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need a goodnight rest


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So, Ed Brazeal is getting ready to leave for Oklahoma and he was one tool up so I figured I would make him work. So I cut a piece of 2 1/4 round 7" long of 1045 and said get ready. Ed and I had been talking about how we would make a flatter and we went with his idea. So the heat began and the striking came hard and in one heat we squared it up to set in swage block. The next 3 heats we upset the flatter face from 3" down to 5/8" thick. The next heat was for the eye. We difted twice and checked for the handle. Then came the striking end, in two heats we tapered and smoothed to a perfect square. Then we drifted two more times to increase eye. I now have a sexy flatter but Ed says I owe him two more tools or one sexy flatter. WE BOTH WILL GET A GOODNIGHT REST TONIGHT!!!!!!!

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Great job, you two!
Where was your 15 pound sledge hammer, Mark?

getting old you now i just turned forty, plus i hit so hard now 10lbs is enough lol
I hope you and karen are doing well. i just want to say thanks if it was not for you i would of never been able to do what i've been doing. you and ed have showed me so much you both are great freinds.
Mark
(tazmig33)
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getting old you now i just turned forty, plus i hit so hard now 10lbs is enough lol
I hope you and karen are doing well. i just want to say thanks if it was not for you i would of never been able to do what i've been doing. you and ed have showed me so much you both are great freinds.
Mark
(tazmig33)


Old? I'm 50. I just talked to Ed, and he said you guys were making him a flatter. He had to go because you all were in the middle of a heat and he didn't want to burn it up. Post some pictures when you're done.
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So, Ed Brazeal is getting ready to leave for Oklahoma and he was one tool up so I figured I would make him work. So I cut a piece of 2 1/4 round 7" long of 1045 and said get ready. Ed and I had been talking about how we would make a flatter and we went with his idea. So the heat began and the striking came hard and in one heat we squared it up to set in swage block. The next 3 heats we upset the flatter face from 3" down to 5/8" thick. The next heat was for the eye. We difted twice and checked for the handle. Then came the striking end, in two heats we tapered and smoothed to a perfect square. Then we drifted two more times to increase eye. I now have a sexy flatter but Ed says I owe him two more tools or one sexy flatter. WE BOTH WILL GET A GOODNIGHT REST TONIGHT!!!!!!!

Well here is payback and Ed's sexy flatter

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Very nice work!

I am in the process of doing something simiar myself. I am trying my hand at forging hardy tools for the 1 3/8" hardy hole on my anvil. Did you guys have to put something in the hole (a 'stop') on your swage block so the stock doesn't push through while upsetting?

I have forged an axle to squard to fit the hardy hole and I would like to upset it before I form the cutting end. I was wondering if I upset it in the anvil hardy hole will it push through? As well, can the heel of an anvil take some heavier upsetting in the hardy hole? It is a Brooks anvil (thick heel, cast steel), so I would imagine it can take quite a beating, but I would like to be sure so the heel doesn't break off.

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Thanks for the advice Stewart.

Unfortunately, I'm working with the material that I have on hand. The axle is JUST large enough that I can forge square faces on it. I think it's a 1 1/2" diameter axle so there is very little material beyond the width of the hardy hole.

Do you think that having a backup to prevent the material from pushing through will reduce this risk? I see Tazmig was using a swage block for his upsetting. I suppose that in his case his upsetting is supported on all sides so that should reduce the risk of breakage.

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Thanks for the advice Stewart.

Unfortunately, I'm working with the material that I have on hand. The axle is JUST large enough that I can forge square faces on it. I think it's a 1 1/2" diameter axle so there is very little material beyond the width of the hardy hole.

Do you think that having a backup to prevent the material from pushing through will reduce this risk? I see Tazmig was using a swage block for his upsetting. I suppose that in his case his upsetting is supported on all sides so that should reduce the risk of breakage.


Upset the parent material up along the bar a couple or more inches from the end to give you more mass where you want it. (isolate the area with water cooling either side if you have to)

(Easier to upset and forge if you leave the material in a longer length, the weight will also assist in the upsetting)

Then forge the lower part to fit your hardie hole

Cut off to an appropriate length above the upset,

Then you can forge the upset on it in your hardie hole to the required size

A Brooks cast steel anvil should withstand a good pounding, if in doubt, use a lighter sledge and hit it more often to achieve the same results, it will just take a little longer and a few more heats,
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Upset the parent material up along the bar a couple or more inches from the end to give you more mass where you want it. (isolate the area with water cooling either side if you have to)

(Easier to upset and forge if you leave the material in a longer length, the weight will also assist in the upsetting)

Then forge the lower part to fit your hardie hole

Cut off to an appropriate length above the upset,

Then you can forge the upset on it in your hardie hole to the required size

A Brooks cast steel anvil should withstand a good pounding, if in doubt, use a lighter sledge and hit it more often to achieve the same results, it will just take a little longer and a few more heats,


Thanks John, that makes sense. I suppose I can also do some upsetting in my large leg vice.

When you say isolate the heat with water, would this impart any brittleness to the queched steel that I should worry about? I haven't checked, but I would assume that I am doing most of the work at non-magnetic temps. I would imagine that this steel should be forged at higher temps?

Sorry for all the questions. This is my first time working with a steel other than mild, and the first time upsetting larger stock.
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Thanks John, that makes sense. I suppose I can also do some upsetting in my large leg vice.

When you say isolate the heat with water, would this impart any brittleness to the queched steel that I should worry about?

Sorry for all the questions. This is my first time working with a steel other than mild, and the first time upsetting larger stock.



No It should not be a problem as you are reheating after every stage and you are only cooling, not a total quench, it only needs to be more resistant than the part you need to upset.

Metal generally moves more easily where it is hottest and/or a thinnest section

Normalise and heat treat after you have finish forged and dressed the piece
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Thanks John. I'll give that a try.

This will also be my first heat treat. I was thinking of doing a quench in water and then letting the colors run. Any suggestions at what color I should temper at? I would probably want to err on the soft side. Would that be a purple?


Personally I would use oil rather than water not knowing exactly what the steel specs are.

Tempering may depend on what you are using the tool you make for,

As a generalisation, the darker the colour the less likely the edges are to chip.

For some tools the normalised codition may well be adequate.
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