Here are some little hammers I made the other day. I just started handling them. I am just trying to figure out shape, size and forging steps. These were forged from mystery steel, some type of large spring from tractors that drive a plow a foot or so into the ground. Annealed, filled and heat treated. They seem to have come out nice and hard. I very much enjoy items that are filed bright. I plan to order some W1 tool steel and forge some more soon and offer them for sale. 

 

Thank you for the comments and suggestions. 

 

Also a few top tools I made

 

Cheers

 

Mackenzie Martin

Very nice work all around!

Like the non-standard shapes the best :)

Dave

Greetings ML,

 

Very nice hammers and top tools..  I too have quite a collection of hammers and top tools .. The only problem is remembering what I have.. I normally start a project and forget that I have the just right hammer for the job.. OH Well... You will have no problem with sales..   Keep up the great work..

 

Forge on and make beautiful things

Jim

Rhett and I got you hooked on tools didn't we??? lol looks good cant wait to forge again.

Mlmartin very nice hammers. I would not use W-1 for making hammers. That is great steel for making punches. The hammers I make are from 4140,4340, or even 1045.

Nice hammers, cool liking file bag too!

Wonderful work, and the set up is equally nice.  Where did you do the weld on the handles for the top tools?  At the end loop?

I have never used 4140 but I know its popular for power hammer dies. I need to learn more about steels. I would not want to use 1045 for these hammers because they have pretty square corners and I have had problems with the steel before and not being able to get it hard enough. 

 

What is wrong with W1?  1% carbon, simple water hardening steel. I have made many little punches and chisels and a few little hammers with it before. It seems to harden very well and heat treating it pretty easy.

 

Yes I very much liked my canvas file bags, but sadly rats in my shop chewed it up and chewed on all my file handles the other night.

 

The top tools have a 1/4 inch rod handle hot rapped on to the tool, the hand end is bent into a loop and forge welded closed.

 

I very much enjoy the set up. The table is very thick, and the cute little vice has 3 1/2 inch jaws that are very steep. The steep jaws make for nice filing because I can use the file at a hard angle over the jaws. My Sweetheart bought me the vice! Now I just need to see if I can talk her into making me a nicer one at her job

There is nothing wrong with using W1 for hammers.  It gives a nice hard face that wont ding.  I like it for smaller hammers that I use for fine work.  The faces hold their finish longer.  Nice work by the way,  I like your filing bench too.

Beautiful and useful, excellent.

Thank you Mr Miller for the information. I am always looking to learn more about forge work and steel grades is something I fear I do not have enough knowledge about.

 

I am happy to try working in other steels that are recommended to me. I do hope people can explain why I should use one steel over another.

 

I understand simple steels in the range of 1060 - 1095 all the way to W 1. These are generally iron just alloyed with carbon and little ells. The 60 - 95 denoting percentage of carbon.

 

I would be vary happy to find 1060 to 1080 in bar sizes from 1 to 3 inch for use with hand tools but I seem to have a hard time finding any. I have come across 1060 some but it is hardened and ground. Being this way it cost more than over sized annealed W1 does.

 

Anyone have a recommendation for 1060 to 1080 that is hot rolled?

 

Thank 

Mackenzie Martin

I guess it what you are more accustom to and availability of the steel. I like a hammer that will harden up to 55 rockwell and do not need any thing harder. I have been making hammers for about 4 years and 4140 and 4340 are always available to me at my local supplier and at a lesser coast they hold their drops for me. I do not mind oil hardening. Now when it comes to a drift or a punch I like w-1 or h-13 http://www.diehlsteel.com/technical-information/steel-characteristics-comparison-charts.html
this chart is one of the resources That I have used in the past to help with selection of tool steel

Finally handled the last hammer. Handle making is on my list of things to practice. And to start hoarding and drying good lumber for the handles.

Trez, I am told the url is not available 404. Please check the URL 

do not know what happened it worked before.

...work on my phone...

The link is back up, nice charts, thanks Trez

Most people do use a water quenching medium carbon steel for making hammers, they are easier to work with and a bit more forgiving. You want the hammer hard enough that it doesn't deform under heavy use, and you don't have to keep redressing the face and the pein, but do you really want it as hard or harder than your anvil... Any one remember what Nathan Robertson, from Jackpine Forge uses for his hammers, and recommends in his hammer making classes? Some people like 4140 but there can be problems with oil quenching, and you sometimes have problems with quench cracking especially around the eye or if the pein is drawn thin with a sharp transition. Timothy said he used W1 for smaller hammers... On larger forging hammers I would tend to be afraid of the edges spalling unless you were careful to temper to a safe level, and maybe draw the edges more. Some of the old junkyard steel identifying charts used to list ball pein hammers as W1, since most of the production has switched to China I am not sure how reliable that is anymore. For awhile one of my favorite hammers was a 2# ball pein, but I hit hard and chipped the face at the edge, kinda like I said. Probably was W1, I have collapsed/chipped the edge of the face on a number of hammers over the years, but like I said I hit hard.  Its generally the left side, or the heel, but I am right handed... The other problem I had with ball peins is the eye is always so small, and I would be whaling away on something and would hear a snick and the head would be sitting at an odd angle on the handle...

Jackpine Forge has a facebook page, all he mentions is 1045 for sledge hammers and Czech hammers.

Your hammers are beautiful you should be proud. 

Thank you Mr Miller for the kind words

I would agree, those are very nice hammers. As a rookie that would look like a goal to set if I live long enough.

 

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