Diy mandrel?

[Bayviewforge]

How could I make a mandrel or bickiron?

[Glenn]

What size mandrel?  What do you have to work with?

[George N. M.]

Anything round can be used as a mandrel, anything from a piece of round stock, various diameters of pipes, and larger round items like bearing races.  I have even used the edge of my river forge as a mandrel for about 22" diameter.  Or do you want a cone mandrel?

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Latticino]

Assuming you already have a hardy hole you plan on using the bick in, you source a piece of medium carbon steel (I used 4140 for one and an old jackhammer bit for another.  The latter comes with an already forged swell that can work as a seat - see below) that either has a large enough crossection to forge down to fit your hardy (or can be upset to be large enough first).  Isolate the mass for the tennon and forge it to fit that square opening.  Then reheat that area and forge on top of the stock to create a seat for the bick on top of the receiver.  You can also arc or forge weld a collar at that point to build up some mass for a more secure shelf.  Then it is just a matter of forging a long taper of the crossection you want and bending it over to the final configuration.

 

[JHCC]

Funny you should ask; this was my big project last weekend:

 

[ThomasPowers]

For most of my Bickerns I use bull pins that I find at the fleamarket for US$5 and under and then forge or weld a hardy stem on it.

Smaller ones can be made from the end of a section of sucker rod.  Forge the connection to fit your hardy hole, forge the taper you want and then bend to parallel the face of your anvil.

As you must have a good sized metal lathe and a taper attachment I would lathe one from a truck axle.

As you must have a large power hammer I would forge one from a truck axle or RR spike driving sledge.

 

(Here is an example of a non tapered use of a RR sledge---on the left)

  

some not forged but found mandrels:

  

Left most is a penetrator tip from a ballistic missile and has a lovely RING to it! (Quad-State one year.)

 

 (make sure it's EMPTY!) 

 

As you haven't given us enough information to give a good answer; how high is UP?

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

Swing by my shop and I will give you several connector ends from some sucker rods. Even let you use the Star power hammer to do the heavy pounding. Like this one.

[Glenn]

If you can find a pick it has a mandrel on the end. 

Marlin spikes will work as a mandrel.

Depending on what size mandrel you need, you can make a wooden form to act as a mandrel.  It does not have to be a complete mandrel as a section (say 1/4 of a circle, or other dimension) will work.  Bending forks work well in bending, just a tweak here and there.

Most things can be made on the anvil or improvised anvil. The mandrel just makes it repeatable and in some cases easier.  After you make the first one, use that as a mandrel for the rest.

It is not about what you need, it is about how you use what you got.