comes thru. The hammer head sits atop this, and I lay a small piece of flat bar on top of the eye, constricting the heat in the eye cavity. It takes a while to get up to heat, and I flip the head over a couple of times in the interim. The stone hammers have more mass toward the pein, so I aim the flame to that side of the eye. this works for about any smithing hammer. I'll get some pics next time I do a hammer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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