muskiedaze Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 Hey Guys, I haven't been here in awhile, but I have been forging a bunch of hawks. I just finished my first 4 pipehawks and am very pleased with the results. I used 6 inch sections of a muzzleloader barrel instead of a piece of steel. I found it much, much, easer to forge a hawk from the barrel. The biggest problem I've been having with most of my hawks is keeping the blade and the spike or poll in the same plane. I do put the blade in my vice, insert the drift and use it to align everthing as best I can. I've been drilling (is that cheating?) and drifting the sockets so they're pretty straight. Any tips? Thanks. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coolhand Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 If you flatten the gunbarrel tall ways then you can hot slit it easily. I find if you don't flatten it first then it squashes when slitting and is a real pita to get unsquashed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
postleg Posted January 8, 2012 Share Posted January 8, 2012 I have had the same problem when I started making hawks. I use old ball pien heads. I found I was not turning the piece evenly so I was working one side more than the other. Now I watch and make sure to work the piece evenly and try to correct the problem as soon as I notice it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskiedaze Posted January 9, 2012 Author Share Posted January 9, 2012 Cool, I understand what you're saying. I have found it very difficult to make a hot slit and keep everything straight and true. If I drill adjacent 1/8" holes I can slit the barrel without collapsing it and maintain the octagon shape of the barrel for the pipe and the socket, which I think looks pretty cool. I do need to find another barrel or two before I empty my gun cabinet.Post, I'm sure you're right, and I've been attempting to do just that, but not very successfully. It seems that when I correct one problem I create another. Thanks for the help. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 "I used 6 inch sections of a muzzleloader barrel instead of a piece of steel." What is your muzzleloader barrel made from? All the ones I have seen/used are a piece of steel? Another "cheat" for pipe hawk stock is the shafts of rock drills that have a hole through the center for coolant. Better carbon content then most barrels too. Leastwise the old mining drills around these parts spark quite nicely. Do you have a wooden mallet and a stump with a couple of troughs burned in it to allow you to straighten everything hot without messing up the forging? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattBower Posted January 9, 2012 Share Posted January 9, 2012 For what it's worth, a lot of the old pipe hawk bowls were forged/turned separately and then brazed on. That approach might help somewhat with alignment, at the cost of complicating things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muskiedaze Posted January 10, 2012 Author Share Posted January 10, 2012 I suppose I should have been more specific. I meant that I found the barrel to be easier to work with than a SOLID piece of steel. I don't think carbon content is too much of and issue with my pipe hawks , which are not intended for throwing, but I'd like to try forging hawk from one of those drills. What is the typical diameter of the drill and the hole? Thanks again. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.