Nick Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Finished this today, a hammer based on the find at Mastermyr. The shape is that of Hammer 65, but it ended up being the dimensions of Hammer 67. Forged from an axle, all with hand hammers (including one I nicknamed Mjolinr.) Dimensions of the head: 5 5/8" long, 1 1/8" wide, 18" tall Dimensions of the handle: 11" (to the head), 1 1/4" wide, 7/8" deep The handle is a modified store bought hickory handle, squared with a rasp plane and a sander, finished with linseed oil. This is the first hammer I've ever made (other than my little hammer pendants ), I'm happy with how it turned out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pault17 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 very nice. looks comfortable to use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Very nicely done Nick. Frosty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
latvius Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Nice! How does it feel when used? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake2431 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Love it! I for one would like to see a few more pics (from different angles) if you have any spare time. Oh, and just out of curiosity, what this the page you referenced from: Mastermyr ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 Jake, I have a copy of "The Mastermyr Find" by Arwidsson and Berg, where the images on that page came from. I stamped ND and MMVII on the bottom, they show up a bit in a couple of the pictures. It's a little odd to use right now, because the balance is so much different than any other hammer I own. The others are squat in comparison with the eye in the center. This one is long and thin with the eye closer to the face than the peen. However, it does feel good in the hand and I don't think it'll take to long to get used to. Hammers of this style were in use at least until the end of the Renaissance, based on woodcuts and illuminations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oakwoodforge Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Nicely Done Nick, What type of steel did you use ? Jens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finnr Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Nice Nick!!! Turned out better than the one I did based on the same hammer. Looks like it's back to the forge for me, LOL!! Finnr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake2431 Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Very nice. I want a copy of that book, but last time I checked (a couple of days ago) I couldn't find it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 I feel that a man that makes his own tools learns so much. It is a really nice piece and I expect everything you do shows the work ethic the hammer shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 19, 2007 Share Posted July 19, 2007 Nice work and nice to think about date stamping reproductions (the steel type would be a dead give away that it is a modern piece; but you can't always test a piece when some antique dealer is trying to pawn it off on you as "old"). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted July 19, 2007 Author Share Posted July 19, 2007 Thank you very much, Rich Jake, check this out: Centaur Forge-The Mastermyr Find I got my copy from the Centaur booth when I went to the Quad State Roundup. Oakwood, it's from a large axle I picked up, so I'm not sure exactly of the steel. I got a bit of the scare when I quenched, I did a file test and it didn't seem to have hardened much. I reheated and water quenched and it hardened fine. The oil just didn't cool it fast enough. I did some tests after I handled it on the edge of cold steel and a square file with little or no marking. I want to eventually make reproductions of all the hammers in the Mastermyr chest, as well as the cest itself and some other tools to take to faires, but I'll probably buy billets for the larger hammers, the axles I have aren't big enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_sandy_creek_forge Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Hey Nick, Love the hammer. I know what you mean about it being off balance (kind of), two of my striking sledges are old Atha cross peins....the hammer face side is about TWICE as long as the pein side. What size axles to you estimate you'll need for the bigger hammers? Every so often i come up with some semi-tractor and skid loader axles. I believe they are in the 2-2.5" range. Drop me an email, we might be able to work out a trade of some sorts on a couple cutoff pieces. -Aaron @ the SCF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Murch Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 Another good source for hammer stock is IHCP bar, aka hydraulic push rod. IHCP stands for induction hardened chrome plated. It is 1045/1050 steel. It is found nearly everywhere. Most, if not all, of the chrome plated bars that you see as part of a hydraulic system are IHCP bar. You know the chrome plated bars you can see that do the pushing and pulling on bull dozers? That's them. The bar that lifts up a dump truck bed, etc, etc, etc, that's them. I've made several hammers from this stuff. Now safety trolls you may have your field day telling me how dangerous the chrome MIGHT be. As long as you have good ventilation, it should be no problem. Life is short. I would rather have a sweet hammer than worry about chrome every now and then. I will admit, it would be different if you were making several hammers per week, I buy my hammer stock new from a supplier now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 I hope Charles is not late for the awards Ty . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Murch Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Sam, I have no clue what you are speaking of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_sandy_creek_forge Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Oh, But I do..... although i think this only qualifies for honorable mention....not the full award.... -Aaron @ the SCF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J W Bennett Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 My wife has a place on the mantel for my ashes and my award, They run hand in hand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Sam, I have no clue what you are speaking of. Chrome poisoning is cumulative, as are all heavy metals, a little now and then will do you in just fine. Doing something fatal for less than intelligent reasons qualifies you for a Darwin Award. I agree though, disregarding something this basic barely qualifies you for an honorable mention. Use a non-dangerous method for removing the plating and NO, grinding isn't one of them. Frosty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Most of the chemical methods of removing chrome leave you with highly toxic waste that is hard to dispose of properly and disposing of it improperly is *not* *nice* as in if I caught you dumping it in our watershed me & the neighbors would invite you to an old fashioned western necktie party! My general rule is *no* plated materials in the forge. Cadnium, zinc, chrome, nickle... Thomas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 How about chucking it up in a lathe and taking a carbide cutter to it? If you don't have a lathe a diamond or carbide file will