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I Forge Iron

i was realllly naughty


intruder357

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I got 4 ft. x 4 ft by 8 ft. box built in my cellar, with a window cut into the foundation right above the box. It will hold about 4 tons of coal.  Now I don't have to carry coal down to the stove, only up to the forge, if the honey-do list ever gets done. 

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4 hours ago, Charles R. Stevens said:

Been eyeballing those hammers, as they look like they require the least dressing, there Keven. Let us know what you think.

Pardon my ignorance but what do you mean by dressing and how do you know if a perspective hammer needs dressing?

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26 minutes ago, natenaaron said:

Pardon my ignorance but what do you mean by dressing and how do you know if a perspective hammer needs dressing?

Dressing is a final finishing of the face and pein to clean tool marks, round corners maybe crown the face. Dressing can make for fewer hammer marks, more efficient forging, etc. Some hammers may need serous grinding to suit a particular need I have a shallow 8lb. straight pein I made from a double jack sledge head, modifying our tools to suit is something we do. B)

Frosty The Lucky.

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Nate, if you do any dressing of your hammers, be particularly careful not to overheat when grinding a new shape.  Too much and you might remove any heat treatment to the faces and/or head.  I usually grind/polish until it's uncomfortable to the touch, then wait and let it cool down.  "Patience, grasshopper....."

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So "dressing" if you look at the typical store bought cross pein (orang other hammer) you will find a more or less smooth face, with a slight crown and rounded edges. Right...

more likely a spiral pattern cut in the face where a lathe tool cut a crowned face and knocked off the dyed at a sharp 45. All this needs tone made smooth, and the edges blended soho I don't leave sharp edges marks in the stock. 

The radius of the crown should be about 6-12" (draw a circle 12-24" across and check) the edges need to blend in almost in 1/4 circles,  something like 1/2-1" radius. 

The pein is another mater, most are to sharp, more like a splitting wedge

Something like a 1" radius in needed, some folks like flat middles and blended edges and others like round. Personally I like round, if I want to get fancy with how I hit the stock to very the dent left by the hammer I'll use the flat face or a rounding hammer. Again round the edges as not to mar the work with an errant blow. 

This is dressing, as opposed to modifying a hammer. The ones from TS with their flat peins and polished faces look like less work. 

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