Francis Trez Cole Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 great looking tool RT. I use a face shield and safety glasses some of the time when items are under High pressure in a press. Better safe than sorry. I have had hot punches shatter under the hammer. you can never be to safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockstar.esq Posted August 31, 2012 Share Posted August 31, 2012 Vaughn, Thanks for the reply. This thread just got me thinking that I don't often see replaceable surfaces on struck tooling. Given the danger of spalling, it seems to me that making the struck face soft and replaceable would make a safer tool that would last longer. Interesting to think about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted September 1, 2012 Share Posted September 1, 2012 Vaughn..that's a good idea...if you can acquire any tool in good condition cheap enough, grab it. EBay is one place to resell them, but they are always good trading material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raybart Passmore Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 A friend of mine was using the same kind of ironworker and didn't know he was about to punch some wearplate. The punch shot up through his chin and lodged in his cheek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunny Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 Haven't made one but what about using a splitting wedge, (for splitting firewood), cut or grind the wedge end off a couple inches to give you a flat surface. Then weld your square plate on the ground end and a 12 inch bar for a handle on the side. The striking end is already soft by design. Seems simple enough but I don't know what I don't know. Gunny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSW Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 My flatter and set hammer I made from 4140 in July when I took my most recent blacksmithing class. I hadn't planned on making one, but the shop just got the power hammer and big screw press and the instructor mentioned he had some material if anyone wanted to try and make their own hammer. I had to make most of the tooling for the power hammer and screw press as well as the hammer eye drift to do these. We heat treated them after forging. Picts show punching the hammer eye under the KA 75 and fullering the 2 1/2" 4140 in the screw press for the flatter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trying-it Posted August 19, 2013 Share Posted August 19, 2013 well, you could always use 1045 steel, 2 1/2 inch square bar, put it on a lathe, mill the eye, heat treat, and voila!!...flatters Those fine looking tools sure look familiar! :rolleyes: B) :ph34r: Stan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samuel51533 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 wow, you guys really helped me. I am thinking of finding a old hammer and welding a flat face on it, like a couple of the guys above has done, thanks this helped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJS Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 Old hammers were harder, new hammers are tempered more, but I still shatter the edges of hammers, and its not like I am denting my anvil all the time. Apparently I just hit hard;-) maybe on colder or thinner stock than I should... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arkie Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 There was not a lot of smithing involved in this flatter, except the bar split and pineapple twist on the handle. Made from 1/2" bar, 1 1/4" axle and 3/8" (or maybe 7/16") brush hog blade, all pre-heated and welded together....still gets the job done. I believe I had posted these pics on another thread, but don't remember which one. No problem here with striking hardened surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 New hammers are softer than old, for I believe the stated liability reason. So striking two new big box hammers together may be relatively safe, but an older pair, or a properly heat treated smith made hammer... Second, why make a flatter out of a sledge?! What are you going to hit it with? You lose a lot of energy to inersa so a 2 1/2 to 3 # hammer might make a good flatter to be used with a striker, but if your hitting it wit a 3# hammer what should you be hitting? Think mor the size of a auto body hammer ( cheep ones are cast iron) a 1" bolt would be a better choice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clodbuster Posted October 31, 2014 Share Posted October 31, 2014 Here's one more way to do it that avoids heavy upsetting or drawing out: Use an engine connecting rod - it already has roughly the shape you want, it just needs flattened. I took a salvaged rod, removed the end cap from the desired end and cut off the bolt holes. I cut off the rod to give a end to hammer on, leaving long so I could cut off mushrooming after completed. Heat the round end in the forge and drive it into the anvil face to flatten and spread, then clean up with the angle grinder and belt sand to true flatness. Then temper. I didn't punch for a handle but wired on into the nice pocket that they come with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Damion78 Posted November 3, 2014 Share Posted November 3, 2014 My scrap flatter I just put together from a hammer that I messed up on while drifting the eye. everything else I just had laying around. Fyi third time I've welded lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanielC Posted November 23, 2014 Share Posted November 23, 2014 My first flatter i made over a year ago by hand and by myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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