Hammer eye punch???

[Matthew Hargis]

I have a very large hammer that was used to punch pretty big holes. I’m not really sure exactly what kind of hammer it is actually.  It is kind of in bad shape and I would like to grind it down into a hammer eye punch because I plan on forging or buying a drift soon. Does anyone have any kind of objection to grinding this one down and if so why? 

[Charles R. Stevens]

It’s typicaly easer to use a slot punch and drift a hammer eye. 

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning,

I still use the tip that Tom Clark showed us. Drill 3 pilot holes, use a slot punch, start small and go bigger as required. The 3 pilot holes keep the slot punch following the lead.

Just because you have that punch, doesn't mean it is a good choice. Anything will work, the difference is, will it work for many Hammer Holes? It can be made into a Drift, to be used after the hole is started with a Punch. Sometimes a Handle is an asset, sometimes not.

The lessons of learning, every answer can be made to work. Some lessons create positive thinking, of course it will work! Beware of the child who answers "Why Knot?"

Neil

 

[Matthew Hargis]

Can anyone tell what that hammer was actually made to do?  the end that should be at more of a point is kind of Mushroomed. This steel it is made of seems kind of soft also. I think I will remove the handle and attempt to form it into a drift  provided it is Not too soft

[JHCC]

Matthew, this isn't a hammer, it's a punch. A hammer is something you swing through the air and hit something with; a punch is something you put on your workpiece and hit with a hammer in order to make a hole.

I would say that if you want to make hammers, make yourself a proper hammer eye punch and a drift from scratch (or more precisely, from a car axle or torsion bar), and keep this punch for other uses. Just because you have it and it's kinda like what you'll need does NOT mean that you have to modify it for that use!

[Latticino]

Personally I don't think that handled punch is anything special, and if you wanted to repurpose it into a hammer eye slot punch, I'd say go for it.  As it has mushroomed pretty well, and could probably benefit from a new grain refinement cycle, I would consider removing the handle and reforging the end to a proper slot punch configuration, but you could certainly grind it to shape if you have the tooling available.  A half hr in the forge would shape that up nicely.  I would recommend forging or grinding it so you orient the handle at 90 degrees from the main axis of the hammer blank, so that in-use your tool holding hand isn't in the plane of the striker and is further away from the heat from the hammer blank.

We will be waiting for photos of your first hammers.

[ThomasPowers]

Back when drill involved hand powered drills make large holes in steel or wrought iron was much easier done by heating and hot punching.  When working thick steel the tip of the punch tends to get hot and can upset in the hole if you are not careful!

I like using modern alloys that take the heat better for punching like S-7 or H-13 but lower alloys are easier for a new smith to work with successfully.  

'Go not to the elves for counsel, for they will say both no and yes.'

[Frosty]

That is a top tool as described it's held on the work and struck with a hammer. I have to ditto the gang saying make a slitting punch from either hot tool steel like H13 or high impact resistant steel like S3. If you'd prefer using salvage steel axles are a good medium carbon as are torsion bars, etc. I've been collecting coil springs for tools up to and including a ridiculously LARGE coil spring made from 2.5" wire wrapped in a 12.5 C-C coil some 33" long it was a major chore for two of us to load in in a Saturn Vue with 2" x 4" levers. I guestimate it as weighing at 450 lbs. It came off a large crusher somewhere and  it's mate is still laying abandoned on a vacant lot.

I"m a fan of coil spring stock but I'm experienced evaluating it for suitability, stress levels and micro fractures. I've collected coils from an overhead garage door, motorcycles, autos, trucks up to the mammoth currently blocking my shop door. I also have leaf spring from small to a stack off a 20 yard side dump. Leaf is not high on my list of desirable salvage stock, flat is a LOT harder to work under the hammer than intuition says but it's worth keeping handy.

And that's my experienced opinion. 

Frosty The Lucky.