new to forgeing hammer question ?

[bruce500]

ive make a few stock removals knifes  im trying out smiting question wen using a cross bean hammer with way do i hammer to spread out some 51 steel  it 2 in wide & 1/4 thick id like it hammer it wider & thinner do i stick horizontal ore vertical of the line on hammer THANK,S  any one  ?

[Mark Ling]

if your wanting to widen the steel with your cross pein, or as you put it cross "bean", the pein should be parallel with your stock, the same thing can be accomplished by tilting your hammer to have a less aggressive fuller.

                                                                                              Littleblacksmith

[Crazy Ivan]

See: "cow pie theory"

Try taking some clay and "forging" it. It moves the same way (directionally) as steel will. Thats a good way to figure out elongation on tricky pieces and how to spread the material with a hammer to get your desired result.  

[bruce500]

thank,s guys

[beammeupscotty]

I would not recommend trying to do any spreading of material with the straight pein hammer in the bottom photo.  The pein is shaped wrong for that sort of work.  That hammer os almost shaped more like a cutter than a straight pein.  Which orientation pein you use depends on what is more comfortable for the specific task you are doing.  When properly shaped, both straight and cross peins do the same job.

[ThomasPowers]

Which to use?  YES!

But as mentioned you want a well rounded peen.  My favorite is an old hammer that looks like it has a piece of 1" round stock as the peen end. I can use that and the horn of my anvil and do a fast smooth job of it.

[Charles R. Stevens]

I acualy think the big one is a Mason's hammer, but grind the pein to a good round (say start with a 3/4" flat spot and round it out from their) start with a 1/2" flat on the cross pein. I have a pair of 3# hammers with half round faces. 

[Frosty]

I agree it looks like a mason's hammer, I have a couple and they make excellent straight pein smithing hammers though the 17lb. sledge eats handles for some reason.

Frosty The Lucky.

[arftist]

Think of the pein as a rolling pin to help visualize metal flow.

A ball pein moves metal in all directions.

As others said the strsight pein needs well rounded.