Best hammer to start out with

[pnut]

The original poster in this thread had not so much as heated and struck a piece of steel. Making a hammer on your own before ever forging so much as a nail or drive hook sounds like a good way to get frustrated. In a class it's a good project for a beginner, but alone with zero experience doesn't sound like a recipe for success. 

I don't have any help either and for larger stock I use a timing chain hold down. It works great. I have a few different chains from a flat link choker chain, motorcycle and timing chain that I change using a carabiner for different sized stock.

Pnut 

[Jasent]

I would agree that making a hammer should not be a first project.   First you need punches and proper tongs, drift, hardy tools, etc.  

once you've made all the tools you’ll need you should have enough experience to accept your failures, and learn from them.    

I think my first hammer was a 10oz cross peen.   Tiny little thing but I learned a lot.   Was probably my 10th project (just a guess with out visiting the thread to check).  

 

My first hammer I used was a framing hammer that I ground smooth.  It worked fine till I got better options. 

[pnut]

10 minutes ago, Jasent said:

once you've made all the tools you’ll need you should have enough experience to accept your failures, and learn from them.

That's true. I agree 100% 

Pnut

[jlpservicesinc]

Making a hammer is a basic skill set.. 

One does not need a drift, special punch, or the like.. One does not even need special tongs.   

I teach hammer making as a basic skill set..   it's as easy as punching a hole.     

Nearly all the information shown today is about making a fullered cheek hammer..    Is there a reason for the fulled cheeks.. Not really other than it's more labor.. I mean sure we can argue the semantics but hammers did without the larger cheeks for thousands of years. 

It's only since Alec S. came on the seen and populerized the Brian B. Rounding hammer that the good old fashioned rounding hammer took off.. 

Rounding hammers have been around for centuries..   I have a 1907 Heller welding hammer that has fullered cheeks and guess what.. It was made in a forging press. 

Today, people think them old folks from 1700, 1800, and early 1900's were all hacks..   far from it.. they were all on the cutting edge if they were looking at producing for a larger audience. 

The Town smith or the villiage smith was not making for the masses..  they did repairs, made different items but a lot of the stuff was bought in a store..  Or ordered via mail.  

Blacksmithing publications and trade journals were popular for a reason.. 

Anyhow,  If you can punch a round hole..   You have the skill set to make either a double face, a rounding hammer, a cross peen, a stright peen, a diagonal peen, A round or Square punch, or any other variation.  

If you can heat a 2" round or square bar and have the ability to punch a hole fairly accurately..   You don't need anything more than this.. 

I don't remember whether I posted a video on this or not..  I've shown untold folks how to do it..  its really that simple. 

[Jasent]

Sure you don’t need a drift.  You can punch the eye to the shape you want.  You don’t need special tongs just ones appropriate for the stock your using.   No need to do anything to the cheeks.  Also you can forge the round face or grind it.  

But as you said the “ Brian “ rounding hammer is popular and the majority of new Smith’s that plan to make hammers have that very design in mind.   And why not, they are beautiful hammers.  

 

Personally I’ve never made that style but I would like one.   

 

I agree that punching a hole is a very basic skill no matter the stock. 

I just imagine a large chunk of steel with a punch permanently upset in it if it was the very first project.   

There is some skills required to be learned before attempting to punch a hole in large stock.  

Jmo based off my limited experience 

 

jlp i re read your post and some how misunderstood it as saying it was a good first project.  Now I see you where basically saying the same thing as I.   

[BillyBones]

I have made 1 hammer. It is my go to now, just under 3# cross pein ( 3# is what i swing at work all day so that is the weight i like) When i made it i never thought i would use it as much as i do. It is just a rectangle with a wedge cut of one end to make the pein. I have never really cared about the cosmetics of a hammer, or any tool for that matter, but how well i can use that tool. I have hammers that i do not use for one reason or another, like the Snap on hammer i can not stand the handle, but my Blue Point i love. (for those not familiar, Blue Point is Snap on's "knock off" brand.) 

Fullers, chamfers, etc., to me are just cosmetic. After all a hammer is nothing but an object used to hit another object. Does not need to be heavy or hard at all. For example lead and copper hammers.

[jlpservicesinc]

Jasent.. You don't even need anything other than a round punch..   Again, just basic equipment, forge, anvil, hammer..   Oh and a round punch. 

Punching is one the first skill sets taught..  

If a person can cleanly punch a round hole thru 5/8 or 3/4" Sq  then it is the same as doing it on larger stock sizes..  Again, if the person can " Cleanly" punch a round hole all the way through it is exactly the same. .    

