Rik Palm Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 I want to thank, Larry Harley for mentioning a while back that ball peen hammer heads make nice hawks. I also wanted to thank Rick Eaton for taking time out during the busy Reno Show and showing me how to sharpen a graver! 2 of the nicest guys around! I found an old ball peen hammer head ($3) at a yard sale and wanted to try making a hawk out of it. The hawk head is 6 inches overall, with a 2 inch cutting edge, 13 inch stained ash handle. I wanted to make it short for hiking and stuff. anyway thanx for looking.... I call it "Barr" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardtwist Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Well done. I really like this. JIM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Palm Posted March 2, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Thanx Jim! It was kinda fun to make. Drifting out the eye was the tough part for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Hastings Posted March 2, 2005 Report Share Posted March 2, 2005 Thanx Jim! It was kinda fun to make. Drifting out the eye was the tough part for me. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I like it. would you mind giving an overview of the process? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean McKay Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 That's such a neat idea to carve a beautiful hatchet from a hammer! Gorgeous work Rik! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Actually Kathleen I believe Rik forged that out to shape and then carved it. But I agree completely, it is phenomenal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Palm Posted March 3, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Patrick, I not sure this is the correct way to make a ball peen hawk I first flatten/drew out the hammer end fullering it as close as I dared to its eye on all 4 sides. I figured the flat part was the biggest move so I did it first. I thought it would give me a good area to clamp in the post vise too when I upset the ball some too, Well the flattening/pinching went well but the ball upsetting didn't work as I thought it would, I messed up the eye (twisted and bent). The next thing I worked on was drifting the eye. Since I messed its shape up I had to work hard to drift it and get it straight to the blade (a normal hammer eye is very small I learned I had to move lots of metal). It seemed like I was just chasing my mistakes around and around, but eventually I got it worked out. so that was the hardest part. (as I write this I think I know now that I should have waited on doing the fullering before the upsetting of the ball.... hmmmmm) When I was straighting it up I had my sketch near by guessing the shape some. After I normalized it, I profiled it some for the general shape, the "blade" was much longer then my sketch (I was kinda surprised at how much metal there was in a hammer head) I reforged it again refining the shape more, like pinching the ears up, shaping and tapering the ball some more. HA and straighting it some more, seems just when I thought I had it straight it would be off some where else. next I normalized it again, and filed out the profile closer to the end shape. (like the nose, blade curves, ears, etc... I basically kept that up until I got closer to my sketch and a shape I liked. I went slow. funny how just a slight difference in a curve like the nose gave a huge different feel to it I was having fun. I used a small carbide ball burr 1/8 inch for the texturing. After Rick Eaton showed me how to sharpen a graver then it was really easy to do the other features. Most of the time I mostly used files, I really like using them especially when I get into a rhythm. I took the head to 150 grit before heat treating, the hawk was actually clay harden but afterwards I didn't polish it out. I was instead going to really darken it with a black patina, I did the patina and used semi chrome polish which took off all the patina!! oh well but my wife and son really liked it shiny so I left it as it is now. whew!!! I really normally don't type that much! I probably left something out but ask if you have any questions. Rik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Hi Rik, Thanks for the interesting and descriptive tour for the ball peen hawk. My background is with clay and wood, with very little knowledge of metals . You used some terms that others may also be wondering about. Since this is a list of multiple media using members, (I have a hard time figuring out how to say that ), a further element of education would be welcomed (by me, for starters!). I listed the things below that I must guess at the meaning when read in context with the description. Would you be willing to hint at what each means? Thanks! Janel fullering it would give me a good area to clamp in the post vise too when I upset the ball drifting the eye clay harden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Palm Posted March 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 Hi Janel, "fullering", is when I indented, pinched, creating the "u" shape depression in the middle. "it would give me a good area to clamp in the post vise too when I upset the ball" I used the flatten blade area to tightly clamp it so the "ball peen" was facing upward so I could hammer, squash, make it fatter, swell it up, or "upset" it so I had more nose to work with. "drifting the eye" A hawks handle has a tear drop cross section that tapers from small to big. The hawks head eye is also tapered so it can slide up on but not all the way up. The 2 tapers work together to secure it. I used a metal "drift" that is the same shape of a real wood handle, so when I hammered it into the hawks eye it would match up with the wood handle later. "clay harden" I used a layer of clay on the blade (so it would retain the heat) when I edged quenched it. I wanted only the cutting edge to be hardened so the rest of the hawk would be "soft" and tough. The quench line of hard & soft is called the Hamon and when polished it shows the heat treating. thanx for the questions! Rik Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted March 5, 2005 Report Share Posted March 5, 2005 You are welcome and thank you! You metal workers have an interesting language! Janel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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