Jorgensen Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Here is my first try... Forged from an RR-spike, the head of the sike is the axe blade. Works pretty well to throw but there is no steel inlay for the edge. That will be the next projekt I belive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Lumpkins Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Looks good .. Thanks for sharing with us.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tech413 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Looking good, what is the overall size of the head? Adam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnie Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Those are fun to make. I made my son one like that. I made myself one a bit larger of 5160. Throwing them has been hours of simple fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 If you're going to be throwing them you should check out the Frankish hand axes, they have a different blade shape that makes them a lot more likely to stick. Pretty nice axe. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new guy Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 frosty do you mean a francisca? those things would be an amazing thing to forge. although probably not good for much but a weapon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 frosty do you mean a francisca? those things would be an amazing thing to forge. although probably not good for much but a weapon. ive made one ... it was a nice axe to swing ! i can see useing it for cutting it worked good! was tough to get forged tho ... kinda hard shape to make... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Yes a francisca. What's hard to shape about it? If you flipped Janne's over and shortened and swept the now inverted beard forward, put a little contour to body and there it is. Just basic techniques and a little finesse. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Not much good as a weapon? Tell that to the enemies of the Franks who tried to dodge those! Finnr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new guy Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Finnr i think you thought i meant it was a bad weapon. it is an amazing throwing axe and was capable of shreding a shield to confetti with little effort and there small so you can carry a few. they would be awful for chopping wood (other than a shield) and would be too small to fell a tree. they would be so much fun to forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecart Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 Jorgensen, that is a good looking rr spike axe. I like the unrefined look of the handle too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 well the way i forged one was the wrapped eye method and it looks alot easyer than it turned out to be... its not that it was inpossable but getting the sweep right took a lot more hammering than i thought at first .. the thing is a good one plases the blade above the handle attach point not completely but much more than simply turning over a standard tommahawk .. it would have gone better if i had formed the bend before folding the strap around ... might have to try that sometime ... anyway it took a bit of work to get it right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegearjunkie Posted April 14, 2009 Share Posted April 14, 2009 very nice, that would suck having to dodge that thing flying at you. One very bad @$$ weapon ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Seeing as everybody likes these things I made a Francisca Wasilla today. It isn't finished, needs final heat treating a little polish and etching. Folded with pattern welded bit. Bandsaw blade (3 layers) and car hood spring. (4 layers) I'll send more pics when I finish it. About 4 1/2 hrs so far. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fe-Wood Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Look forward to seeing it done! I like the shape, good lines:) Was that all hammer and hand work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
new guy Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 nice ax. i love the recycled hockey stick. it looks great but, it relly only resembles a francisca. altough it beats my work by light years. good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 nice job frosty... 4 1/2 hrs... ya they takes lotsa time ...have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Very Good work Frosty. I grabbed a copy of your pic so I could study it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Thanks, I don't make blades but everyone was making these things so I thought I'd give it a lash. Deb's enjoying giving me a hard time about it. Yes, it's all hand work except a little dressing up with the belt grinder. It would've gone faster but it's the first one and it took me a little more time to get the sweep the way I wanted it. Oh okay, close to the way I wanted it. 3 hammers, the new straight pein and two weights of turning hammer and one set hammer to even up the eye. Thanks again. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I love the genuine NHL handle too :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I love the genuine NHL handle too There's usually a pretty good harvest of them this time of year though it's getting harder to find wooden ones. You wouldn't believe how hard it's been to find a wooden baseball bat to make a mallet from. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Around here you get rollerblade hockey sticks that are laminated wood and little league baseball bats at Goodwill on half price Saturdays for $0.75 and $0.99 respectively. I made some nice raising mallets out of one bat and have use the hockey sticks for replacement hammer handles. Nice looking hatchet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake pogrebinsky Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 Thanks,Frosty,for showing at least an alternative to the (inexplicable but ubiquitous)spike.I choose to take it as a tactful way of indicating that the rr spike,let's face it,is just not an appropriate stock,in any way,to practice forging a handled tool.Period. I understand that you need to start somewhere,but it might as well be an appropriate somewhere,or the learning itself suffers,and what is learned,if anything,is questionable. I apologise beforehand to anyone that may feel let down.Especially as i'm a newcomer to this forum,as well as being poorly socialised,and not a native English speaker to boot.But,i MUST say this:Much of what's shown on this(and all other forums),especially the rr spike objects,is exeeding poor work.My concern is with the developing craft of the beginner.The planning,ALL important element of forging process,is often at fault.As a result,NO lesson is learned,the potential progress stagnates.Out of tact and politeness everyone choruses:"Nice...nice...".Because of that,this sort of "nice" work drags on for years...Not much is "nice" about a mis-concieved,and,therefore,malformed,forging operation.The whole idea of forging,vs fab'ing,is the differentiating of mass.A head of any handled tool is a great opportunity to study that.If one's shy of skill for that yet,they need to be helped.Encouragement in proceeding in an incorrect direction is not helpful,well-intentioned attitude notwithstanding. Again,strictly my opinion,and absolutely subject to any degree of CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 I agree with you. I see nothing in error about your statement, and I feel it was very well stated. Many RR blades posted in this site are very poor, but as staff here I try to help show people HOW to make good blades. I have given up my Friday nights to oversee the Live knife chat for over a year now. I make an attempt to teach. Some are trying to help by encouraging others, some fear to make them stop trying if they get less than approving statements, we all can to better, and Hopefully as a group we can help each other to learn and grow into world class smiths. Until then I agree Honest opinions with a pointer to the solution is better than happy comments about everything, with no real feed back. The problem is the flaming that comes with a honest statement that may upset others. its a hard balancing act. So many times I am guilty of choosing to not post about a less than ideal project, than risk getting my foot into my mouth again. Glad you are here, I hope that maybe you can teach me to help others with out sounding like I am slamming their efforts. I have very little tact, and many of my statements come out sounding wrong, even when I do mean well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake pogrebinsky Posted April 18, 2009 Share Posted April 18, 2009 My hearfelt thanks to you,Steve,for understanding what i so crudely try to express.I'll try to substanuate my view,as much as i can.Here's a link to a thread on one of the Russian forums: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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