Scrap rat Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 I did my best to not grind and keep this as authentic as possible, how did i do? How can I improve? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeagle Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 There is no picture posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 From what I can see from here it looks like a fine example. If you put pictures up so we can see it there's a good chance someone can help. Until there's pictures you can't really get any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Sort of depends on your definition of "authentic". Was 4140 used for them back in the day? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeagle Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 Scrap Rat, If you tried to post a picture of the tomahawk, it didn't work. Please try again, we'd love to see it. 3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said: .... Was 4140 used for them back in the day? Thomas, I saw in another post you mention Schrodinger's cat. Myself, I'm fond of infinite monkey theory, so perhaps in some totally random smelting, out of the hundreds of thousands of them done since mankind moved from bronze to iron, there was one where the random mix of elements fortuitously resulted in a perfect 4140 formulation. Maybe some lucky centurion or viking back in the day had a 4140 sword or battle axe, hmmmm......probably not, but technically, not a zero probability. Have a nice day . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap rat Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Sorry guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Cochran Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 That's pretty good looking first go. I know you said you didn't want to grind to keep it authentic but I would have at least used a file for a few minutes to neaten the profile a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeagle Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I think you did great. Even without grinding there's ways to forge a cleaner arc on the bottom. With the fullering on the neck of the poll it almost looks like you made it from a ball peen but I can see the pic where you used round stock and drifted the eye yourself. Good job. Did you do any heat treat to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap rat Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 No i only heat treated the cutting edge... normalized the body.... i needed it for Flintlock Muzzeloader season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 Nice work, tho I have looked at a lot of the information out their, most tomahawks were small heads (like yours) but almost all lacked a a hammer poll, those that did were mostly pipe tomahawks and some with back spikes like boarding axes. That said, nice work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redeagle Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 I agree with Charles. I was going to make similar comments but am trying to keep my post length down...I tend to run on a bit. A few years ago I did research into colonial tools and looking at only period pieces, that is correct. The first tomahawks were simple trade axes made of a folded iron strap with no poll. Almost all the later ones I saw with polls were spikes and seem to be oriented as weapons. For bushcraft I think the hammer poll is really useful. Again, nice job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 What I was lead to belive from my research is the spike was originally based on boarding axes, and more popular with the natives, wile the pouch or belt axe more popular with the long hunters and other colonial woods men (including those issued to troops) was less than a pound and had no hammer poll or spike. That in no way detracts from your work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted October 21, 2016 Share Posted October 21, 2016 5 hours ago, Scrap rat said: No i only heat treated the cutting edge... normalized the body.... i needed it for Flintlock Muzzeloader season That's the first muzzeloading tomahawk ive ever seen in flintlock. All of mine are percussion cap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap rat Posted October 21, 2016 Author Share Posted October 21, 2016 Thanks guys! Charles, were they mostly wrap eye hawks? 39 minutes ago, C-1ToolSteel said: That's the first muzzeloading tomahawk ive ever seen in flintlock. All of mine are percussion cap. Ahhhh wise guy eh? Cant use percussion Tomahawks in PA! So this one obviously is a flintlock! A hawk finishes MUCH faster than a knife... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrap rat Posted October 22, 2016 Author Share Posted October 22, 2016 Thanks Redeagle and Charles! I guess i need to do my research on that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 22, 2016 Share Posted October 22, 2016 And your matching long knife... Wrap and weld hasn't always been used for axe/hammer eyes, but wraught lends it's self to it because of the wood grain like structure. Not the only ways it was done in the historical record, buy certainly the most common in period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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