MilwaukeeJon Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Would you recommend heat treating a 1045 hammer drift in any way, normalize it, or nothing at all? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Welcome to IFI, @MilwaukeeJon. Please head over to the Introduce Yourself page and let us know who you are -- but please Read This First! In answer to your question, most folks here seem to favor leaving drifts as-forged. You can see what others have said previously (on this and other questions) by searching the previous threads. The forum's native search function isn't great -- you'll get better results from using the search engine of your choice and including "iforgeiron.com" as one of your search terms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 To further expand on this, think about how you use a hammer drift. What happens to the the drift wile it is in the eye and you forge the sides of the eye down. It gets hot, even exceeding 500f. There by losing its temper. Use somthing tough like spring or shafting side steps this issue, as it's plenty tough in its as forged state. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 which is why many of us prefer the high alloy steels like H-13 or S-7 for tools that will be buried in hot metal---they have much higher draw temperatures---like 1000 degF; on the other hand you don't quench them in use but let them cool on their own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilwaukeeJon Posted October 2, 2017 Author Share Posted October 2, 2017 Many thanks for the drift info and advice on searching. For smaller hammers (under 2lbs) do you think a 1045 drift would suffice? I’m near Speedy Metals so I can get harder steel, but my arm won’t like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Latticino Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I've used a 4140 drift to make a good handful of hammers so far. It tends to be a little prone to bending when it gets hot, but with care and regular cooling it works pretty well. Unfortunately the smaller the hammer head, the smaller the eye and the more prone the drift is to distorting in use. I would take some care with the slitting/punching operation and try to minimize the drifting required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 You get into a rhythm: strike strike quench or strike strike strike quench repeat as necessary Also look up punch lube Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotshoein4 (Mark) Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Don't you usually want a little nickel and chromium in the drift steel to make it a little tougher opposed to just a carbon steel? If using 4140 to drift, is it ok to dunk in water or is it going to make it brittle and explode? I made a mini axe and made a small drift from s7. It worked perfect and no distortion while drifting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Xx40 is usualy safe to water quench from critical, from dull red or cooler it's no problem. XX40 usualy won't reach more than the mid R50's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hotshoein4 (Mark) Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Xx40 is usualy safe to water quench from critical, from dull red or cooler it's no problem. XX40 usualy won't reach more than the mid R50's. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Welcome aboard Jon, glad to have you. If you'll put your general location in the header you might be surprised how many of the gang live within visiting distance. Yeah, 1045 will be fine, just don't let it get more than dull red before cooling it. As Thomas says develop the rhythm two maybe three strikes remove, dip in water, wipe with punch lube and repeat. The chill and lube cycle is a good time to rotate the hammer head 180 so you're striking from the other direction. NOT flip it over, just turn it around so the face is going the other direction. It's hard to strike even close to perfectly vertical, we're all a little canted. So, turning the head every time you chill the punch or drift lets the error cancel out. Does that make sense? Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilwaukeeJon Posted October 3, 2017 Author Share Posted October 3, 2017 Thanks all and yes indeed I’m prone to be canted! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 I cant even.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilwaukeeJon Posted October 4, 2017 Author Share Posted October 4, 2017 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Good Morning Jon, I was shown by Tom Clark to lay out where you would like your Handle Hole, Drill 3(three) - 1/4" holes, about 3/8" to 1/2" between them. This keeps your punch on center and doesn't move to one side, like could happen free-hand. You can Heat Treat your punch if you would like the exercise, the Temper will be all gone by the time you are halfway through your first hole. I make mine from pieces of axle or Truck Tie-Rod. Talk to your local Auto Wrecker, down payment starts with a box of Do-nuts. A Thank You would be a Hammer they can and will use, not a forging hammer, but a Hammer hammer Please enter your locale in your Avatar. I thought Milwaukee was a Beer, shows how much I know, never mind the bottle, a pitcher will do!! Enjoy your journey getting Hammered Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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