want to make a hawk

[MacLeoid]

Hi all from Thunder Bay, Canada. I decided to take a swing at making a Tomahawk from a ball peen, no power hammer just arm power. Any suggestions would be appreciated.  

[Frosty]

Welcome aboard, glad to have you. I've reshaped a couple ball peins for forging hammers and they didn't hold any surprises so I'd probably just forge it into a hawk and see how it worked.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Krown Kustoms]

Welcome. I say give it a go.

[anvilstrkr]

Hi,

I'm from northern Minnesota and I would like to make a hawk also. I'm thinking I would like to use a solid piece and pierce a hole and then drift the hole for the handle. I'm trying to find the right style of hawk to make? I have friends that are asking for some hawks and I'm not sure what to deliver. Any ideas as to what styles you would like to make? 

[Frosty]

There's a raft of pics of hawks here let alone the internet. Take a look around till you see what you like and think is within your skill sets and give it a go. In the blade making section here you can research punches and drifts, pick what you like and make them too.

 

There are a lot of things to learn about marketing your work but one of the very first is finding out what the customer wants, not asking a bunch of strangers what THEY want. Remember it doesn't matter what the customer wants if its not within your skills to deliver. I'm not saying not to push your learning curve but some things are just too far advanced and it's never good to set yourself up for failure.

 

Push your skill level but set yourself up for success. Slitting and drifting eyes isn't tough but you want to know what kind of eye you need. Personally I like them hourglass shaped inside, this way you can taper the handle so it sockets from the handle side and when you drive in the wedges and open that end up it tightens very nicely. What profile, round, oval, egg shape?

 

The one I made has a rectangular eye that fits a hockey stick, I call it my "Francesca Wasilla." I'm not a bladesmith guy but I know the dance steps. I've made ONE hatchet tool, folded and welded mild with a bit from a car hood spring and band saw blade, simple twist pattern welded billet. Hardened and tempered to dark straw, light acid etch showed the pattern but it's faded now.

 

Why was I able to make a successful francesca in one try? It's not because I'm a bladesmith it's because I have (or had) a highly developed set of skills and knowledge about blacksmithing and metal work in general. Every bit of the Francesca was a progression of basic skills.

 

Learn the basics till you can do them without thought and put those skills together in any sequence you need. After a while you'll be able to decide on a good sequence of steps for things you haven't done. No matter what the project it's a sequence of basic processes.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Charles R. Stevens]

If your looking foe a tool, as aposed to a weapon, id recomend 24 oz, or a pound and a half. As a weapon, you can go lighter.
24 oz is the weight of the old boy scout hatchet, and if you draw it out thin (for an axe) you will have a very serviceble tool, one you can use to cut small wood for fire and shelter, skin and dress game and , if push comes to shove fend of an attacker.
This is a axe head 6" long, with a bit 4" wide. Draw out as to be 1/4" at 2 1/2" back from the bit. Remember, an efecient axe has a curved bit, aim for a 6" radius. With a ball pein hammer, id re shape the pein as a smallish hammer face. Back spikes are a danger on a tool. As a weapon, the hammer, a pick or a spear blade are all serviceble.
Un like Master Frost, i prefer a round eye, taperd from the top like a pick for a hawk. Much easyer to fit a handle in the feild, and when skinning, you can slip the handle and use it like an ulo.
When your skills advance, make a good knife to go with it.

[roadapples]

Watch your heat, it takes a lot to get the face and poll to a working temp, without wearing out your elbow; but the eye can get too hot/ burn/ melt quickly especially if you work it down any before the cutting edge and spike are thinned out.

[Benton Frisse]

My step-dad and I started on an ax from a ball peen hammer. I've decided that until we get our Little Giant power hammer re-mounted, it's too much for arm power! This one was a bit heavier ball peen, I think. Even with a 6lb sledge and a fuller hardy tool it was slow moving. 

[Frosty]

Watch your heat, it takes a lot to get the face and poll to a working temp, without wearing out your elbow; but the eye can get too hot/ burn/ melt quickly especially if you work it down any before the cutting edge and spike are thinned out.

 

I just dropped back in on this thread to see what Benton had to say and noticed another member from the Greatland!

 

If I haven't said it already. Welcome aboard Roadapples, glad to have you.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Chris john]

Hi Frosty got a pic of your Francesca you made,  we  luve  pix  mate

Chris

[Frosty]

Good grief it's hard to find stuff on this new computer! Now I'm hoping I can find ALL those pics in that file.

 

Can't see any of the pattern in the bit. No wonder I don't show it off. It ain't pretty but I'd sure take it to a knife fight if I had to.

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Chris john]

Thanks Frosty appreciate,

Chris

[Frosty]

Sure Chris. Like I said it isn't pretty, nothing compared to what the bladesmiths make. In fact I did it to prove a point about basic forge practice enabling a person to do a thing first time. That's the only hatchet blade I've ever made It's folded from mild 3/8" x 1" if I recall correctly. The bit is a simple twist pattern welded from a hood spring and metal band saw blade. Wrapped and welded then drifted with a drift I forged on the spot. The unwelded edge area got filed shiny clean and closed over the bit cold with a sprinkle of laundry borax and boric acid 3:1 mix.

 

I slowly brought it to dull red and with another sprinkle of flux closed and tightened the join, afterward I brought it to welding heat and set it. Fluxed while still hot, brought it to heat and refined the weld. The final weld refinement included beginning the gross forging of the edge and blade profile and thinning to the edge. A few more heats and it was ready to start grinding.

 

I should've done a better job of grinding but I was just proving a point about mastering the basics. Heck, I drifted the eye to fit a hockey stick, how serious could I have been. Reflecting back on it now I'm thinking my attitude wasn't so good, a bit of a grandstanding xxxx xxxx. Posting the pic now is another in my face example of why a person should do everything as well as possible or practical. While most aspects of the francesca Wasilla I can look on with pride my motive overall wasn't something admirable.

 

On a slightly lighter note I took it off the mantle and felt it's balance, gave it a few swings and went out and gave a piece of fire wood what for. Darned thing still dances for me, it's light well balanced and is lightning fast. Heck it still has it's original edge and is just shy of shaving sharp. For use I don't think a hockey stick is such a bad idea, especially if you live in a place where you can have all you want out of every high school gym dumpster.

 

It's kind of a weird dichotomy as I look back on it. I don't much like my reasons for making it but as a weapon it's almost flawless. Excellent execution of poor motive? Is that weird or what?

 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Charles R. Stevens]

Proving a point? Is that a bad motive, master Frost? You proved the point you ended your previus post with. By stringing together the skills you have masterd in to sequence, you made a very servicible tool first try.