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Thread: Hammer Time

  1. #1
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    Default Hammer Time

    I was making a straight peen hammer for a friend and decided while I was on a roll to try a few hammers I haven't done or used before.

    Decided to make myself a engravers chasing hammer so I can do some engraving and a pair of cutlers dogface hammers.






    The chasing hammer is looking a bit nose heavy, fits in with the dog cars at present. I'll cut that off and start the hardening and tempering next.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  2. #2
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    Default

    They look fantastic Dale, some interesting design work, not that I know anything about blacksmithing, but they do look good.
    Kryn
    To grow old is mandatory, growing up is optional.

  3. #3
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    Thanks Kryn.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  4. #4
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    Hi

    My dad was a watchmaker/jeweler and had a couple of chasing hammers.

    Being a boilermaker, hammers to me should be big hefty things and subject to abuse and breakage on occasion.

    I often wondered where you would go for a new chasing hammer handle should you break one. I now understand that that the chasing hammers have a very thin neck to allow a springing action in the handle, aiding the engraving process.

    I dare say the handle will be as much work as the hammer head. Looking forward to seeing pics of the completed article. Nice work!

    Thanks for posting

    Grahame

  5. #5
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    Yes your correct the handle should have a whipping effect, this reduces fatigue and RSI, and imparts more force with less effort. If your working for an hour or two you might not notice much but I'm told if your at it day in day out it makes a big difference.

    In the photo above they were discussing what to look for in a good handle. The pale mass produced handle was deemed too thick & stiff. Also the grain orientation is wrong for the direction of force and flex.


    Have you still got your Dad's tools? I'd love to see photos if you do.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  6. #6
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    It had some rhinoplasty today and got s bit of decorative filework to boot.


    Sitting on my normal smithing hammer I made 3yrs ago.



    Working out the handle profile.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  7. #7
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    I am enjoying this build immensely ,though I do have questions.

    The liquid paper pictured.Is it just for scale or is there a use in for it in the process?
    I see what appears to be a white spillage or are the local birds making a few deposits.

    The long nose of the hammer is that for holding it in the lathe chuck so it can be parted?

    What type of timber will be used for your handle?

    I shall be most interested to see the making of the handle.

    Grahame

  8. #8
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    Liquid paper was in case I made some mistakes. Just first thing I could find for scale. Nope that's bird signatures.

    I'm told the go to timber is Osage Orange.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  9. #9
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    The long nose was so I had something to hold onto while forging the hammer, I left it there again so I could hold it in the vice whilst I cleaned up the annealed hammer with a file.

    To anneal it it's heated up nice and hot then buried in a bucket of wood ash, it's free from the fireplace. You can also use a form of lime.

    After it's all done the hammer is heated to no magnetic red, (which is bright orange in this case) and tested until a magnet won't stick to it and quenched in oil filled quench tank. Small items become harder and more brittle as they cool more rapidly in the quench. I polished the hammer head and tempered the eye. When the faces became dark straw I quenched it again. It's now coated in beeswax/boiled linseed/mineral turps mix.

    Now to find some Osage Orange and start on the handle.

    I made a few gravers yesterday, or started on them.

    The left is 3mm sq. HSS, all the handles are 10mm Sq Mild.
    I probably should have made a collet to take the square bar and drilled and turned the ends in the lathe. I used the drill press and eyeballed the holes, rounded them on the belt sander.

    Ends rounded over to avoid chipping when struck.

    Using whatever random bits of small HSS I could quickly find laying about.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  10. #10
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    Default Gravers

    Hey DSEL,

    Could those gravers also be used as hand held lathe tools ? I have read about people doing tiny detailed corrections and chamfers and safe edges using gravers on a metal lathe and have always wondered what the tools might look like.

    Will there be some future posts relating the gravers to the hammers ?

    Interesting thread, thanks. I have always wondered what the story is behind those teardrop looking hammer handles.

    Bill

  11. #11
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    I believe they could Bill. I think jewellers do it with gravers and essentially they look like mini wood turning chisels. But I have never seen it done or tried it myself to be certain.

    if you look at the very last picture you will see my very poor but first attempt at hammer and chisel engraving done with one of those gravers above.

    i'm a very beginner at all this engraving (barely scratched the surface lol), so not sure how much more information I can impart on the process. I'm just feeling my way and researching as I go.

    i'd love to find an experienced engraver locally to learn from. But not to many around in the world still doing it.
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  12. #12
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    Keep an eye on Paul Hamler on YouTube. He does miniatures of tools, guns etc and does quite a lot of really fine engraving. All his pieces are made to be in working condition including antique rifles the length of your forearm. They will shoot bullets. Ammo would be pricey tho. These are heavily engraved models.

    Dean

  13. #13
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    1. Locate log. Look at that toxic yellow color.


    2. Cut down avoiding the multitude of checks in the timber. Mark out profiles.

    3. Rough out profiles on bandsaw.


    3. Shape


    4. Shape


    5. shape. 60-150grit


    6. Ready to start fitting head
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

  14. #14
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    Dsel74

    It looks a treat.

    Have you given it a test drive yet?

    Grahame

  15. #15
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    Default Hammer Time

    Heads not fitted yet.


    Did you get the links I emailed you?
    …..Live a Quiet Life & Work with your Hands

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