I'll see about making a video this week or maybe in the next few..  it's like a 30 or 40 minute project. 

I have a few mild steel hammers I need to make..  So, might be a good opportunity to show the method. 

[Jasent]

14 minutes ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Jasent.. You don't even need anything other than a round punch..   Again, just basic equipment, forge, anvil, hammer..   Oh and a round punch. 

Punching is one the first skill sets taught..  

The op has never even heated a peace of steel.   

A class is a good recommendation. 

 

I make my hammers exactly as you describe except I like oval and not round

 

 

[jlpservicesinc]

I understand that..  And oval adds a level of complexity in a punch that is not needed..  

What happens to a round hole when punched in metal?   It displaces the metal to the outside forming a bulge..   What happens when this bulge is forged or pushed back in.. 

It forms an oval..   

Again, there is no reason for special punches or even mandrels to arrive at the proper eye shape..  

the only reason for an eye punch or mandrel is to dress the eye in the case of an eye punch (it's actually designed to finish the shape vs create the shape) and a mandrel is used to maintain the shape while other forging operations are being performed.  (cheeks, fullering, etc, etc.)

I have explained eye ratios on taper from top to bottom, etc, etc, etc..  

Hammers (because they are just punch metal)  or better yet punching is a basic skill set.. 

The Person my be new,  but as I said..  "Basic skill set"..    So, if he or she works at it,  Maybe a week or 2 they would have it down.. 

If they took a class and could swing a hammer pretty well..  I could have them making hammers in about 4 hrs..  With this knowledge they then can reapply the skill somewhere else and the possibilities become limitless. 

Classes or working with a skilled professional always ramps up the learning ratio. 

[Chris C]

You make it sound so easy, Jennifer.  Glad to hear that because a hammer is one of those "on my list" things to make.

[jlpservicesinc]

If this is the case..  Get in some practice on some 3/4 or 1" square stock and punch a hole through it..  You will see a few things of which will be revealed in the Hammer making video, but I will share them now..  

Use tapered round punches going from about 3/16 up to about 1.25" Round.  The 1.25" will have an obtuse taper or bulbous taper vs straight taper like the smaller sizes..   this last punch sets the hour glass size inside the eye of the hammer.. 

When you punch, punch the smallest hole you can.. Use a coolant on the punch every 2 or 3 hits, pull the punch, cool it and insert it back in the hole..   Use charcoal or Johnsons punch lube or the like so the punch does not stick.  

2 or 3 hits tops.. If done properly it will come out easy.. I usually don't use any lube..  But the charcoal or lube makes it way easier and faster.  (USE Sharp punches )  Sharp means with square edges vs a point. 

You are only going to punch from one side.. Never mind turning it end to end or over.. Just be accurate..  

Pay attention to the depth of the punch.. And before you bottom out, cool the punch and stick in back in,   NOW,  When you get to the other side with the punch you will feel it bottom out,  Pull the punch leaving the metal in contact with the anvil. Cool the punch, and now flip the metal over.. You will see a dark spot with a hollow looking area in the center.. Place the cooled punch on top and give it a few good, fast whacks.  The slug will come out nice and thin.  If done well, the slug wil only be about 1/16" thick..  and there will be no burr at all. 

Now take a heat and punch threw from the side you just removed the slug from.. You will see the bar go from a side taper to no taper with the side walls straight. 

Now take another even heat on this area and insert the next size up in punch.. and punch again.. this time 3 or 4 whacks and the harder you hit it the fast it will drive through and get larger.. 

If the eye is off center.. Cool the side that is off center (long side) and this will drive the punch back to center as the hot side will expand faster and this is how you shift the position of the punch around. 

once you get up to the largest size.. Now is the time you need to decide how large you want the eye to be..  Also, depending on your hammer handle designs.. You can have a very large opening for the bottom so there is more handle material entering the eye so there is larger contact between the handle and hammer..  this is the method I employ.. But there is a thread on here somewhere that points out the ratios I use with drawings and such. 

Once you figure out the hammer handle bottom size you will take the last punch and drive it in about 1/4 the way to set this shoulder or hour glass inside design. 

Now take a good even heat on both sides of the hole and just push these outer bulges back in.. Stop when you get he oval shape you are looking for.. 

It sounds way more complicated than it is.. but I guess it is time I get out in the trailer and make another video.. 

Anyhow on a 2" sq piece once it's up to forging temperature  is about 30 to 40minutes for the punching and setting of the eye..  The remainder is peen work or any other details I want to include. 

[jlpservicesinc]

Just flipping through old books on PDF.. Pulled this for hammer eye shape. 

