Forging my first hammer

[jmorin]

I am attempting my first forged hammer.  I started off with a 2 inch x 5 inch piece of a shaft from a drilling rig. 

3 hours of heating in a coal forge, hammering by hand with a 8 ish lb sledge I almost have the hole punched all the way through.  any thoughts or criticism is appreciated.

Here is a pic of how far I got and what I started with.

[NickOHH]

Looks good, the whole is a bit big for my liking, I use a much thinner punch with a v shaped tip with 4 facets on it, takes out a very thin plug , makes it nice and easy to drive through.  Just make sure to get it good and hot and stop once you see the color fading a bit, but keep at em and they will get easier! Can't wait to see the finished hammer.

[Mark Ling]

This is personal preference, but I prefer my hammers shorter, but that isn't anything you cant still change. I would have cut it at about 4 1/4" long, which would give you about a 3.5lb hammer. Or you could go the route of upsetting what you have, but if you are fine with that length, than that's all that matters!

I believe this is what NickOHH is suggesting, but I recommend using a v bit punch, the style Brian Brazeal uses. I will include some pictures of some punches of this style, just to try and give you an idea. They are a very efficient way of punching, and are the most efficient punch for punching stock of that size, or at least from my experience. Here is a thread that I started of me going through the "evolution of tool making" building up to making my first hammer, or at least my first hammer that I directed.

The most important part of this tool, other than the structure, because obviously if you have poor structure, than it may not hold up to constant sledge hits from a beginner striker. Like I was saying, the second most important thing is the grind of the punch tip. If it isn't ground properly, either it wont punch a plug, or it wont be as efficient as it could be with the "correct" grind.

Here is just some other tools used in the hammer making process.

here is some tools that i made for the hammer making process, which can be seen along with others in the thread I included above. Hope this all helps a little, it looks like you are off to a good start, which is to start!

                                                                                                                                     Littleblacksmith

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning, Jay

You have started the School of Hard Knocks. You will learn what works and what doesn't work, hopefully.

Hammer Handle Holes are oval and Hour Glass shape. This way your Handle won't twist and it can be wedged into the Head properly. Loose Heads are not wanted!! The Little Blacksmith showed you some pictures of his Brian Brazeal style, Handle punch, it is not a Hammer. The Handle is allowed to be loose in the Head, This minimizes the vibration of the Blow to your Elbow.

You now have a hole through your piece. Now make a Handle Drift. A Hammer Handle Drift will take you from round to Oval. Make the Drift from a piece of car axle, or similar. Work from both sides, this will create the Hour-Glass shape.

By starting out making your own Hammer, you will realize the value!! Prices of other Hammers will become worth-while.

Enjoy the Journey.

Neil

 

[Mark Ling]

7 hours ago, swedefiddle said:

The Handle is allowed to be loose in the Head, This minimizes the vibration of the Blow to your Elbow.

I wouldn't necessarily say that they are loose. I would just say that they arnt wedged, but after some striking, the head will get loose, and so you have to hit the handle on a hard surface to put the head back on tight. A couple reasons why top tools (struck tools) are not wedged, is because you will be constantly breaking handles, and with it not being wedged, it is easy to take out what is left from he eye, and slide in another one. Another reason, is because with beginner strikers, or even advanced strikers, you will have to do some check ups on the tool. Whether that is straightening out a bent punch tip, or re-grinding it, it is easier to do that without the handle in it, and then you can put the handle back in.

About the drift. How I would recommend you do it, is that you take an axle like Swedefiddle mentioned, or a sway bar, etc., and forge about a 10 inch taper, the tip should be about 1/2" or 3/8" thick. Then, flatten out that taper on two sides, and that will give you a capsule shape, ideal for a hammer eye. Now, since your drift was a taper, your eye will be a taper. put the handle in from the small side, and wedge it from the large side. This is easy to find out what side is larger, either by when you are forging it, put your touch mark on the large side, or after forging, re insert the drift, and then do that from the other side. which ever side that the drift goes in farther is the large side. If you wedge it like I told you, the head should stay on much better than if you wedged it from the small side, much better.

