I am trying to make a tomahawk from 1" round stock. I square the stock then drive my cutting chisel through the hot steel. At this point the hole looks good, with even amount of metal on each side. Now when I drive my drift through the right side (with blade facing me) buldges out more then the left. I have done this twice and both time I got the same results. Any suggestions? Any ideas how to true up the hawk heads I have drifted? :confused:
Thanks for you help. William
Broken Chain forge

Assuming that you have equal metal on each side, heat up the head and then put the drift in the hole and then place the head over a gap, top of your leg vice or the like, with the bulge suspended in the middle, and hammer down on the side to re-center the hole. This has worked for me for straightening out drifted holes that ... drift to the side (for lack of a better term)

Using a cup of water, cool the side that starts to thin more than the other. Work from both sides and go slowly - e.g., two full hammer licks on the drift, then flip it and do two more with the same force. Take your time - better to take a few more heats than spoil the whole job.

After you've squared the stock, anneal it and then drill a 5/32" hole at each end of what will be the eye, taking great care to ensure that the holes are dead center on the bar, and straight through (if your off a few degrees the eye will come out crooked). The two 5/32" holes will be at each end of your hot cut, and will keep the tool cutting true through the steel.

The two things that effect how well the hole will drift out is evenness of heat, and hammer control. If either side of the hole is even a little hotter than the other, it will bulge to that side. If you hit glancing blows, rather than straight impacts on the drift, that will push things off too. One final thought on drifting the eyes on hawks. Partially drift the eye, then finish forging out the head/blade, and complete the drift when your about 95% completed with forging. That way you don't stretch the eye and get it over sized by the time you done.

For a number of years now, I have been making the bodies of my hawks from mild steel, and forge welding a high carbon bits into them. The reason I went this direction is that hawks tend to endure a LOT of abuse, and unless you differentially heat treat one made of total high carbon/ally steel, chances are you going to get it back sooner or later because of a failure.

Reversing the stock each heat helps also. If the bit is facing you, reverse it the second heat. Back and forth.
One of these days I'm gonna build an anvil just for drifting hawks.

The side that has less bulge can be forged on to lengthen it, and equal out. . .. .
And trust me, it doesn't take much to move it. You can spend all day chasing it back and forth, so hit once and check, rather than twice to find out you needed once.