Flatter Hammer Idea

[b4utoo]

Can I use a 3" x 3" square 3/4"thick Jewelers hardened steel block as a flatter hammer end? Two listings one says this..."Made of heavy case hardened vanadium steel"

[arkie]

Don't see why you couldn't.  Case hardening is surface hardening; it doesn't go completely through the steel piece.  You can make a quick and dirty flatter like this.  I used a 3/8" bush hog blade and piece of an axle welded together.  Works fine.  Your 3/4" thick piece is even better.

 

[b4utoo]

Thats actually pretty cool. When I need to do something to it, if I made it?

[arkie]

Just weld the pieces together.  The bushhog blade is tough steel and you'll be flattening hot steel, therefore hardening is not needed.

Be sure to preheat the two pieces with a propane torch or O/A for a better weld.  I heated my two pieces on the weld surfaces for about 2-3 minutes, that at least is better than a cold weld.  I used 3/32" 7018.

Edited March 22, 2015 by arkie

[Dan P.]

Yes, but there are 101 tools you could make before a flatter. What use a flatter, really? Save your steel for something more useful, says I.

[b4utoo]

I scored on a lot of steel at swap meet today....big ring axels stuff and a machinist retiree score!

[arkie]

Yes, but there are 101 tools you could make before a flatter. What use a flatter, really? Save your steel for something more useful, says I.

​We don't know how many other tools he may have, do we?  A flatter is certainly a very useful tool to have; I use mine frequently.  He merely inquired about that specific tool and the steel he had on hand to make one....'jus sayin'

Edited March 24, 2015 by arkie

[Francis Trez Cole]

I have gotten a lot of service out of a 3# sledge with a piece of 2 1/2"x 21/2"x 1/2" mild steel welded to it I have made them as well but the sledge works fine 

[Dan P.]

​We don't know how many other tools he may have, do we?  A flatter is certainly a very useful tool to have; I use mine frequently.  He merely inquired about that specific tool and the steel he had on hand to make one....'jus sayin'

​

You are quite right, a flatter may be the cherry on the icing of a comprehensive body of tools.

I always have to ask, though, because I've been in this game, I guess 12 years now, and have neither used a flatter nor seen one used (for its intended purpose!).

And, no offence meant, it may not be your primary or even secondary flatter, but the one in the picture you posted looks quite, quite unused!

Edited March 24, 2015 by Dan P.

[Rashelle]

I use a flatter on flat faces of hammers frequently. I just used one on some tong reins to clean up the sides 2 days ago. The use depends on the person and how they are doing what they are doing. Most of the time cleaned up with a hammers flat face is fine for me. But a flatter is used frequently by me. That is just me. The OP may have similar intended uses. Sort of like a swage block it's one of those things you either use or don't use. You can do without or not. It's all good.

[arkie]

​

You are quite right, a flatter may be the cherry on the icing of a comprehensive body of tools.

I always have to ask, though, because I've been in this game, I guess 12 years now, and have neither used a flatter nor seen one used (for its intended purpose!).

And, no offence meant, it may not be your primary or even secondary flatter, but the one in the picture you posted looks quite, quite unused!

​Well, Dan,

The picture of my flatter was taken right after I finished making it, so......yes, it was at the time unused.  I might add that it has gotten quite a bit of use since then FYI!  Let's concentrate on the OP's question and not how much I have used mine.

[John McPherson]

 IIRC, a Hammers Blow article by Brian Gilbert from long ago had a sampling of tools that could be made from old/cheap hammers, and a flatter made by welding a plate onto a small sledge hammer head was one of them.

 

Submitted for your edification: a variety of flatter styles gleaned from the web.

[pintail1]

Here's mine

 

 

[b4utoo]

Though I really liked all, the rail track one is just xxxxxxxx cool lol

But I am getting a lot of ideas....

Thanks!

[Alan Evans]

If you have a good finish on your jewellers block, mine is mirror polished to keep the workpiece shiny, it seems a bit of a waste to use it for a flatter, keep it for jewellery.

If anything it is the striking point that could do with using a bit of tougher material to reduce mushrooming, the flatter part of the tool can be just mild steel. Having said that, all my flatters are made from mild steel throughout, the rodded ones for the anvil and the half round section ones for the power hammer. 

The advantage of using tools made from mild steel is that they do not get too hard and do not have bits fly off when struck. Much better to make one out of one piece and upset the face or draw down the shank than to weld anything, welds crack under stress….

The wire wrapped one in John's photo above is an accident waiting to happen, you owe it to your striker, your audience and yourself to keep the mushroomed and frayed striking point dressed. One of those curls hitting you in the lip will make your eyes water. As they say, don't ask me how I know!

Alan

Edited March 27, 2015 by Alan Evans

[arftist]

If you have a good finish on your jewellers block, mine is mirror polished to keep the workpiece shiny, it seems a bit of a waste to use it for a flatter, keep it for jewellery.