                                                                                                                                Littleblacksmith

[jmorin]

Thank You all for the suggestions and ideas.  I did not have time this week to finish but hope to next.  I only have one evening a week to forge

[Andrew Martin]

On ‎2‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 9:52 PM, littleblacksmith said:

The most important part of this tool, other than the structure, because obviously if you have poor structure, than it may not hold up to constant sledge hits from a beginner striker. Like I was saying, the second most important thing is the grind of the punch tip. If it isn't ground properly, either it wont punch a plug, or it wont be as efficient as it could be with the "correct" grind.

Littleblacksmith, do you know what angle your punch tip is ground at? I've been searching for a number but can't seem to find one. Anyhow, thanks for the close-up photos, I can already tell that my slitter punches need to be ground at a less acute angle.

[JME1149]

On 2/25/2017 at 8:17 AM, littleblacksmith said:

Now, since your drift was a taper, your eye will be a taper. put the handle in from the small side, and wedge it from the large side.

This is something I've been wondering about lately, do you drift the taper only from one side (the top), or is it drifted from both the top & bottom for the hourglass shape as Swedefiddle indicated?

[Jimmyiorn]

I drift from both at gives it the hourglass shape,

JME   Im from Canonsburg where abouts are you from? You a member of PAABA

[jmorin]

Status Update:  I finally punched through and started to drift the hole.  I did some math and I am going to end up with a 8 pound hammer.  I am going to hack off about 3/4 to an inch on both ends before I start making the fullers.  Should bring it down to around 5 ish pounds.  This is a lot of work I have so much respect to those who do this on a regular basis or have made their own hammers.  .

[jlpservicesinc]

Congrats on getting through..  Sizable stock for a beginner.. 

FYI,,  Hand hammers (all of them) had straight eyes and they actually had ears welded to the inside of the eye... These thin strips were then nailed through holes onto the wooden handle thus secured the handle to the head.. 

The story goes a Man named David Maydole was the first person to use an oval eye that was tapered top and bottom and side to side,  Whether that is true or not I don't know.. 

I can tell you that ideally a hammers eye does not need to be drifted once punched large enough if punched from both sides with a round punch.. Just forge back in the sides and it will create an oval eye both in length and from top to bottom...  

The slotting punch style of Brazeal minimizes this eye egging out of the sides as you are really slotting it vs a round punch..  It's a modified slotting punch.. This allows for enough spacing to get a drift in to  both drift the eye and forge the sides of the hammer.. 

Also, if you are working by yourself the Brazeal style rounding hammer can be a lot of work by yourself..  

 

Also FYI..  Most top tools or handled punches in a vintage blacksmith shop were left overs from Wagon repairs.. the top tools were left with straight sides so as the handles wore you would just stick them in farther.. Mistaken hit, snapped a handle big deal just grab a spoke out of the burn pile and good to go.. 

 

Anyhow, so far looking good..  Have you figured out what your favorite hammer weight is yet? 

[ThomasPowers]

I'd take that with a large grain of salt as I can show you medieval hammers without ears; shoot I can show you a roman hammer without ears.  DM was famed for his adze eye hammers being an improvement on the general run of things but that "ears" story is wrong!"The Carpenter's Tool Chest", Thomas Hibben, does show 2 hammers with such langets in his Development of the hammer chart: Middle ages Germany and 17th century England; however they are surround by other hammers that don't have them and I can dig out other examples from those dates and places that don't have them as well.  (De Re Metallica has a number of good hammer illustrations for instance)

(There is another common Urban Legend that a Quaker Lady invented the Circular saw; yes she patented an improvement to it but they had been know for several centuries before her patent.  Shoot someone patented the crank even though it had been in use over 800 years ago,,,)

[gote]

I concur with Thomas, My oldest hammers (150+ years) have no ears and the Mästermyr tools do not have any.  In my part of the world I have never seen a hammer with ears. (only on axes but never with holes for nailing) Carpenter's claw hammers used to be secured by two (loose) strips of steel. These had a kind ot hook that pulled the far corners of the hammer head towards the handle and were nailed to the handle. The hole in the head had its smaller end on the far side.

