Tool making

[M.G.]

Hey guys, hope your holidays were great! Sorry for going dark for a while there. The Wife and I bought a new house last summer, so most of my time has been consumed with projects outside of blacksmithing. So I won't bother you with the details.

I have yet to set up the smithy on the new property, but don't think I have not been working towards it.

Yesterday I ventured up to Portland to visit Andrew of Portland Ironworks at his shop for a private lesson on tool making. Where he shared some insights to his process and techniques on some of the machines. 

We set out to make the hand tools necessary for making hand tools for use at the anvil independently and with a striker. We decided to start with the tools for making handled top tools and hammers.  

After running through the processes a handful of times on the machines, and after a quick BBQ lunch break Andrew handed me a piece of 40140  4140 and with a little bit of guidance and a watchful eye cut me loose on the Coal Ironwors 25ton forging press and the air driven 55lb powerhammer. Time to make a top tool. I decided to keep it simple and make a set hammer.

Used the press to punch the eye, and fuller the cheeks. The powerhammer to form the striking and struck ends. And the drifting of the eye was done at the anvil. 

At the end of the day we had filled out my tool collection with a set of top fullers with opposing orientation, a bottom fuller to match all from 4140. A handled hotpunch made from H13. A hammer eye drift. And a set hammer. 

It was a super awesome experience,  and really nice to be back in a workshop making things. 

[JHCC]

Excellent. Nice work.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

With the amount and quality of the tools you were able to make in one session, I would say outstanding.

[M.G.]

Thanks guys.

IronDragon, just to be clarify, the only tool I made from start to finish was the set hammer. Although I did get to work in on a few of the processes on the other tooling as well.

The amount of experience was worth it alone, the tools are the bonus as i see it.

 

Ps. Having all those nice machines sure helps speed up the process of tooling up.

Now I really want a power hammer. Bad.

[M.G.]

Also sorry for the typo in the OP it was meant to specify that we mostly used 4140 (Not 40140) for pretty much all these tools. Excluding the punch, which was made from H13.

[ThomasPowers]

Not using an 1.4% carbon alloy?  How odd!  I hoard my old Black Diamond 1.2% C files for juicing up billets...

[M.G.]

Hahahaha. That might be a bit brittle for the job. 

Interesting, does that help counteract de carb from forge welding?

[ThomasPowers]

Well with carbon migration you need to look at what the average C content will be; if it looks to be a bit low a couple of layers of 1.2%  can juice it up nicely.  They also do well for san mai blades where softer sides will support a harder more brittle center.

So; as it increases the total C in the blade; yes it can help with decarb from forge welding.

[M.G.]

Noted