remove it in large enough particles you won't be exposing yourself to chrome oxide. For a few bucks you could take it to a chrome shop and have it removed. I guess that would be cheating though. Eh? While zinc isn't nearly as dangerous as it's rep, it's still nothing to play with if you don't know what you're doing. Zinc oxide is not only easily chelated it's a necessary nutrient. OD can be dangerous or fatal but it takes a heavy dose and further neglectful behavior. Oh, say locking yourself in a shop and burning the galvy off a couple hundred copies of 2" x 3" pipe. Then NOT seeking medical attention for a week or so. ESPECIALLY considering he knew what he was doing! :mad: Now THAT was worthy of an honorable mention in the Darwin Awards. Heavy metal poisoning is cumulative and doesn't leave your system. The most dangerous heavy metal you're likely to come in common contact with is cadmium. Bare cad will sublime at well below room temperature and is highly toxic. Nickle isn't as bad but you should avoid breathing the dust or smoke as much as possible. On the conservative side a "no plated metals at all" policy is a good one, pretty close to what I follow. On the cavalier side: "it's only a little once in a while" is okay so long as you aren't endangering anyone but yourself. Do it outdoors and downwind of family, neighbors, and such. Heck you can give retorting gold out of amalgum a try if you want. Just don't take anyone else with you. EH? Frosty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Murch Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I heat and forge the steel with the chrome STILL on. It forges right along with the steel until it desintegrates after it becomes so thin. I am CAREFUL with it. I have good ventilation, and I DO NOT HANG AROUND THE FORGE while it is heating. You GUYS ARE RIGHT, BUT I would still rather have my hammer. MY WAY IS NOT BY THE BOOKS, but it is what I would do. Gotta die of something eventually anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Water is also necessary for human life but still kills thousands of people a year. Necessary does not mean safe. (like my favorite "all natural" elixer: equal parts arsenic, cyanide and U235!) Ask any old weldor about the zinc shakes---especially good if you are collecting examples of colourful profanity. The problem with nickle is that you can become sensitized to it and so have reactions out of line with exposure. Probably the worst one we haven't mentioned is Beryllium which can upon low exposure to dust containing it cause irreversable lung damage and death. After I read up on it I purged my random brass/bronze box of items that might have been made from it. Luckily it's not used as a plating material AFAIK. I had a beautiful brass wrench I almost made a knife guard from by grinding---gives me the shakes just to think about what I nearly did to myself! As for PawPaw Wilson: he did something he *knew* was stupid. He paid for it with his life. I'm not going to mock a fellow who was a good friend to many; I've done too many stupid things in my life that I have barely escaped the consequences of to point fingers. Feel free to mock me while I'm alive. At least I'm old enough that reproductive toxins are not a concern anymore---youngest kid starts college in a couple of weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Jim Wilson's shop was large by most standards. I would suggest that it could maybe hold 2 semi trucks on the inside, see attached photo. There were places for 4 doors, 2 of which were walled off and the other 2 openings had NO DOORS. This allowed full air movement through the building. See attached photo. He was heating about 20 pieces of zinc coated pipe in his gas forge to burn off the zinc. See attached photo We use Jim and burning zinc off a piece of metal as an example because he did something he thought he could get away with "one more time". It did not work out. "Get away with" and "one more time", and "Hey y'all, watch this" are not safe. Doing things that are not safe usually ends up in getting someone hurt. Look at the photos again, large building, lots of interior space, 2 large open doors, and you only need to burn the zinc off a couple pieces (ok just a few pieces) of pipe. Would you try to get by with it? Jim thought he could get by with it, and died trying. Yes, COPD and other factors were involved, but he still died. Work safely or change things so it can be done safely. Personal safety is your personal responsibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 Water is also necessary for human life but still kills thousands of people a year. Ask any old weldor about the zinc shakes---especially good if you are collecting examples of colourful profanity. The problem with nickle is that you can become sensitized to it and so have reactions out of line with exposure. Probably the worst one we haven't mentioned is Beryllium which can upon low exposure to dust containing it cause irreversable lung damage and death. After I read up on it I purged my random brass/bronze box of items that might have been made from it. Luckily it's not used as a plating material AFAIK. As for PawPaw Wilson: he did something he *knew* was stupid. He paid for it with his life. I'm not going to mock a fellow who was a good friend to many; I've done too many stupid things in my life that I have barely escaped the consequences of to point fingers. At least I'm old enough that reproductive toxins are not a concern anymore---youngest kid starts college in a couple of weeks. I am one of those old weldors; I'm all too familiar with the "blue flu". I've breathed enough zinc smoke to be dead if it were a cumulative toxin. It isn't though and even the most conservative safe levels are surprisingly high. Heck, The safe level has been raised at least once since the first time I looked it up in the early 70's. About the only place you're likely to run across beryllium is in large electrical busses. It was added for strength but has been replaced as of late. The alloy does look something like brass though. Beryllium is stable at room temp so I still have to give Cadmium #1. Beryllium isn't all that common and I've never heard of it as plating. I'm not mocking anyone but I am still mad as hell that he did something so knowingly careless. I guess I shouldn't be mad at Paw Paw but what a totally avoidable waste. Maybe it's because I've gotten away with so many things reasonably unscathed that it POs me so much. Even in my most foolish youth I never did something tantamount to suicidal though. I mean seriously, it's like hooking a mask up to the exhaust pipe on your car. I use Jim as an example of just how HARD it is to kill yourself with zinc smoke. Had he gone to the doctor any time in the first week after exposing himself he'd probably still be with us. Heck, if he hadn't had heart and breathing problems he might've made it anyway. And lastly; remember Jim Wilson was rather famous for posting the pictures and stories of his accidents. He frequently made a point of relating his own experiences as cautionary tales of what NOT to do. When confronted with such a cavalier attitude to a known danger, I'd be dishonoring Paw Paw's memory NOT to use his example of what not to do. Do you think he'd do any different had he survived? Frosty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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