Flatter Steel

[Paddy]

Dear All,

I am in need of making a small hand held (top) flatter. Hand held, about 1 1/4" - 1 1/2" square. Ideally, something like a peddinhaus design for use with me and a 3 lb hammer. I'm using it to flatten bar stock (shoe making), and certain decorative pieces for efficiency and speed.

I would like to know what actual grade of steels are best suited for use as a flatter i.e. 10..??. How to work it.

I've got an own made tool at the moment, made from standard 1" square mild steel (A35). A nice tool, but its mushrooming alot. I hardened the flatter side (usual plunge end into water to feeze it) and the flatter side is OK, but the hammer side quickly demised.

Process - by upsetting one end, then slightly draw out edges over off side. Slit punch or drill hole for wooden handle or round stock.

Do not possess a power hammer, or a swage block, so its down to tongs and a 3lb hammer to sort this one out. I could spend the $120 on just buying one, but that seems way too easy.

Many thanks.

[Frank Turley]

Since flatters are not made for edge holding, a medium carbon steel such as an old axle half-shaft would work. The ones about 15 years old and older are often 1045. You can harden the business end in water. To temper, bury the striking head in a coke fire and look for a purple or blue temper color to appear on the scale-free working face.

My hammer eye punches with haft are the kind that remove a burr. I don't slit/drift, although some smiths do. I punch/druft. The eye is "capsule shaped," with straight sides and half-round ends. I suppose you could upset to get the flange. It will take several heats.

You should expect some mushrooming on the striking head, because it is always softer than the hammer head for reasons of safety. It will be normalized or annealed.

http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmith Schools

[Wesley Chambers]

PADDY!! You old dog! how ya been mate! Just use a hunk o'rail like I did! hahah

[rthibeau]

I use 1045 steel, 2 1/2 inch square, heat treat like Frank said. An easy flatter could have a wire wrap handle made of 1/4" round mild steel to avoid the work of punching/slitting the eye for a wood handle. Cut or grind off the excess for the top part to be struck with a hammer. Any medium carbon steel with a flat end can be used, looks is secondary to function.

[HWooldridge]

I use old air chisel shanks. Cut off one end flush to the collar, polish and you have a ready-made face. No post forging HT necessary. Either punch an eye for a wooden handle or wrap with a piece of steel rod.

I have several of these floating around the shop and they work well.

[Sask Mark]

I use 1045 steel, 2 1/2 inch square, heat treat like Frank said. An easy flatter could have a wire wrap handle made of 1/4" round mild steel to avoid the work of punching/slitting the eye for a wood handle. Cut or grind off the excess for the top part to be struck with a hammer. Any medium carbon steel with a flat end can be used, looks is secondary to function.

Mr. Thibeau, those are some lovely looking flatters that have been recently added to your gallery.

[arftist]

I use 1045 steel, 2 1/2 inch square, heat treat like Frank said. An easy flatter could have a wire wrap handle made of 1/4" round mild steel to avoid the work of punching/slitting the eye for a wood handle. Cut or grind off the excess for the top part to be struck with a hammer. Any medium carbon steel with a flat end can be used, looks is secondary to function.

Please allow me to also comment on your flatters. Very clever! Simple, clean and funtional.

[Paddy]

Many thanks everybody.

1045 it is. And I'll try to stamp a hole, Should be a bit more easy than my slit punch, as I'm on my own.


Marauding Scrap man came round today and I obtained a 3/4 full sheet of 1/8" diamond pattern for $20. His antequated beatun up van is definitely something off Mad Max!. I'll ask about old axles next time I see him. He has access to many a pile of cheap gold.


Wesley - Am doing fine. I've got a website paddysforge.com. Drop me an email. Got a handful customers on the horses also, not quite the 100 yet!.

Cheers,

paddy

[Paddy]

Mr Thibeau,

Many thanks for your advice. Your flatters look very nice. Mine will be somewhat basic functional as you say. Which will do. I'll do a wire handle one aswell.

Thnaks

paddy

[Frosty]

Nice looking hammers you have there Richard.

Axle stock is usually pretty easy to find and forgiving of inexpert heat treating.

I only have one thing to add that hasn't already been said and that's a way to dress the struck end of top tools. The most common problems being mushrooming chipping. Chipping can occur if the struck end becomes mushroomed as well as if it's too hard.

An easy way to avoid both is use only a mild steel hammer on your top tools and leave the struck face of the top tool a little harder. Another method and one I prefer simply because you can never guarantee someone else might not strike it with a hardened hammer. Oh yeah, the method is to chamfer and radius the struck face. This concentrates the energy from the hammer in the center of the struck face where it has lots of meat around the impact site to prevent deformation. I chamfer and radius all my struck tools except the wood chisels that never see a steel hammer.

Frosty the Lucky.

[ironstein]

I will second what has been said Rthibeau, nice looking tools in the gallery. If you don't mind, were those just square stock forged down to round where the eye is formed?

[Charles R. Stevens]

What we call Ag steel especialy the square axles from disk harrows works well as it is shock resistant. I also use the large square bars from load leveling hitches for hammer like tools. I use rounded struck ends and soft faced hammers.

