Flatter Idea

[Mr. Freshman]

I want to make a flatter but don't have a swage block or a big hardy hole on my anvil I have come up with an idea but I dont if it will work or not. This would be great but I'm not sure if it will work.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Welcome from the Ozark mountains. Are you wanting to make a flatter or an anvil hardy tool? Your diagram does not tell us much.

[Goods]

Freshman, what’s your skill level? My first flatter, that I still use now, was a cheap flea market 2~3lb hammer that I upset one off the faces on. I kept the heat focused on that face and upset it with my son as a striker. Needed to  forge the face squarish every other heat. It deformed the eye, but I made a custom handle to fit close enough. It’s a top tool, so a loose fit is not a problem. (That way it can follow a tapper without sending much shock back through the handle.)

I’m planning to make a better looking flatter at some point, but there always seems to be something else to work on…

Stop by, maybe we could hang out and make one on the power hammer. (Maybe you should put you location in your profile. Invitation is serious though!)

Don’t get to hung up on perfection, sometimes it just has to work. (Of course that’s usually me…)

Keep it fun,

David

[Mr. Freshman]

15 hours ago, Irondragon ForgeClay Works said:

. Are you wanting to make a flatter or an anvil hardy tool? 

I was going to make a flatter not hardy tool, (sorry my picture wasn't very good I made it very quickly)

I am a begginer but I want to make my tools if I can istead of buying them I think the flea market hammer is a very good idea and think I will use that istead of making a flatter

15 hours ago, Goods said:

Freshman, what’s your skill level? My first flatter, that I still use now, was a cheap flea market 2~3lb hammer that I upset one off the faces on.

I am a begginer but I want to make my tools if I can istead of buying them I think the flea market hammer is a very good idea and think I will use that istead of making a flatter

Edited June 2, 2022 by Mod30
Trim quotes.

[Frazer]

I don't have a swage block either, but I do have a welder. I made this guy with a piece of 1.5" sq. and some 1/2" leaf spring. If you repurpose a hammer you have 80% of the work done for you. Just make sure you soften the struck end and preheat for your welds. My little hobby welder is way under powered for this heavy of stock so I tacked the pieces together and used the forge to bring everything up to a dull red before I started running stringers.

I made my first flatter the same way Goods describes and it works perfectly fine as well. I'm just sharing another option.

[swedefiddle]

Good Morning,

The first Flatter I had (I still have) is an offcut/drop of 1 1/2" plate, that looks like it has a handle like a Hair Brush. There is no 'Rule' for what counts as a Flatter. If you call it a Flatter, it is a Flatter. Regardless of how it is made. Do not wedge the Handle, let it be a little loose. This stops the vibration from transfering up the handle and bothering your Elbow. Take care of 'YOU', first!!

Neil

[JHCC]

8 hours ago, swedefiddle said:

There is no 'Rule' for what counts as a Flatter. If you call it a Flatter, it is a Flatter.

Well, not really. It has to be useable for making things flat.

Here's a flatter I made from an 8-lb sledgehammer head. I cut it just to one side of the eye and punched a new eye so that I could use the thickest part for the face. Drifting and dressing the sides squared up what had originally been an octagonal cross section.

Since this photo was taken, I've replaced the wooden handle with one made from heavy wire, as the wooden one kept breaking. If I were doing it over again, I'd either drift the eye somewhat larger to take a thicker handle or go with a wrapped handle from the start.

8 hours ago, swedefiddle said:

This stops the vibration from transfering up the handle and bothering your Elbow.

One reason that a number of smiths I know use steel cable for the handles of their power hammer tooling.