[jlpservicesinc]

35 minutes ago, gote said:

I concur with Thomas, My oldest hammers (150+ years) have no ears and the Mästermyr tools do not have any.  In my part of the world I have never seen a hammer with ears. (only on axes but never with holes for nailing) Carpenter's claw hammers used to be secured by two (loose) strips of steel. These had a kind ot hook that pulled the far corners of the hammer head towards the handle and were nailed to the handle. The hole in the head had its smaller end on the far side.

Thanks for the clarification..   I was just posting what I had read some 30+ years ago.. Nice to have updated info.. Makes sense though since who would straighten an eye once punched.. Not eye..  

[JHCC]

8 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

I(There is another common Urban Legend that a Quaker Lady invented the Circular saw; yes she patented an improvement to it but they had been know for several centuries before her patent.  Shoot someone patented the crank even though it had been in use over 800 years ago,,,)

Shaker; not Quaker.  Also, the Shakers didn't patent their sawblade. Circular blades were certainly known earlier (especially in China), but weren't in anything approaching common use.

[jmorin]

I haven't found my favorite weight as of yet .  I have only been pounding steel for about a couple of months.  But I feel that the more tools I make my self the better.

[jlpservicesinc]

13 minutes ago, jmorin said:

I haven't found my favorite weight as of yet .  I have only been pounding steel for about a couple of months.  But I feel that the more tools I make my self the better.

True dat..  

[ThomasPowers]

Thanks for the correction; I should have reviewed my information first.  

[JHCC]

7 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

Thanks for the correction; I should have reviewed my information first.  

At least you didn't confuse Tabitha Babbitt (legendary inventor of the circular sawblade) with Isaac Babbitt (actual inventor of babbitt metal).

[Nicholas_Killmeier]

On 2/24/2017 at 10:52 PM, littleblacksmith said:

This is personal preference, but I prefer my hammers shorter, but that isn't anything you cant still change. I would have cut it at about 4 1/4" long, which would give you about a 3.5lb hammer. Or you could go the route of upsetting what you have, but if you are fine with that length, than that's all that matters!

I believe this is what NickOHH is suggesting, but I recommend using a v bit punch, the style Brian Brazeal uses. I will include some pictures of some punches of this style, just to try and give you an idea. They are a very efficient way of punching, and are the most efficient punch for punching stock of that size, or at least from my experience. Here is a thread that I started of me going through the "evolution of tool making" building up to making my first hammer, or at least my first hammer that I directed.

The most important part of this tool, other than the structure, because obviously if you have poor structure, than it may not hold up to constant sledge hits from a beginner striker. Like I was saying, the second most important thing is the grind of the punch tip. If it isn't ground properly, either it wont punch a plug, or it wont be as efficient as it could be with the "correct" grind.

Here is just some other tools used in the hammer making process.

here is some tools that i made for the hammer making process, which can be seen along with others in the thread I included above. Hope this all helps a little, it looks like you are off to a good start, which is to start!

                                                                                                                                     Littleblacksmith

Looks like good stuff man. Did you do a Brian Brazeal or Alec Steel class by chance? These look just like the tools we'd get from Alec's Evo class.

[Mark Ling]

 

 

Looks like good stuff man. Did you do a Brian Brazeal or Alec Steel class by chance? These look just like the tools we'd get from Alec's Evo class.

I have alecs online classes, and I have taken a class with Matt Marti who was taught by Brian Brazeal and is good friends with alec. Then I have also gone over to Matt's and have forged some tools to make hammers. I have also made a rounding hammer on my own, a cupping tool, small bottom fuller, hammer eye drift, large bottom fuller, and 2 sets of hammer eye tongs.

                                                                                                                           Littleblacksmith

[Nicholas_Killmeier]

Nice! I took the seminar with Alec when he came to Canada. It was absolutely amazing. And his video series is definitely worth the money if you can't take the seminar. Just finished my first rounding hammer today with a first time striker.