ThomasPowers Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 For fighting armour like in the SCA they want quite a lot of work hardening to keep it from denting in use. 16 gauge was the lightest thickness allowed for helmets in the SCA and a lot of folks go to 14 or even 12 gauge---the extra weight cuts down on impact shock too. I knew a fellow that used annealed steel and he used to dish the piece---then dish it the other way and then dish it a third time to get the work hardening he wanted---all done cold. Armourers tend to drop out due to RSI to their hands and elbows. Over time more investigated working hot and using medium carbon steels and heat treating them----just like happened in Medieval-Renaissance times! JHCC has the right suggestion: drill it and drop it on the shaft; try to get the shaft and the hole to be a tight fit and perhaps give a squirt of silicone caulk down it before hammering the shaft home.. My headache ball did not come in two halves, and my shaft is threaded into a preexisting threaded hole in it. Once at the scrapyard I bought 6 99# cast iron spherical dock weights---had them sold to SCA armourers the next weekend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavpilot2k Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Yeah, I'm finding that 16 ga is the thickest I would be willing to work cold. 18 ga - no problem. 14 ga will definitely be hot work. I'd love to work carbon steel, but I shudder to think what a 4' x 8' sheet of, say, 1050/1060 would cost compared to around $85 for mild. Also, One would need a huge forge and quench tank for a piece the size of a breastplate. I like the drilling the ball idea - at least I wouldn't have to worry about a weld breaking from hammering on it and dropping a large metal ball on a foot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Another non-forging day (so far, at least), but I did make up an idea I had for new watering can. Open a 28 oz. can of tomatoes on one half of one side of the top, fold the resulting flap under, and punch some holes around the perimeter of the remainder. Sprinkle from one side, for wetting down the coal in the forge: Pour from the corner, for spot cooling of a workpiece: That's the theory, anyway. We'll see how well it works in practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Good idea, I have two cans one for sprinkling and the other for pouring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 12, 2019 Share Posted March 12, 2019 Pretty much how I did mine. That reminds me that I'm due to make a new one since my old one is leaking after 4 years. Not bad for a tin can. And it's only leaking where I welded it to the handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudman Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 First time with tenon and making a lamp hook. Still need to work on the mounting plate. But pleased with it so far. Upsetting the tenon area was a little tricky, I had a monkey tool, but the bar kept warping on me. Looking back at it, I'm assuming it was because I didnt isolate the heat enough. So I ended up using a bolster plate, that worked better for me in this case. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzelik Hammar Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Made a chicken-popper. First thing made in the new shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 Ok, google search is only bringing up jalapeno food items. What's a chicken popper? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted March 13, 2019 Share Posted March 13, 2019 something that is not good for the chicken.. mudman nice work.. very clean work on the tenon.. On 3/12/2019 at 4:05 PM, JHCC said: Another non-forging day (so far, at least), but I did make up an idea I had for new watering can. Open a 28 oz. can of tomatoes on one half of one side of the top, fold the resulting flap under, and punch some holes around the perimeter of the remainder. That's the theory, anyway. We'll see how well it works in practice. What happens if you just drop it into the water? I had a very similar can 30 years ago.. I had a full whiskey barrel which was awesome.. Delivered from Jack Daniels (used to be a fan).. My honey got it for my birthday.. Anyhow, it was deep enough i got tired of chasing the handle/can into it.. its when i came up with the present design which i can simply place in the barrel and it will self right to the hook and grab the edge of the barrel 95% of the time.. I like the large old V8 or Gratefruit steel can's but are hard to find now so i use coffee cans but these are also getting hard to find.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tzelik Hammar Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 1 hour ago, Daswulf said: Ok, google search is only bringing up jalapeno food items. What's a chicken popper? It's for breaking their necks (rabbits too). Dispatches em quick and clean when it's time for soup. The brand name thing is called a "hopper popper" if you need more information and some possibly disturbing videos of how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudman Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Thanks jlpservicesinc. The tenon kept getting wonky on me, had to keep correcting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Hello fellow smith's, i have not posted in a while. I would like to share an update on my journey through this great craft with you all. I am trying to start a small business. I have realized that instead of knife making I love to make hammers and tools alike. I loved watching Brian Brazeal's hammer making videos. I attached some pictures. I have sold 2 3lb hammers in a month. Plus I have to make an axe and rock pick for some people. I am excited to make the axe, that will be a learning experience. I also took Frosty's advise and (with my parent's help) bought the NC cavalry anvil. Which by the way is a great anvil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Nice work metaldms. Great hammer. I tried the old rounding candle holder that I tried once before with less stock. Still a pain lol. Ugh, the bigger you go the more a pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudman Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 metaldrms: awesome hammer Daswulf, I really dig it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Das, making the spiral from HOT material is not bad. When finished and before you form the handle put the spiral on the anvil and true it up. Spike can go in the prichel hole. Then form the handle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 My method is to take a flat plate of steel and drill a hole in the middle of it and weld a piece of angle iron tangent to the hole on the bottom . Then place it on the postvise with the angle iron in the gap between the jaws. Heat a length of stock. stick it through the hole just far enough to get the vise jaw, angle iron vise jaw to grab it tightly when you tighten it and then twirl it around on top of the plate forming the spiral. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Thomas, that sounds interesting and a good approach. However, I didn't get something. I'm not sure if by "tangent" you mean the angle iron is welded to the plate with the hole at 90 degrees to the plane of the plate or along the plane of the plate radiating from the hole. This confusion prevents me from visualizing how the point of the work is secured to start winding the spiral around. Could you please explain further? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Beautiful hammer forging, metaldrms. And fine photography too, I might add. A fair length of round bar in that candle base, Das. Elegant scroll on the handle. Nice. And I had never heard of, or seen anything like a chicken popper either. Wonder what we would call them in Australia? A 'chook hook' perhaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 George N.M. I believe this is what he meant. the black dot is the hole. If this isn't what you had in mind Thomas please let me know and I apologise in advance. This is what I understood your description to represent. Hope this helps . Pnut (Mike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlpservicesinc Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 On 3/14/2019 at 12:20 AM, ThomasPowers said: My method is to take a flat plate of steel and drill a hole in the middle of it and weld a piece of angle iron tangent to the hole on the bottom . Great use of all materials in a simple and elegant way.. metaldrms - great hammer build. Nice lines and weld forged.. by hand, striker, or power hammer? I would make one suggestion these high spots on the octagonal face will create some pretty big dents in the anvils face if miss struck.. I'd suggest just rounding them a tad them points.. I know this from experience but it might also just be older eyes and bad hammer control.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 I hope that one day my good hammer control can rise to the level of Jennifer's bad hammer control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 JHCC, I was thinking that exact same thing. If only.......sigh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conrad.blacksmithing Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Thank you all, I forge with a striker for now but if I get busy then I will probably get a little press. Jlp, I agree I left those there for a sort of self-customization like hammer companies that leave the bevel on their faces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 Glenn, I was trueing it up as I went, and yes spike goes into the pritchel hole. After I was done with thd spiral I heated the whole thing and put the spike in the vise to turn and tighten the whole thing. Thomas, are you pointing the spike after winding the base? Also I'd imagine you take it out for heats, or I guess after the initial a torch could be used. Might give that idea a try. Aus, yes, this will eat up some stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daswulf Posted March 14, 2019 Share Posted March 14, 2019 13 hours ago, Randell Warren said: Dispatches em quick and clean when it's time for soup I use a cut upsidedown road cone and bleed them out. Saw the method on a video and it works well for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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