I've been needing a new sledge for the occasional person that wants to come and learn and be my striker. As usual I can't afford nice custom tools so I have to make do with what I have. I had a piece of excavator bucket pin from work that was a little over 3 inches in diameter and 5 inches long that weighed about 11 pounds. I decided if I can't afford one I'll try to make one. I reshaped some tongs I had to hold a piece that big, made a drift to match a sledge hammer handle I had, and went at it. It was a lot of work but it was fun too my hydraulic press made the job a lot easier. I go the eye a little crooked but it will work. I'm not sure what steel it was but I tried hardening it in vegetable oil and it didn't get very hard so I used water and it was better. After tempering it I dropped a 1" ball bearing on it and it had around 50 percent rebound so it got hard enough to do what I want it to. When I got done with polishing it it weighed about 10.5 pounds so all in all I'm happy with it.

Looks like a nice one!  I don't want too cool your enthusiasm any but I think you should think about making the next one with a straight peen or cross peen on one end.  More versatility is GOOD!

 

Excavator pins are usually 4140 a fine alloy for hammer heads. Pretty darned nice job there. I ditto the suggestin for a cross or straight pein on the next one.

Frosty The Lucky.

Idk when I'll be that way but if I'm ever that way I'll come swing that thing for a bit. Looks like a good workout :)

I wondered about it being 4140 but I wasn't sure about it. As far as making another one I don't really plan on it at this point. For one thing I very rarely have a striker and I don't know if I want to try forging something that big for awhile again

Describe your heat treat process on that fine looking tool.

I heated the faces  to nonmagnetic and quenched in cold water and then slowly heated it back up til they turned a light straw color