Mende Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I always liked those paladins/knights in movie and games wielding immense warhammers and mauls Not the armor piercing one-hander but the huge sledge type that has a head as big as a baby. Although I am working on one made of hardwood reinforced with steel plates and straps and stuff. . I would like to make one that is completely of steel or wrought. But I don't know exactly what to use or how to get materials and well I basicly know nothing. What scrapyard found part could I machine into a huge hammerhead? or what type of factories use/make huge hammerheads and for what are they generally used? BTW I remember seeing that someone had a big hammer and was intending to use it for a treadle hammer or something. who might that be? EDIT: Jeremy K has a huge hammer .. . a finishing hammer he calls it .. here's a link finishing hammer LOL - Blacksmith Picture Gallery where does one obtain sch hammers from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete46 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 What The---- Atomic Anvil Molester!!!!!!!! Would Like To See A Demo Of You Useing It,ha!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I handled a real medieval one that was on loan from the armor museum in Vienna. It was basically an oversized framing hammer with a spike on the back instean of a split claw. Head probably weighed only 3 lbs but the handle was about 30 inches. Had two straps that went down the sides of the handle to reinforce the wood. I am 6 foot, 220 lbs but they must have had real men back in the day - I would not want to be swinging that in the summer while wearing a suit of armor. Sign me up to be an archer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Pete - It's not mine ... altho I envy who ownz it ... Hwooldridge - I'm not talking about the small one hand anti armor models I'm talking about the huge MAUL like railroad sledge style hammers. . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredlyFX Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Mende, I doubt those types of hammers were actually used in any kind of mideval combat. I would suspect that they are an invention of hollywood, where the actor only has to swing it for a minute or two and then they cut to the next shot. I used to fight live steel and used a mace sometimes that weighed about 3lbs, and it wore me out in a couple of minutes. I seriously doubt that anyone would go into combat with a weapon that was so slow almost anyone could dodge it, and that would wear you out in a few minutes. Just isn't practical. They did use smaller hammers because they worked well against armor. If you could strike the joints with the hammer side you would dent them and limit mobility. Then spin it and give a blow to the head or neck with the point and it was all over. One thing I have seen for the large fantasy hammers you are talking about at the Ren Faires is they make them from 12ga sheet metal and weld all the corners. It looks solid, but is easy to carry around all day. Grind them all smooth and then paint it to look like wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 I understand .. altho I just wanted to make one for the xxxx of it. .. I know that small hammers are efficient against armor ..but I just wanted to own a life-sized replica of the same weight that a cybernetically/genetically/magically enhanced "hero" would use even tho I am fully aware that I could only hit something ONCE with it and I would need a long nap . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Patrick Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Well, If you have a model in mind to follow, perhaps you could weld smaller stock together to achieve the rough final size and shape. Then, forge the final shape to it. Good luck drifting a hole into a block like that! I agree,, it would be really cool to have. I think I would put it on my desk at work, hang a tag on it that says "COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT". Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Don't forget also that iron was very expensive until c.150 years ago, and steel c. 5x more expensive than iron. I don't know what economic class these might be wielding this enormous hammer, but it's my thinking that only nobility could afford such... or possibly courtiers and high-ranking, highly skilled 'peasents'; armourers etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Patrick Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 It would be pretty good at opening walnuts and clams. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 For an interesting war hammer look into a "lucerne hammer". But yes the *real* two handed warhammers used on foot were not that heavy---twice the size of the mounted horseman's hammer; but still pretty light---blame the movies and bookcover artists! Heavy equals slow and hard to change direction due to momentum and those equal *DEAD* in a fight! The Wallace Collection Catalog has several examples of both types of warhammer with *detailed specs* on weight and size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted January 22, 2008 Author Share Posted January 22, 2008 Well, If you have a model in mind to follow, perhaps you could weld smaller stock together to achieve the rough final size and shape. Then, forge the final shape to it. Good luck drifting a hole into a block like that! I agree,, it would be really cool to have. I think I would put it on my desk at work, hang a tag on it that says "COMPLAINT DEPARTMENT". Phil LOL ...I was also thinking about casting one in bronze. . .to eliminate the drifting problem ...( altho there are other methods to assemble a block with a hole through it .. like weld together shorter pieces in the middle. .and whole longer piece for the exterior and face ..) But my casting equipment is rather limited. . my small crucible would never hold enough bronze to cast it all in one go.. . Would casting it in "layers" work?. .or would it just separate at the seams and break the mould and such? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Patrick Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 I would suspect that it would run a high risk of coming apart upon impact. I wonder if you could cast each pour in such a way that the next layer would pour into some feature, locking it together. I've attached a pretty crude drawing to show. Let me know how it turns out.hammer.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Walker Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 You could buy the #110 anvil from Harbor freight for ~$70, take a torch or other cutting tool and cut out the shape you want, then drill a huge hole in it with a drill press. Then get a solid 1inchish bar the length you want and weld it into the hole. You could probably get a decent looking #50 steel hammer out of that anvil. Personally I would get a block of wood and put some heavy steel plating on it and weld them on somehow, then use that solid bar and mount it in somehow. You could get the same size as the solid steel anvil, but it'd be like 10-20lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rthibeau Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 http://www.dancingfrogforge.com/WarHammer1.JPG a smaller version of a warhammer, about 3.5# Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrynjr Posted January 22, 2008 Share Posted January 22, 2008 You could buy the #110 anvil from Harbor freight James, Mende is from Romania. Probably cost $500 to ship that anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted January 23, 2008 Author Share Posted January 23, 2008 If I'd make some trips to some villages I could get a truckload of wrought anvils for that ..but I wouldn't ruin the for a thing like this. .I consider them shop jewelry I think I'll either weld a lot of stock together and see where I can forge weld everything together...as I don;t have a power hammer ... or find a bigger crucible. .and cast it all in one go. . I'm currently working on a hardwood model..the head it about 10Lbs plus about 2-4Lbs after adding iron rings and hard faces for reinforcement .. .and a handle that ends with a Spike collar style mace piece I scrounged from a gym ( was used to keep weights from falling of heavy lifting bars.) ..I hope it will bring balance . .as it weighs about 2-3 pounds too The wooden one could reach over 20Lbs so imagine what an iron or bronze one would be . ..I better go hit the Gym right now :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KevinD Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 In honor of this thread...I watched 300 last night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mende Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 :))))) Tip: never watch the Making Of of the movie before the movie itself .. the whole movie was made in one hall ..that and you wouldn't expect the guy that played the king to have such an Irish accent in real life Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 The first Conan movie with Schwarzenegger had a big wooden one with iron bands, which was used by one of the bad guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 I am not sure how big this will be but a sledge hammer head in about 16 pounds (7Kilos?) may be a good start Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julian Posted January 24, 2008 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Mende, making the head out of wood with a hole in it for the handle, then welding plate steel on the outside would be your best bet. You need a good foundry setup to cast that much metal. Why paladin hammers? They're such a lame class :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Martin Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 here is a link to one that a guy made over on DFoggKnivesSmall Warhammer - Bladesmith's Forum Board andWarhammer from RR Spike - Bladesmith's Forum Board The first one is fairly big and the second one is small but if you scaled it up to a bigger proportion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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