Daswulf Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Has anyone Forged an arrowhead to look like a flintknaped arrowhead? I have an interest in making some in various sizes and other then trying some out from grinding the shape and hammer-marking them a bit cooler I'm not having any luck completely forging them. I've tried going the making a leaf start method then using a spring fuller to make the grooves but when I flatten it out the grooves get too big and it dosnt look right. Would I be better making a wider opening spring fuller and trying after I've flattened the whole thing more? Or would that just fold the steel and warp the shape? Also what is a good way to get hammer marks to look even on both sides without the anvil fighting you by taking them out on the opposite side? Hammer it on a stump? Any experience or ideas welcome. And appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Greetings Daswulf, i have made spring swedges for forming both sides of feather . Texturing an arrow head would work the same way . I would use small ball bearings welded opposed on the Spring swedge .. Good luck Forge on and make beautiful things. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Jim, thanks. That sounds like a good idea for the swedge. For feathers as well. For the arrowhead I could grind the ball bearings for a more chipped look. I like it. Very cool pictures. Have a story behind it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashelle Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Here is a thought that may work. Forge the arrowhead like normal, possibly a little thick, then chisel out the flakes. They would be pretty much alternating on the sides of the arrowhead and not lined up anyways if they were knapped. Forging a trade point is like forging a leaf where you bevel the lobes and leave the center thick. If it's messy you can file or sand down the sides prior to "knapping" with the chisel or if needed something along the lines of a dremel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Rashelle, it's an interesting idea and Deffinately worth a try. Are you thinking a flat chisel or a curved one like a U shape? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I think Rashelle has the right idea. A rounded caping chisel should work about right. Pretty sure the guys that make the knives that look like knapped material use carbide burr in a dremmel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Thanks. Excited to give these methods a try and all the more ideas the better. The time I have for forging is never wasted trying new ideas. Carbide( bur bits?) in a dremmel or die grinder is a new one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 some years back a friend of mine was forging blades to look knapped. He dressed a small diameter hammer with a sharpish edges. Visualize the pein on a small ball pein hammer ground flat say 1/4" dia. Then he hammer marked the blade from the edges in with overlapping blows. I THINK it was from the edge in, maybe it was the center out I don't recall. The hammer marks overlap to the sides as well for something like a fish scale pattern. If you checked out knapped stone tools you'll get the idea, it's not a uniform pattern and often crosses the center. He was making some very nice blades. He's knapped blades and points so he knew how the concoidal fracture patterns develop which helped a LOT with his forged blades. He had a snappy sounding product line name to. If you give this a try I'd experiment on scrap a while before committing to a piece of work. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 I plan on a bunch of experimentation. it's actually not intended for blades tho the idea would look great on em. a year or so ago i had the idea and Did actually modify a ball pien for it but it wasnt Right and i didnt go further with the idea but i think i'm ready for a second go now that I'm forging more and less intimidated. experimenting with scrap was the idea and i thank you for the input on this. a modified ball pein is on my list to try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Check out the works of TSterling and Wm Horus over on blade forums. http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=27155 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Coke Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Daswulf, Long story on the arrow rock. A friend of mine ( a knapper ) gave me the arrow head after a Demo hammer in. We had a great time at the event and when he gave it to me I laughed and told him it needed some iron to be useful . The next day he had a drug reaction from his medication and passed away.. It is displayed in my studio and captioned .. LIFE TAKES MANY HARD CHANGES AND DIRECTIONS. I made it and put it in the spot where he was set up at the next years event. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Bill Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Now would be a good time to try the "You can even use a rock for an anvil" idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 John, thanks I will check it out. Jim I'm very sorry about your friend. That's a great tribute. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forging Carver Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 A while back I saw a guy on YouTube make a knapped style knife. For some reason I can't post video links in here, so look up Chandler Dickinson knapped flint style railroad spike knife. Part two is where he makes the ripple texture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashelle Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Curved, though there are other ways like a cut off disk making grooves, the dremel, or air tools, etc. I thought there was a topic on here somewhere where people did a knife blade like that too. You might look for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 John, a search of Tom Sterling after looking on that page brought me to this one on that page. http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=20922 I never would have thought of just using the sand paper tubes. Tho it's not exactly what I was thinking it is a really good looking design style. I may have to give it a try. Rashelle, I'm up for trying some different options out. I doubt an old wood chisel would hack it, probably need to make a curved chisel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rashelle Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Heehee now you're sliding down the path to the dark side. Making tools to make more things. Fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 2 hours ago, Daswulf said: John, a search of Tom Sterling after looking on that page brought me to this one on that page. http://www.bladesmithsforum.com/index.php?showtopic=20922 I never would have thought of just using the sand paper tubes. Tho it's not exactly what I was thinking it is a really good looking design style. I may have to give it a try. Rashelle, I'm up for trying some different options out. I doubt an old wood chisel would hack it, probably need to make a curved chisel. He captured the concoidal fracture structure of a knapped blade very nicely. Better still he didn't forge the pattern he used stock removal! Just think how this would expose the layers in a pattern welded billet. Hmmmm? A little practice with the sandpaper tube and you could easily develop the widening wave front and ripples of a concoidal fracture. Heck a small ball burr and you could do the percussion bulb as well. A nice high contrast pattern welded billet and it would be stunning. Just saying. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Years ago I modified a ball pein for this exact purpose. I ground the ball to an oval and radiused it. The texture was similar to that of knapping. I don't have pictures anymore but this may be worth your time to try. I know you have a few ball peins floating around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 1 minute ago, Crazy Ivan said: Years ago I modified a ball pein for this exact purpose. I ground the ball to an oval and radiused it. The texture was similar to that of knapping. I don't have pictures anymore but this may be worth your time to try. I know you have a few ball peins floating around. If a person were to want to make more precise concoidal fracture representations in steel a set of chasing tools would work a treat. What were you knapping? All I had readily available was obsidian. Flint is harder to find here but I admit I didn't look very hard. The chert close by isn't good for anything finer than a hand ax, getting a bi-face is really sketchy let alone dressing a fine edge. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 23 minutes ago, Rashelle said: Heehee now you're sliding down the path to the dark side. Making tools to make more things. Fun! Always. the nice thing about making a tool for a job is you'll always have it to repeat the job after and it's easier from there. Frosty, he did and more searching turned up a lot more in different patterns. Beautiful stuff. I could see how high contrast pattern welded steel with something like this would look amazing. I'm not as far as pattern welding yet but eventually. You know it Pete. And once it warms up to fleamarket weather I'll be getting buckets more. Could try different sizes and styles. Also want to give Jims swedge idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazy Ivan Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 19 minutes ago, Frosty said: If a person were to want to make more precise concoidal fracture representations in steel a set of chasing tools would work a treat. What were you knapping? All I had readily available was obsidian. Flint is harder to find here but I admit I didn't look very hard. The chert close by isn't good for anything finer than a hand ax, getting a bi-face is really sketchy let alone dressing a fine edge. Frosty The Lucky. Not knapping, just mimicking the look on steel. The ball pein was both struck, and used by hand to get the desired texture in the steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Ah, I misread your post. Knapping is very enjoyable and you aren't nearly as likely to be caught without a blade if you need one. Frosty The Lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Here's a piece I made years ago that Didn't get the effect I was looking for. I can tell the anvil I used because of the chisel looking marks. Thats my HayBudden. I've read before how the anvil imperfections can be sort of a signature. It was neat to take this piece out years later and realize what they meant by that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yesteryearforge Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 I used to make arrow head belt buckles rather frequently I used stainless steel and put the flaking texture in them cold with a cross peen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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