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I Forge Iron

Axle shaft for tools


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I posted in the "It followed me home" thread a picture of some of the axle shafts I picked up this weekend. I'd like to make some hardies and hammers, but I'm not sure the best way to heat treat hammers. So I've basically got two questions: 1) What's the best quenchant? I've heard peanut oil and olive oil work well. 2) What technique should I use to harden and temper the hammer? Quench the whole thing and temper it at 500 deg. in the oven, or something else?

Thanks,
Nick

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Axle shafts differ in alloy according to their size, (one of the fellows over at Anvilfire used to work in a factory that made axles and has spoken about alloys many times over there)

As to tempering the method I like the best is to forge a mild steel eye drift and heat that in the forge and drop in the quenched hammerhead to draw temper from the middle out so the face ends up the hardest part and the rest is tough!.

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These pics are of a turning hammer I made at a friends place a couple months ago. It's made from a Ford truck axle. (Mark's truck unfortunately)

After forging and grinding I heated it gradually to non-magnetic and water quenched. I then used a heated drift to draw a progressive temper. The eye is drawn to blue and the faces are dark straw.

A missed stout blow will ding the faces slightly without chipping so I'm happy with the heat treat. So far anyway.

Frosty

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Thanks Tyler.

It's 3 1/2" x 1 1/2" and weighs in around 2 1/2 lbs though I haven't weighed it.

The eye is 5/8" x 1 1/4", slit and drifted for a slab handle. The handle is a piece of 4/4 hickory I picked up at the local hardwood store. We don't have anything really suitable for handles growing in my neck of AK.

As it is in the picture, the handle is too long but it will get shortened as soon as I've used it enough to grind some grime into it to mark exactly where I'm gripping it most. It's a straight taper with the edges broken lightly on the belt grinder.

A few months ago I got to use a Tom Clark version of Uri's hammer and liked the way the handle felt. I've been using what I call a fencer's grip for decades and didn't realize how poorly a "standard" hammer handle worked for a loose grip. Once I figure out just how I like this handle I'll start changing my other handles over. I'll try grinding them flat first to see if they suit me before I make new ones.

Frosty

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Frosty; no broken axe handles up there? Many get broken when someone misses and hits the handle against a log they are trying to split usually leaving plenty for a hammer handle down at the grip. Buying speciality wood is again my frugal lifestyle if I can avoid it.

Actually a reused handle may be better as I bet that stuff you bought was kiln dried and handle wood is traditionally supposed to be air dried to make it a tad less brittle than the kiln dried stuff.

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An old knowledgeable third generation blacksmith ;) taught me a trick about hammers. Heat just the face to non magnetic, say about 1/4 to 3/8" in depth. using a torch works real good for this method. Hardening only the face allows for the non-hardened body to act as a cushion rendering a hammer with very nice rebound. The one I did was 1095(??), PTO shafting.

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Sure, there are all kinds of things I could've scrounged to make handles. I haven't broken an axe handle in a long time so don't have one around. Same with shovel handles I'm REALLY easy on them see attached pics. (I retired from the State of AK June 1) I picked up a couple hockey sticks but they're too narrow for these hammers. Repousse hammers maybe but not forging hammers.

I have a bucket of unused hammer handles I picked up when a hardware store went out of business 15 or so years ago and I may grind them into slab handles. There are a number that'll make good striking hammer handles so I won't have to make those.

I suppose I could've looked around more for old tool handles to adapt but with the price of fuel buying a 1" x 6" x 8' hickory board was not only cheaper but got me a bunch of handles fast.

Frosty

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Yup you got to take it easy with a shovel like that or you jostle the beer!

I've always been amazed at what has been used for handles in tools I buy at fleamarkets in europe---I think I like the fruit tree branches the best though.

Not too many hocky sticks out this way but I bet they are *tough* seeing their use.

Thomas

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Thanks for the advice, all

Thomas, a friend of mine turned a couple of laminated wood hockey sticks into practice rapiers, they've held up better than the metal stage combat swords he's had.

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Thanks all.

The cup holder is gimbal mounted because I MIGHT have to move, seeing as I don't work for the state anymore. You can NEVER be too careful you know.

I made this during a gathering of metal artists in Elk River Mn. over Father's Day. We were supposed to make an "Artist's Book," whatever that is. I've had a paycheck job for the past 35-40 years and am not an artist. Anyway, the "Book" was supposed to say something about the person, their art, etc.

I flew down early to give my good friends a hand setting up for the Shindig and after it got going I realized what my "Book" should be. There's a long standing bunch of jokes about what a state employee does. I'm sure you've heard most of them like, "What's orange and sleeps four? - A state truck." And so on. The one I was repeating at the time the muse spoke to me was, "What's this high (holding your hand about shirt pocket level) and smells like an armpit? - A state shovel handle."

So, there it is, my "Artist's Book". A brand new, stickers intact, shovel, with foam padded handle, that'll NEVER scoop anything, ever. It's permanently mounted on a stand with DOT - RET in forged letters welded to it. Also to show just how versatile a State Employee has to be, the cup holder will hold not only a beer but soda can or coffee cup safely.

The real story of this book is of course that it's the end of that story. Time to open a new volume and move on.

And YES your wheel barrow should have a cup holder! Good grief is it even a QUESTION?

Frosty

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