[Jasent]

23 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Making a hammer is a basic skill set.. 

One does not need a drift, special punch, or the like.. One does not even need special tongs

 

22 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Jasent.. You don't even need anything other than a round punch..   Again, just basic equipment, forge, anvil, hammer..   Oh and a round punch. 

 

16 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said:

Now take another even heat on this area and insert the next size up in punch.. and punch again.. this time 3 or 4 whacks and the harder you hit it the fast it will drive through and get larger.. 

 

16 hours ago, jlpservicesinc said:

once you get up to the largest size.. Now is the time you need to decide how large you want the eye to be..

I’m a bit confused.  You started with saying you just need one round punch but then say you need multiple sizes of round punch?

How many round punches do you use and what increments do you step up to  

i do like the idea of keeping it round then squishing it to oval as that negates the chances of having a crooked eye

[Chelonian]

I'm interested in learning more about this as well. I've used a rather crude oval shaped punch on all the hammers I've made, but I like the idea of using a round punch.

Is your method of punching the eye similar to how Torbjörn does it in the video linked below (minus the power hammer of course), or is it a different technique when working with a hand hammer?

 

[JHCC]

See also this video from Brent Bailey (the punching starts around the 2:20 mark, and there's a good angle showing the hole going from round to oval around 3:10):

 

[Jasent]

Wow that was fast!

[pnut]

That's economy of motion. He didn't waste any movements. 

Pnut

[jlpservicesinc]

2 hours ago, Jasent said:

 

 

 

I’m a bit confused.  You started with saying you just need one round punch but then say you need multiple sizes of round punch?

How many round punches do you use and what increments do you step up to  

i do like the idea of keeping it round then squishing it to oval as that negates the chances of having a crooked eye

For all.  The information i have added is just that.  Just another skill set.  

I'm not attacking how you want to do it or your methods.  

I said all you need is a round punch.  A being the shape not quantity.

Besides who in blacksmithing only owns one round punch?  Even if you need 5 punches it's good practice.

I've probably got 15 punches  in the trailer alone.  

Anyhow, I know it was a sarcastic comment,  but now you can see just how simple it is.

If one really wanted to the could use 1 round punch designed to offer all the facets just in one punch. After all we can forge anything we'd like to.

I dont know anything about these videos. I'll have to watch when I get back.

 

 

[pnut]

I appreciate you taking the time to share information with everyone. You've helped me on many occasions and many times by answering a question or replying to a comment that someone else asked.  

Pnut

[Jasent]

Thank you for clarifying.  I’m liking this method, no worries about crooked eyes.  I’ll give it a go tomorrow 

[jlpservicesinc]

Pnut, 

It's my pleasure really.  It is always funny to me how a discussion about a technique somehow gets turned into a peeing contest. 

Basic skill sets are the foundation for every facet of blacksmithing. 

I'm often confused by how many times something is latched onto as being the best or only way.

It's to bad I dont have more time to forge. I have a bunch of tidbits or secret sauces that people would see and be like "what"!!!!

So, back to the basic skill sets.  Punching,  slitting,  forge welding, drawing out and upsetting . (Of course there are a bunch of subsets).  

But all these applied properly and appropriately will bring about an amazing understanding.

8 minutes ago, Jasent said:

Thank you for clarifying.  I’m liking this method, no worries about crooked eyes.  I’ll give it a go tomorrow 

Pay attention to what your doing and correct as mentioned as you go.  

Im hopeful most can punch a straight, centered hole with practice. 

Say what "practice you say". 

[Mark Ling]

I used the method described, punching with a round punch and flattening the sides when I made this cross pein. I liked it. There’s a picture of it next to old one I took as inspiration. 

[jlpservicesinc]

Nice work. Looks like you hit it right on the head.. The eye geometry looks smack on..  

Well done..    It really is amazing how the metal seems to just want to go back into position and there it is a perfect hammer eye shape..  

What was your finial punch size? 

[Chelonian]

Really nice looking hammer. Do you have a photo of the punch/punches used?

[jlpservicesinc]

hello. so I just watched the video on the tin hammer.  A tin hammer is pretty small.. 

But, yes it is punched in a similar way.     

One thing I wanted to make note of.. Is the thickness of the slug that was removed from the hole.. this is a lot of wasted material..  As mentioned earlier the slug will be very thin when the slug is knocked out.. 

JHCC.. that is kinda it, but this will make a nearly straight hole thru for the eye..    it does push the material back in, but it also does not address the eye shape.. 

Both address pushing the sides back in.. 


As a side note watching videos like this just spurs  me on to make my own.