Spike Tomahawk

[anvil1231]

I've done a couple of these and the metal's never hard enough after I harden. "Not enough carbon." Do you case harden or does the hammer have enough carbon to harden properly? My test is to cut though a apple wood chunk. I've rolled the blade every time.
Thanks in advance.

Regards
Loyd

Loyd, I have quite a few hawks out there made out of ball peens. I have never had a bit of trouble heat treating them. There is more than enough carbon in them to harden. I'm sure there some of the cheaper china made ones that would be soft.

After forging normalize it 2 or 3 times.Heat to non magnetic and then a few seconds longer. Quench in auto trans fluid that is pre heated to about 140 degrees. Check it with a file. The file should just skate across it,if so you know it's hard. Then heat an inch or so above the edge. Watch the colors and run the blue to the edge staying the inch above with the heat sorce. If it starts into a gray color it will be getting to soft. Go ahead and start over.

If I this is not clear or any other question just let me know.

 

[chipper]

Thanks for all the info, I'll go with a higher quality ball peen next time. I've been building knives and hawks for the last few years but drifting and getting ball peen to work have just alluded me. Here's one of my forge welded hawks. It's definitely not up to your level of work but it gets the job done.
Thanks again
Loyd Shindelbower
Loveland Colorado

 

[anvil1231]

That looks good Loyd. Don't under estimate yourself. If your forge welding wrap around hawks out of files. Your doing what a lot of blacksmiths I know have a hard time doing. Most burn a file up in a minute.

 

[fatboy]

Yea Ive witness that happening to a friend forge weldling up a hawk head 2" of it burned right off. I have looked at some made from a fairers rasp and who ever did them did a great job but he may have used a propane forge

 

[Troy Allen Christianson]

Beautiful Hawk! OK I ordered a drift and have about five hammerheads so all I need is some handles. Did you make your own or use ready made? Once again, thanks for sharing your expertise and photos of your fine work. :hatsoff:

 

[anvil1231]

Beautiful Hawk! OK I ordered a drift and have about five hammerheads so all I need is some handles. Did you make your own or use ready made? Once again, thanks for sharing your expertise and photos of your fine work. :hatsoff:

The handle on this one is from Track of the wolf. Most of the time I make them myself.

 

[Black Hand]

What might you charge for one of those beauties? Please PM me, as I may be interested....

 

[Troy Allen Christianson]

Well I finally got around to forging out one of the hammer meads that I bought. Whew! That is alot of metal to move by hand. It is annealing right now. I will post a before and after shot soon. Thanks again for the inspiration. :hatsoff:

 

[anvil1231]

Can't wait to see the pics.
Trust me,The second will seem easier. Just don't let that be the last one you do. :wink:

 

[hemlockman]

Sir.. you have a talent! Awesome!

 

[Troy Allen Christianson]

Ive been filing on the hawk I forged. I don't have a grinder and it is how I make my knives so it is natural to me. One thing I did wrong I think was that I forged out the blade and spike before drifting the eye so it distorted the hawk a bit. The guy I am making it for wanted something in the "boarding ax" category and thinks it looks fine. One question for you Anvil if you will indulge me. Do you edge quench the head or harden the whole schmear then temper? I edge quench my knives then re-sand and temper at 400 degrees for three cycles. Do you think that would work for 1045? Getting close to done but had minor surgery this morning so probably won't finish until this weekend.

 

[anvil1231]

I edge quench all my hawks instead of the whole head. I temper with a torch drawing it back to a dark blue. I have tried the 400 degrees which only draws back to a straw color and seem to leave it to hard . I had problems with the the edge chipping out.

 

[paulvallandigham]

Anvil: You definitely want to draw the hardness back to " blue" rather than "straw". Straw works on items like Frizzens, but not knives and axes.

There was a time when we could refer to " razor blade Blue" and everyone knew what we were talking about. However, finding Gillette brand razor blades, much less the "BLUE"- double-edged variety, is next to impossible, today. But, that is the color blue you want for a strong tough edge on your axe.