[Video] Forging a Small Bearded Axe

[Gundog48]

I posted a video here a while ago of me forging my first tomahawk. I got loads of excellent advice on thins all the way from basic hammer control to more specific forging techniques. It really helped me learn and just editing the video helps me notice things I do wrong that you can't notice until you 'see yourself' doing it, which is why recording myself is so beneficial for me with no one there to watch. Also, explaining what I have to do makes me think more about what I'm doing, and knowing that other blacksmiths will be watching helps me maintain a higher standard where I may normally do something stupid.

I hope you can enjoy the video for what it is, but if you could do me a favour again and point out my mistakes and give me ideas for improvement, it would be most appreciated!

Please be as harsh or as frank as is necessary, I haven't been forging long so I expect I've made a huge number of mistakes which I'd like to learn to correct, being honest helps me!

http://youtu.be/eQ15D_D7X4U

[Rashelle]

A couple things, I'm typing as I'm watching.

 

I'm not sure how hot your getting the area you're working on but since the rest of the head seems dark you may not be getting the area you are working on hot enough. It could be though Just can't tell from a video and lighting.

 

You can use the horn of the anvil for drawing out as well as a rounding hammer, and the pein, that way you are working it from both sides effectively. While you are drawing out the blade with the pein you can place the blade over the horn and work with the horn in line with the pein.

 

Making, a couple pairs of tongs for gripping hammer and or axe heads might be a good idea. That will give you better tong hand control by enabling you to grip the work piece more efficiently.

 

Making a holdfast can also help. As well as making an arm that can swing out from the pritchel hole to stabalize long pieces or welded on handles.

 

By the time you get 14 minutes in the heat is looking better on the work piece, some of the time.

 

Thumb off the hammer handle, you are impeding the rebound of the hammer by making it work back against your thumb. Thus causing strain on your thumb by pressing it down against the hammer handle. Try to get in the habit of guiding the hammer down holding it more loosely, and thus letting the rebound bring the hammer back up rather then your arm.

 

When using a chisel, punch or handled tool by yourself you can secure the piece in a pair of tongs, use a tong ring if needed, push the piece up against the shoulder of the cutting plate, (resting on the anvil or using a hardy tool to back it can also work), place the tongs/ handle/whatever in the thigh/hip/waist intersection. push in with your body that will then use pressure to hold the piece in place.

 

When hammering down against the head in the vice you may want to either quench the wings/ eye area and or use a drift to help prevent deformation of the eye. After hammering against the vice shaping the pole the blade seemed at an angle to the eye. If lacking a drift a bar can be place in the eye the blade placed in the vice and the bar turned to correct the eye/blade alignment.

 

Keep up the good work. It's nice seeing people making videos and working on things.

 

Rashelle

[Gundog48]

Thanks for taking your time to answer, really helpful! The colour is a little off as half the shot is in the dark garage and the other in sunlight, the steel was definitely hot enough, although a little too hot sometimes. I'll try to draw out more on the horn, I don't like working on the horn too much, it's less stable and the noise just doesn't sound right. I would make a hold down, but I was told that the anvil was designed so it would tip when necessary to prevent the horn from breaking.

Tongs is definitely something I should work on, although I jump between so many different things it's not always practical. I'll definitely make a holdfast, it'd be a lot more flexible than a chain I think.

I've hear a lot about the 'thumb up, thumb down' argument. I usually agree with thumb down in principle, but I seem to get more control with thumb up. I'll make an effort of keeping my thumb down (it's not something I really think about, I just do it) and see how it goes!

I think I understand what you mean about hot cutting. I'll make a few tong rings and give that a go, normally I don't have a problem, but in this case I had to protect some parts by keeping them off the anvil. I'm going to make a hot cut hardie too which could help with things like this.

I completely overlooked deformation of the eye in the vice, thanks for pointing that out. I mean to make a drift so I can slit and drift my own holes as I'd like to do more axes in the future. This is my first time using the vice, the only issue I have with it is that it twists a lot where the bracket that you screw down joins with the clip that goes around the vice. It's like the 'pin' that goes through needs to be tighter, I've already had to repair that as it was really twisted and damaged, any ideas there?

Thanks very much for your advice!

[saskuatch83]

Nice, you should buy a pair of chain vice grips, that was kinda scary to watch lol.

[Maillemaker]

Another Stan Rogers fan, I see.  Good on you.

[basher]

couple of things.

 firstly good job at getting on with it.

 

 you NEED to wear welding gloves and long sleeved heavy shirts when you are welding or you are courting cancer.

 If you are water quenching unknown steels then you are asking for trouble either as cracking that you do notice or cracks that you don't notice until the corner of the axe comes off and flies into someones eye. 

 If in doubt use oil spry crisp and dry (canolla) at 80Deg C should harden most stuff.

 Remember that decarb will often leave a thin layer of oxidised steel so scrape that off before you test for hardness.

 

 and lastly good job for getting on with it.

 All the best Owen

[Gundog48]

Thanks for the input guys! I've never seen those chain vice grips before, they look incredibly useful, I'll have to check them out! The real issue was trying to grip it so it was half off the anvil, making my usual hold-down methods useless. I think either a helper or a special pair of tongs to grip hammer heads tightly would be in order.

Thanks for the advice Owen. I do normally wear a long sleeved shirt when forge welding, I'll be sure to make myself wear the gloves next time too, I find they make me a lot more clumsy, and I seem to be doing a good enough job of that as it is! But I guess it's much better than what could happen if I don't wear them. I'm going to do some quench tests on the spike I cut off. Hopefully it hardens in oil, if not we'll see about a water or superquench. I haven't come back to finish it off, I have a terrible habit at the moment of jumping between projects, which is why I'm doing a lot of forge-finish ornamental stuff right now. I've got to straighten the blade a bit and probably a few passes with the flatter, then I'll test the piece I cut off and see where I go from there.

[coolhand]

@ basher. Your saying forge welding promotes skin cancer on the hands and arms from the uv light ? Or the spatter?

 

 

there is no UV light from forge welding  its IR

[Maillemaker]

No, that's electric welding.  The arc produces ultraviolet radiation, the same stuff that can cause melanoma cancer in large enough doses.