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Spiked tomahawk build along

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Handforged:
I've posted a bunch of pictures of finished work but I thought you fellers might enjoy a build along of sorts. I'll post some pics as I go through the process and try to describe the steps for those that might like to take up blacksmithing.  This tomahawk started out as a used and abused 20oz ball peen hammer. I pick these up from various yard sales and pawn shops. Pawn shops usually have buckets full of old hammers that resided in someone's tool box that got pawned. Something to keep in mind when using something like this. STAY AWAY from the newer looking hammer heads. Most of them are junk Chinese powder steel and will crumble and crack if you try to forge it. The old rusty crusty ones that look like they are ready to be thrown away are perfect!
 
OK, this was a larger hammer so it took a bit of time to shape and flatten the front hammer face into a blade. I do this by hand. Just heat, beat...repeat.  I switch between a rounding hammer and a cross peen hammer. Initially the rounding hammer will spread the steel out for you predictably. Flare and move the steel to the shape you want as it starts to draw out. When I have the general shape of the blade formed somewhat I will start alternating in the cross peen hammer. This hammer spreads the steel faster. Working it in a fan motion through the blade will expand it even more. Then go back to a rounding hammer to remove the ripples that the cross peen creates. Next, I will work the blade with a "flatter" hammer, this is a regular hammer with dead flat face on it. This will finish out the steel and also remove some of the hammer marks. Lastly in this process I will drift out the eye to enlarge or reshape it. You've most likely hit it a few times while shaping and deformed it a little. Drift it and make it square again or reshape it however you'd like.

Once the blade is established 80-90 percent, I move onto the poll. This would be the round peen on the back of the "ball peen" hammer.  All I really need to accomplish on the anvil is to flatten it out, square it up and draw it out slightly. This particular hawk will have a crown footed poll, I won't need to use it for a hammer so it will be shaped more to crush a bone or something. Something to keep in mind as you work. Don't get carried away with the spike or poll. If you try to forge out some elaborate spike or something really long it won't spin correctly when thrown. I mean where's the  fun in that?

So once this work is done the first round of rough forging is complete. Here's a pic to illustrate.

johnfolchetti:
Looking forward to more of this one. Started one of these a few months back and it's been shelved in favor of a flintlock kit. What is the length of the blade at this point in the process?
Thanks

Handforged:

--- Quote from: johnfolchetti on March 19, 2020, 08:43:12 am ---Looking forward to more of this one. Started one of these a few months back and it's been shelved in favor of a flintlock kit. What is the length of the blade at this point in the process?
Thanks

--- End quote ---
I drew this one out to about 4" and the cutting edge will be close to that when finished. I'll post another picture here shortly when I get back out to the forge.

Handforged:
Next step is the rough grinding. This is where I'll get the sharp edges back into it and show the final shape.  I decided mid stream that I thought it looked better with a turned down pike instead of the poll. I wish I had shaped that in forge but the grinder took care of it.  This is in 50 grit so it is very rough. Now is where the real work starts. Hand sanding and finishing. I'll work this down to around 220 grit with sandpaper before moving on to file work. Not sure what I will do there, I never am until I get lines drawn out on it for reference.  Pictures illustrate the final shape as well as symmetry of the blade and pike in relation to the eye for the handle. There's no way to do this other than by eye.

GlisGlis:
following your posts with interest
you clearly made your homeworks  :OK :OK :OK

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