Jasent Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Doing some research I do believe it is a large coal hammer. The flat side has a large chip in it so I'm thinking it's been used for some thing else aswell. I may forge down the pointed end some and make it a heavy handled punch for hammers and such. Thanks for the info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-1ToolSteel Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 On March 8, 2017 at 10:23 AM, Wayne said: It looks similar to what I know say a coal hammer, my grandad used one for smashingle up the largest bits for the fire. He was a mineral not a Smith. xxxx auto predict I have no idea what that last statement was supposed to mean, but watch your language. I would also be interested if there are any other opinions on what that thing is. I saw one made by Atha that was 3 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I had one of those once, years ago. Lost it in the Great Dissolution of 1992. Coal hammer makes a lot of sense: the flat part was much more a striking face than a struck face, and the pointy end would make sense for breaking up big chunks. Remember that this would probably be used by someone with a coal furnace or the like, rather than by a smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I don't think it is a coal hammer. Mine is too heavy a beast for that. The domestic coal hammers I have seen are much lighter and double ended...just a tapering to a hemisphere end. If it was for an industrial or commercial sized furnace I would doubt the need to break the lumps down. My one has a flat on the end of the taper so has all the appearance of a metal punch. Maybe the big flat face was for driving a chisel or punch....I also keep thinking of slaters' drilling hammers and wondering about lead workers punching holes through sheet lead. The taper could be used as a podger to align holes for riveting and the big flat face would be good for thumping a rivet head or rivet snap. Two minutes later.....having thought of rivets I did a Google search on riveting hammer and hey presto!.... "Titanic riveting hammer" comes up. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Most of the coal hammers I have seen have been cast iron and the hammer(s) I have seen like this are steel. The end is not a good shape to align holes---compare it to a bull pin for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Yes, mine is a steel drop forging, you can see the flashing shear on the sides. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 The full length handled image is from the Belfast Museum and is listed as a riveters' hammer. The caption was not included for some reason. Third try..... Alan This rivet hammer was used to knock red hot rivets into steel plates. Riveting was an important part of building the Titanic. Riveting squads in the Harland & Wolff shipyard were usually three men and one or two young boys aged 14 or older. A boy heated the rivets in a furnace to a temperature of around 650 degrees Celsius. Then a boy, called a ‘Heater’ or ‘Rivet Catcher’, would hold it in tongs and run or climb to where it was needed before it cooled off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 3 minutes ago, Alan Evans said: This rivet hammer was used to knock red hot rivets into steel plates. Riveting was an important part of building the Titanic. Riveting squads in the Harland & Wolff shipyard were usually three men and one or two young boys aged 14 or older. A boy heated the rivets in a furnace to a temperature of around 650 degrees Celsius. Then a boy, called a ‘Heater’ or ‘Rivet Catcher’, would hold it in tongs and run or climb to where it was needed before it cooled off. Here's a great video of some women riveters ("Rosies") throwing red-hot rivets in a shipyard during WWII: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Evans Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 I remember seeing an old film of rivet throwing...I seem to remember the rivet heated on the dockside going up the side of the ship on stages of scaffolding in three or four throws and bucket catches to the riveters...most impressive. Alan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 There's this one too, which shows one of the riveters catching rivets with his gloved hands! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVjS1DsqYvo I first saw footage of thrown rivets in historical film of the building of the Empire State Building in NYC. One hopes that a missed rivet would have time to air-cool before it got to street level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Well at any high elevation it wouldn't really matter... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 4 hours ago, C-1ToolSteel said: I have no idea what that last statement was supposed to mean, but watch your language. I would also be interested if there are any other opinions on what that thing is. I saw one made by Atha that was 3 lbs. This one is closer to 8lbs. It's 9 1/2" long Pic of the damaged face Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 8, 2017 Share Posted March 8, 2017 Take a look at this 5lb Ship or top maul. http://www.hammersource.com/Maul-and-Punch/5-lb.-Ship-or-Top-Maul-high-carbon-steel-heat-treated-32-wood-handle/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 57 minutes ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said: Take a look at this 5lb Ship or top maul. http://www.hammersource.com/Maul-and-Punch/5-lb.-Ship-or-Top-Maul-high-carbon-steel-heat-treated-32-wood-handle/ I think we have a winner! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51 Papy Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Stopped by Tractor Suppy in St Joseph, MO. They were the only store showing nut coal in stock in the areas I travel for work. 29 bags of coal followed me home at $2.00 a bag. Regularly $5.99 here. Got some nut and rice. Bags were not great but good enough to get to the 55 gal drum. Spring stuff is in the store here they are closing the heating out. Papy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 I looked at other images for ship maul and I agree! Just wondering what a ship maul was doing out here in the desert? My guess was something to do with the mines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Rivets/ Titanic/ Harland & Wolff Shipyards. Not long after Dr. Ballard found the resting place of the R.M.S. Titanic, sections of the ship's plate were recovered. The rivets were then subjected to metallurgical analysis. The findings were very puzzling. The rivets had 10% slag in them. There should not have been that much slag. I have not heard anything more about that finding. Does anyone here have more information about it? SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 1 minute ago, SLAG said: Rivets/ Titanic/ Harland & Wolff Shipyards. Not long after Dr. Ballard found the resting place of the R.M.S. Titanic, sections of the ship's plate were recovered. The rivets were then subjected to metallurgical analysis. The findings were very puzzling. The rivets had 10% slag in them. There should not have been that much slag. I have not heard anything more about that finding. Does anyone here have more information about it? SLAG. Too much slag is bad, but too much SLAG is just enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Hammer-Man, "Too much slag is bad, but too much SLAG is just enough." I take that as a compliment: thank you. But how did so much slag get into those rivets? Harland & Wolff was no fly by night corporation. Regards, SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gergely Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 Some recent findings: - future housing for a gas forge - some old iron scrap, best of it is the thick iron tire: - two decorative elements from an old peasant wagon, I seem to collect those: - and for some fun, a shopping cart, total mint condition, sold as scrap no picture of it but I finally found some 40 mm / >1,5" dia mild stock for a cool project. 2,5 meters will provide some fun time, as once I only need 60mm. Bests: Gergely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieG Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 13 hours ago, SLAG said: But how did so much slag get into those rivets? Harland & Wolff was no fly by night corporation. http://www.materialstoday.com/metals-alloys/news/what-really-sank-the-titanic/ This article is quite informative - unfortunately pressure to complete the project meant they took a risk that did not pay off - SQA is king! As an aside, 'Harland and Wolff was' is a little misleading - 'Harland and Wolff is' is more appropriate. Although they don't build ships anymore, they still do alot of drydock work and Offshore rig refurbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted March 9, 2017 Share Posted March 9, 2017 RobbieG, Thank you for posting the reference. I appreciate the gesture. Incidentally, I am a big fan of your of your iron oeuvre. Regards, SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Traded my old rivet forge for a 4-1/2" post vise and some cash. The screw hardware isn't original, but it's in decent shape. Nice and robust, and the post is perfectly straight. If you subtract the cash from what I paid for the forge, you could say I got the vise for $25 (when he was asking $200). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted March 10, 2017 Share Posted March 10, 2017 Today a fireplace log grate followed me home from the trash compactor. 30 pounds of 1/2 inch square stock. All I have to do is grind the welds and start forging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasent Posted March 11, 2017 Share Posted March 11, 2017 Look what I found picking Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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