mcraigl Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 I've decided to bite the bullet and order new steel to make a few hammers. In the past we've used Ag. shaft that was 4140'ish and it seems to work OK, however I do find myself dressing the faces a bit more than I'd like. I know Brent Bailey's hammers are real nice and he uses Atlantic-33. I think the heat treat on this alloy is one of it's selling points. Y'all got other "pet" alloys that work good for hammer heads? Where do you get them, and why do you like them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxhunter Posted January 3, 2008 Share Posted January 3, 2008 There are some very expensive turning & clipping hammers (farriers tools) available and these are made from 414O tool steel. I can vouch for the quality of these hammers, no chipping or distortion and negligible wear despite hard use. Both the steel and tempering must be excellent. Manufacturers need to make a profit, so it is of course quite possible there are better steels for this purpose, that are not used as they do not lend themselves as readily to the manufacturing process. I might add that I have no involvement whatsoever with any manufacturer / supplier of tools or steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Foxhunter Go to the top of the forum page and click on User CP Click on User profile Go to the bottom of the page and enter your location and save. We would like to know where in the world your located. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RainsFire Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I think there was a thread concerning this topic not to long ago.. I'll try and find it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Funk Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Historically most hammers were made from plain carbon steel (10XX). However after WW II alloy steels became more available and most commercially made quality hammers were made from steels other than plain carbon steel due to superior toughness. I would recommend hammers be made from steel containing alloys which make the steel tougher. Remember hammer chipping is not only a tool failure but a significant safety issue. I am sure we have all heard the stories of fatal accident(s) (I have heard of 2) involving chipped hammers and countless minor to more significant accidents where chips of hammers have penetrated bodies or eyes. A readily available alloy is 4340 which is tougher than many steels as it contains nickel. Another issue is to related to hammer chipping is to make certain the center of the hammer is harder than the edges of the hammer. Unfortunately normal quenching methods cool the edges of the hammer faster than the center of the hammer, making them harder. Some good hammer makers quench the head with a garden hose focued on the center of hammer face, thus quenching center more agressively than the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 I've used many different steels for hammers. 4340 is better than 4140 which is a really good hammer steel, but 1045 or 1060 are both good and easier to work and heat treat. O1 makes a good hammer, but it is harder to work and heat treat, although it will make a harder hammer if one wanted that. H13 works well but is more expensive. S7 can also be used for hammers, Tom Clark's anvils are reportedly made from S7. Older Caterpillar track pins make excellent tough hammers that harden very well....don't know what the alloy is. If you're having to dress the hammer faces too often, you need to temper them harder. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcraigl Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 Thanks Rich, I was hoping you'd chime in as I've seen some real nice hammers outa you. Tempering was done by color, and we arrested at bronze'ish. I do now have a computer controlled kiln in which I can do some fairly sophisticated heat treating and may in fact try it. Cat track huh??? I just happen to know where there's an entire track from a D7 laying by the side of a road out in the woods. It's so rusted together it will require a torch to salvage. I'll have to see if I can get some sort of permit to go get it. Those pins are large enough diameter to make hammer heads out of huh? I'm going to have to remember that when the snow melts. The way it's snowing outside right now you'd think that will never happen though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MLMartin Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 i have made a few hammers out of old wagon axle, have no clue what there made of, show a fair amount of carbon sparks when grond Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintjohnbarleycorn Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 has anyone tried hydraulic rams? they must be tough I would guess, but maybe not the right kind of steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I have used old hammer heads, and re-done them and heat treated. Grinder, Heat, Quench, Treat.....so on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jymm Hoffman Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I have used old axles, 4140, H13 and S7. I prefer H13 or S7. They are very tough to forge and have a narrower temprature range to forge. Once finished and heat treated correctly they are very tough hammers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shane Stegmeier Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 Hydraulic cyclinder rods I believe are supposed to be commonly 1040 induction hardened chrome plated. Old Caterpillar track pins are 1050, new ones are not very useful. Water hardening steels like Atlantic-33, and S-1 Atha Pneu, and 1040-1050 are very nice because of how easy it is to focus your heat treat on just the faces of the hammer. Some of the higher alloys like H13 and S7 are nice, but they are harder to work and annealing the eye and the edges of the faces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted January 6, 2008 Share Posted January 6, 2008 T Tempering was done by color, and we arrested at bronze'ish. I do now have a computer controlled kiln in which I can do some fairly sophisticated heat treating and may in fact try it. Try going until the face and pein are purple, maybe slight traces of bronze left, but before blue shows up. This hammer was made from 4340 and oil quenched, then tempered to that color........no scratches when hit on cold mild steel 3/8" square (which is my standard test for tempering results)http://www.iforgeiron.com/gallery/data/715/HofiCopy3.JPG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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