[rthibeau]

ironstein.....the flatters were 1045 steel 2 1/2" square bar.....while at trying_it's hammer-in, they were cut to length, milled flat and square, turned on a lathe, and the eye was machined....then they were heat treated. Oh yeah, for smaller flatters, railroad track bolts have been suggested....grind the head smooth and wrap a wire handle around it and there you go.

[Wesley Chambers]

I needed one quick and dirty, had 8' of rr track so this fatty was born heheh took all of 15 min to toss together, lopping off sides with the bandsaw and such prolly weighs about 2# but it gets the job done in a hurry, was "borrowed" a number of times to run some draft shoes flat but I use it on just about everything

[rthibeau]

Good use of available steel, Wesley.......best thing about blacksmithing, you can make it up as you go along..... B)

[Paddy]

Gentlemen,

I made the flatter. Got some 1040, they didn't have 1045 (alro), some 1 1/2" round, they has 2 1.2 round also - good for bottom tools ????..

I put the round in the fcoke orge, picked it up, hit it a few times. Came to conclusion to square one end quickly (after 3 upsets), and it drew out beautifully. Hardened (flat end quench) and tempered (hammer end to blue temper then dip) . Bit of grinder work to lay in the handle guides. 1/4" round stock handle twisted nicely. And the end produt is defintley useable.

Cost $3 for the 1040 (2 3/4" of round 1 1/2"),

Job done.

Basic but functional.

Many thanks,

Paddy Falvey
paddysforge.com

[Dodge]

Gentlemen,

I made the flatter. Got some 1040, they didn't have 1045 (alro), some 1 1/2" round, they has 2 1.2 round also - good for bottom tools ????..

I put the round in the fcoke orge, picked it up, hit it a few times. Came to conclusion to square one end quickly (after 3 upsets), and it drew out beautifully. Hardened (flat end quench) and tempered (hammer end to blue temper then dip) . Bit of grinder work to lay in the handle guides. 1/4" round stock handle twisted nicely. And the end produt is defintley useable.

Cost $3 for the 1040 (2 3/4" of round 1 1/2"),

Job done.

Basic but functional.

Many thanks,

Paddy Falvey
paddysforge.com

Pictures, Paddy! We must have pictures!! :D

[Wesley Chambers]

Pictures, Paddy! We must have pictures!!

Careful what you wish for, through school I think Paddy was the only one with a camera out more than myself!

[rthibeau]

IFI Shop Rules....you talk about something you made, you must show pics.....we like to gawk ya know.... ;)

[Paddy]

Pictures - I will be back in my forge Tuesday. Will get a picture up. Am away at horse event this weekend.

[Paddy]

Dear All,

The finished flatter - functional

Herewith the pictures. I was working yesterday. I went in to my forge and looked at it again, thought I should rework the handle.

Anyways, here it is. A simple flatter. Nothing too complicated, and easy to make. I got the 1040 from excess stock at Alro. They had 1 1/2 " round, and also piles of 2 1/2" round in 1040. Looking at the 2 1/2" I think I will be making some bottom swage tools for the hardie hole.

I flattened out a pair of shoes today, and was very impressed with the tool. It works just fine, and using it was very much a pleasure.

Thanks everybody for your generous support.

Paddy Falvey
paddysforge.com

[rthibeau]

job well done....keep up the good work. You could use that 2 1/2" round to make a bigger one, just grind off some on the upper half.

[Frosty]

Darned nice looking flatter you made there Paddy. Darned nice, well done.

Frosty the Lucky.

[Paddy]

Hello Everybody,

Firstly, sorry about the photo delay, I was under horses Tuesday, I got the photos at my forge wednesday, posted them last night, then this morning I checked and saw the file sizes were too large, so here it is!!!.


If you can't read the text I put on the, its was that I used 3" of 1 1/2" round 1040, as thats all my local Alro had of out of spec stock. The 1045 they did not stock regularly, so I guessed this stock would be better than mild steel. They had 2 sizes of round in, the 1 1/2" I used for the flatter, they had 2 1/2 also, so I can make a larger flatter if need or maybe a swedge bottom tool for tool and fullering. BUT the 2/1/2" round had a chrome coating - would this be any issue???? in my forge, not sure what chrome gives off.

I had grand ideas of flattening out one end alot to make a squared or rounded flatter wider than the round stock itself, but due to me being on my own with just a hammer and anvil, I instead just squared up the hammer side and gave the flatter side a few decent wacks, and then rounded it up using a rasp. The handle I reworked out yesterday as it was looking a bit wonky. Basically its a hammer that I'm able to place over work and get a better flat, but for my purposes for shoe making it works a treat.

The guides for the twist handle were just ground out with a 4 inch hand grinder. The tool works very well.

It was a very easy project to do, and cost alot less than buying a proper one, and it does the same job.

I also attach a copy of my 'Rose from the Fire", as a polite sorry about the photo delay. This was a carriage hind right shoe I made a few months ago, swelled medial heel, bevelled and widened lateral heel, nails - e-head 6, plain stamp, toe clip and slight rolled toe, made from 14" of 1" by 3/8" bar stock. The rose was 3 layers, the copper backing a piece from another project I did.

Gott a go and make a sundial. Will send photos when i've done version 1.

Thanks everybody for your generous support in making th item,

Paddy Falvey

[glilley]

Paddy - your anvil looks like a Cliff Carroll #125. Is that what it is?