February 19, 201115 yr Here's a picture of some hand held punches and drifts that I made the other day. I have often been asked, what do you do before you have a handeled punch? These can be used to make hammers or top tools.
February 19, 201115 yr Hi Brian. Can you give the aprox dimensions of these tools and what material you used to make them? Thanks.
February 19, 201115 yr First thing: Thank you! Second thing: I second what Curly asked! Last thing: Thank You Again!
February 20, 201115 yr Author Thanks,guys! These were made from 1 1/8" 1045 and they are 13 1/2" long. The larger one is for normal sized blacksmiths hammers and larger top tools, and it is 13/16"x 3/16" at the punch end and 1 1/4"x 7/8" at the largest part of the drift. The smaller one is for farriers hammers and smaller top tools, and it is 5/8"x 1/8" at the punch end and the same as the other at the largest part of the drift. The entire working end of these are about 8" long, making the handle ends a little over 5".
February 24, 201115 yr Were these tools made in mind for a single person using them? Do you use the same punch grind as the wood handled punches you use for hammer punching? Sorry Brian, i missed this post, i would have asked sooner.
February 24, 201115 yr Author Were these tools made in mind for a single person using them? Do you use the same punch grind as the wood handled punches you use for hammer punching? Sorry Brian, i missed this post, i would have asked sooner. Yes, they were, Brian, and they are ground the same. Before I had the handeled punches, I had to make a hand held punch to make the handeled punch.
February 24, 201115 yr I've considered reforging a ball pein hammer to make the handled punch. Do you see any reason that shouldn't work, Brian?
February 24, 201115 yr I had a 7/8-1" round punch with a really messed up tip that I reformed into one works real good...
February 24, 201115 yr Ah-ha, the which came first the chicken or the egg? Thanks for clearing that up Brian, say hello to Karen for me.
February 28, 201115 yr Brian, i had a go at a drift/punch today. I madeit out of jackhammer bit. Then i used it to make a handled hot cutter! I needed the hot cut to cut some thick plate i am using for a sculpture. I made the hot cut out of some of the 4140 you gave me, thanks for that!
March 1, 201115 yr Mr. Brian, Do you have a picture of the hole these tools punch? I don't have any drifts of large size because I have never had need of them. However, I suppose that sooner or later I will need them and I might as well have the knowledge stored up to turn them out! That is if I can remember it! I suppose coil or leaf spring would work for these too!? Thanks for posting the pictures!
March 1, 201115 yr I don't have a picture of the hole immediately after punching. The hole is punched and drifted with the same tool, so the hole winds up being whatever size you like your handle to be entering the tool. The drift i made was out of a jackhammer bit i had. I hardened and tempered the drift after final forging and grinding. I heated the first few inches to a bright orange and quenched in peanut oil while being careful to bump the drift up and down as to not create a "line" of hardness. Then i ran it on a polishing belt real quick and used the leftover heat in the drift to run colors to straw at the tip. It held up well. Yes, spring steel will work well for a punch. Thanks for looking.
June 10, 201114 yr i really like those tools! i have seen some of alec.s' tools first hand and those are equally awesome, thanks for posting them! also am i right in thinking that they are punches AND drifts all in one? if so that is awesome!
June 10, 201114 yr Thanks monty! Yeah, these are a punch and drift combo... you then sacrifice the end when drifting ( will explain when you come and forge at mine). Brian and i made a drift each for me.. and on one of them he put a punch grind on one so that in a dier situation i can use that. alec p.s sorry for replying even though the question was to brian.
June 10, 201114 yr Author i really like those tools! i have seen some of alec.s' tools first hand and those are equally awesome, thanks for posting them! also am i right in thinking that they are punches AND drifts all in one? if so that is awesome! Yes they are, montyc. Alec was the best student that I've had so far. I hope he makes it to the 2012 ABANA conference. I'm going to have him demonstrate with Lyle and me.
June 11, 201114 yr Hi Brian here are three punches the one to the left is the one you made during your demo the middle is one I made and the one on the right is using a bull pin like Mark Aspery but the style that you make I am on my third hammer and have made 6 of the hot punches. after the demo I made this japanese style hammer.here is a picture of the finished hammer from the demo . thanks for all your help
June 12, 201114 yr When I demo, I tell 'em that the first hafted hammer-eye punch was made between a hard place and a rock! http://www.turleyforge.com Granddaddy of Blacksmithing Schools
June 12, 201114 yr I was lucky enough to go to Sir Alec's forge in England some pics his tooling, http://gallery.me.com/cecilebs#100520
June 12, 201114 yr And finally Sir Alec in Washington , Louisiana, USA. at Artmania. April,2011 http://gallery.me.com/cecilebs#100535
June 12, 201114 yr I hope MODS can underline the second post i dunno what i did differently on that one bear wit me folks
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