I want to make a Tomahawk from a ballpeen and wondering how I should work it at the forge?

Also whats a good size for the eye - thinking about 16 oz. or 24 oz. ballpeen
Im not worth a flip at forge welding
Thanks Ron

it works pretty good ive seen it done a few times ... just find a old ballpeen with a good sized eye forge the hammer head out at a yellow heat forge the ball end into a smalll hammer head, harden and temper.. good luck!

I just did this one the other day, and left the eye alone, working around it, just a little hammer control and it comes out pretty decent, even if you accidently whack it, and I did, it's fairly easy to fix with a drift.

I always drift out the eye larger to make handles last longer. I also use a hammer handle drift as it's easier/cheaper to buy hammer handles than hawk handles. I start by drifting with a bull pin as they are much tougher than my HH drift that was cast.

A good size is one you can fit handles to easily.

Morning Ron,
I've made a few and I start at the ball, forge it square and that gives you a good handle to forge the blade. I posted in the gallery (pawnee 1) some pics of ones I made, the first two, 32 oz head, were for reenactors the were doing the Lewis & Clark trip. The straight spike was a 16 oz head. Have fun with them.
Pawnee

I was thinking about making the eye bigger in the ballpeen - wanting a bigger stronger handle. I have some big punches I could drive through or should I use a punch that fits and draw the sides???
Thanks Ron

I have 3 sets of horseshoers tongs that have the round bits with a dimple inside them, usually one of them will fit the hammer peen for holding it and forging the other end.

Hi it's been quite a while since I posted on here,I have made many many of these,I drift the eyes out with a teardrop drift.Here,s one I did recently-16 oz.--Regards Butch

Edited December 12, 200817 yr by rsilver4

nice. Heres mine

Hi it's been quite a while since I posted on here,I have made many many of these,I drift the eyes out with a teardrop drift.Here,s one I did recently-16 oz.--Regards Butch

rsilver4, that is an extremely beautiful hawk. What did you do to affect the notches along the top of it, could you describe that for us???
Filing while hot???

Here's one from a 24 oz ball peen. I drifted it with a larger oval drift.

Great work S. Willis

Pipeliner32

The notches are filework on the front edge,vine and thorns-I used needlefiles before I tempered the edge----Thanks Butch

Here's one from a 24 oz ball peen. I drifted it with a larger oval drift.

Beautiful as always Stu,youda hawkman fo sho:D

So get the drift in the eye and draw it on the anvil?
Great Hawks

Whenever I look at peoples work on these kind of sites, it always amazes me to no end what can be done with so little materials.

So get the drift in the eye and draw it on the anvil?
Great Hawks

Ron, I use to drift across my vise. I open the jaws enough to accept the round part of the hammer and the drift. Then start drifting rotating side every other heat until the last few heats and then drift from just one side. I now drift on a stand I made just for this. Here is a couple pictures.

Thanks
I forged one today from a 24oz and use my homemade drift. My drift I left one side straight and tappered the others. It worked but makes the eye angle off from the blade- I think I finally straightened it will know after it slow cools.
That was enough of that I ordered a ductil iron drift.
You have a pic. of the drift that you use?
Should I drift the eye first ??
Thanks

Edited December 14, 200817 yr by Ron Hicks

I drift the eye first on ball peens and stock. Heres some pics of a few of my drifts
The one on the left I made to open the eye a little before drifting with the store bought drift. The eyes on the ball peens are a little smaller.

Heres another shot

Here is how I line everything up.

What do you think - kinda odd lookin
I may flatten out the spike or cut it off
I think I can work the eye with files and square the handle to the head

looks good Ron

I think I have it now
What kind of steel could it be S7?
It was a Vaughan ballpeen.
I had anealed it last night and able to file on it but slow goin.
I got greedy and tried my angle grinder on the bottom of the spike. Im glad thats the only spot I ground on . Think I can get it with a new file.

How should I harden and temper this thing??
I made a few knives from springs and races.
Thanks
Ron

How did you anneal it?

I drift the eye first on ball peens and stock. Heres some pics of a few of my drifts
The one on the left I made to open the eye a little before drifting with the store bought drift. The eyes on the ball peens are a little smaller.

Heres another shot

Here is how I line everything up.

Stu,I leave the drift in, put in the vise and use a piece of pipe to line the blade up.nanana my way is better--:DButch

But Butch, Listen to me. If the blade is parallel with the eye as this one is. Note that the spike is leaning the left. When you heat it back up and hit it with your pipe it is going to marr the side of the head!!! duh huh:D

Ron I have been told most ball peen hammers are L6 or 1045. Normalize a couple times before heat treating. I heat mine to non-magnetic,quench in trans fluid that is preheated to 140 degrees. Then draw back to a blue color. I only edge quench about 1/2 inch up.