If anything it is the striking point that could do with using a bit of tougher material to reduce mushrooming, the flatter part of the tool can be just mild steel. Having said that, all my flatters are made from mild steel throughout, the rodded ones for the anvil and the half round section ones for the power hammer. 

The advantage of using tools made from mild steel is that they do not get too hard and do not have bits fly off when struck. Much better to make one out of one piece and upset the face or draw down the shank than to weld anything, welds crack under stress….

The wire wrapped one in John's photo above is an accident waiting to happen, you owe it to your striker, your audience and yourself to keep the mushroomed and frayed striking point dressed. One of those curls hitting you in the lip will make your eyes water. As they say, don't ask me how I know!

Alan

​I don't imagine anyone is actually using that flatter though anything is possible. Some of the ones in horrible disrepair such as that are part of historical collections and it is felt that they should be left as is.

I do wholeheartedly agree with you, this is an explanation I have been give. 

[arftist]

​

You are quite right, a flatter may be the cherry on the icing of a comprehensive body of tools.

I always have to ask, though, because I've been in this game, I guess 12 years now, and have neither used a flatter nor seen one used (for its intended purpose!).

And, no offence meant, it may not be your primary or even secondary flatter, but the one in the picture you posted looks quite, quite unused!

​12 years is not very long in this business. 

[Dan P.]

[Dan P.]

Arftist, 12 years is plenty of time in this business. Plenty enough for me, anyroad! And plenty long enough to never have used nor seen used a particular tool. In my opinion.

 

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I have some I picked up at various times over the last 30 years, and have yet to use one. I may need to try one out sometime.

Again, don't get hung up on gottahaves regarding tools.

[Alan Evans]

As far as amassing ones collection of tools and in which order to get them goes….I think there are three main ways I have approached it, in order of quantity and frequency...

Having designed the project/commision piece I then have either found the money to buy or designed and made the tools to achieve it…..Major items like power hammers, presses, furnaces and my punching system have fallen into this category.

Happening upon tools by chance and thinking they were better stored in my shop than where they were….A number of ex-army flatters and swages were at a local surplus yard and many of my top and bottom tools came from there. I am surprised Dan P. has not needed a flatter. I use one whenever the project calls for a refined surface. 

Very rarely have I been in the position to think "I have a couple of days I will make up a tool which will do a job that may come up in the future easier/quicker". Clifton Ralph, as an employee had that luxury, because they were on the maintenance and repair team they would spend any down time devising tools and systems  to get future repairs to the mill machinery done faster. That thinking carried over into his one-heat tong tools and etc….One of the things I can think of in that category was the jib crane which carries power and air and brackets to hold all my angle grinders and power tools, it arcs over the bench and assembly area and keeps the cables off the floor, I saw one in Christoph Friedrichs forge and realised its value. The other I suppose is the major one and that is the Studio building itself.

Just making a set of tools for the sake of it is fine as a starting out or hobby approach, they are a lovely satisfying and hopefully useful thing to make. As a professional though I do tend to focus on acquiring a tool suitable for the project ahead. 

I find it difficult to see the logic behind making a flatter by welding bits together. If you are a professional, having a poor tool that will fail under heavy use seems short sighted. If you are an amateur why would you want to cut corners? You have no concerns regarding time and every concern regarding quality of experience and gaining forging skills.

Alan

[Eddie Mullins]

I lke repurposing ball pein hammers and welded a piecce of thick leaf spring steel to the face of one for my flatter. The ball pein was forged flat,upset and squared up for stiking, the face also forgd square, because I just wanted to : ) , and it was left to normalize after forging to soften. The hammer was $2 and spring was scrap.

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I would think a basic block of steel would be one way to go. It could be used on end, or on a side for bigger areas.

[arkie]

..........

I find it difficult to see the logic behind making a flatter by welding bits together. If you are a professional, having a poor tool that will fail under heavy use seems short sighted. If you are an amateur why would you want to cut corners? You have no concerns regarding time and every concern regarding quality of experience and gaining forging skills.

Alan

​If one does not have some of the necessary equipment, i.e. swage blocks, power hammers, strikers (not equipment, I know), etc........then, one welds what one can.

BTW, I class myself as an amateur, and my welded flatter gets the job done magnificently!!!!  Hasn't broken yet, and if it does, I'll just make another one.

[Judson Yaggy]

I use a flatter all the time, thou mostly under the flat dies of a power hammer.  Many of my larger radius fuller top tools are simply an arc segment with a flat back, ease the transitions with a grinder/sander and flip over for a nice flatter.  Works the same with a hand hammer as power, just takes longer.  

Using a flatter on a hand forged whatzit is like icing on the cake, you can still tell that it is hand forged but the crispness and refinement that the extra step imparts pays off quite well when showing examples to a client.