Help forging first hammer

[territorialmillworks]

I've been making bowls lately and have found that I need to forge a 3# rounding hammer. I have 2x2 4140 stock. Should I upset the stock first and then forge to round or forge to round and then upset? What size eye should I punch for this size hammer and where is a good source for hammer handles? Thx Keith

[Charles R. Stevens]

I often buy carpenter hammer handles, and reshape them. Tho a hand sledge handle may be the ticket for a 3# hammer. Find a handle that you think is apropriatly meaty and forge a eye drift to match.
As to upsetting your stock, you need to deside if you want a stubby fat head or a longer one. Short fat heads have their advantages as to longer ones. Longer heads tent to magnify any cant to the way you hold the heandle. If you have exilent hammer control, yo can strike angled blowers with les exaggeration of your hand, as well as being more confertable at lower anvil heights. The stuby helps minimize of camber strikes and requires more exaggeration to srike anger blowes. Some times a hammer fat around the eye and small on the face has definant advantages as to moving metal also. It's all about compromise and what works best for your style of forging.

[David Gaddis]

Throw away that 4140 and replace it with 1045. It forges 4x easier and heat treats easier with probably better end results. The highly experienced heat treating guys may disagree but from the failures I am seeing with 4140 and 4150 compared to 1045...well good luck.

Stay away from hammers larger than 3-1/2 pounds until later, as they are tough on the body. But I use 3, 4, and 5 pound hammers while suffering with the heavier ones if I have to hit out of position. The heavier ones move much more metal easier than the lighter ones but here again there is going to be disagreement by some.

Now that is my 2 cents.

Carry on

[Charles R. Stevens]

Here is an example

[Frank Turley]

If you octagonal/round your piece, it should be enough without upsetting. An RX capsule shaped hammer eye is easier than an oval sectioned one. A rule of thumb, the length of the eye is twice the width, and a 1" to 1 1/8" length of eye should work. The eye is punched under sized and then drifted to size. It helps to work in a bottom swage on round stock. My drifts are tapered and are about 9" long, made of car axle or other respectable steel.

 

If it's possible to get a localized heat on each face and NOT heat-harden the cheeks of the eye, that'll be good. Sometimes the cheeks crack if the whole head is heated to harden. I use the wet rag method. After hardening and tempering one face, I surround it with a wet rag and hanging on with large bolt tongs, I am able to heat the other face at the edge of a coal fire without disturbing the temper under the wet rag. Keep the rag surrounding the face as you temper the other face. I usually temper with a 7/8" square bar with a turned eye in one end. The eye is heated to a welding heat and dropped over the vise-held hammer. With a fairly snug fit, you temper to color by heat conduction. Quench with water to hold the temper.

 

David's idea above of using 1045, like some old vehicle axles, would make it easier to forge and heat treat. On 1045, I harden in water, and I temper the faces to a dark straw.

 

Sayings and Cornpone

Knock knock.        Who's there?    Artichokes.   Artichokes who?   Artichokes when he eats too fast.

[ironsmith]

Frank, your cornpone made me chuckle this time. :D

 

I am in agreement about the 1045. also if it were me i would do the upsetting first so when the eye is punched your more likely to have it centered.

[territorialmillworks]

Thanks for all the great advise/help......  I've had good results with 4140 for PH dies but have had mixed results with punches/chisels.  Never shy about admitting my ignorance, I'd never heard of 1045.  Checked it out..definitely more forgiving.  Ebay it is...........Keith